Brave New World (1980 film)

{{about|the 1980 film|Marvel|Captain America: Brave New World|other fiction named "Brave New World"|Brave New World (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox television

| alt_name =

| image = Brave New World 1980.jpg

| image_alt =

| caption = Home video cover art

| genre = Drama
Science fiction

| creator =

| based_on =

| writer = Aldous Huxley
Robert E. Thompson
Doran William Cannon

| screenplay =

| story =

| director = Burt Brinckerhoff

| starring = Keir Dullea
Marcia Strassman
Kristoffer Tabori
Bud Cort
Julie Cobb
Ron O'Neal

| narrated =

| theme_music_composer = Paul Chihara

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_episodes =

| executive_producer = Milton Sperling

| producer = Jacqueline Babbin

| location =

| editor = James T. Heckert

| cinematography = Harry L. Wolf

| runtime = 180 minutes

| company = Universal Television

| budget =

| network = NBC

| released = {{Start date|1980|3|7}}

}}

Brave New World is an American television film first shown in 1980.{{cite web | url=http://www.moviefone.com/movie/brave-new-world/1085032/synopsis | title=Plot, Details & Awards of Brave New World | publisher=Moviefone | access-date=7 August 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506024448/http://www.moviefone.com/movie/brave-new-world/1085032/synopsis | archive-date=6 May 2014 }} It was also shown on the BBC that same year, and is an adaptation of the 1932 novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley.{{cite book|title=Brave New World|first=Aldous|last=Huxley|authorlink=Aldous Huxley|edition=Reprint|publisher=Harper Perennial (Orig-pub: Chatto & Windus)|orig-year=1932|year=2006|location=New York City|oclc=20156268|isbn=978-0060850524}}

Plot

In the future, pregnancy is outlawed, and citizens are required to engage in loveless sex and narcotics are used to ensure happiness in the population. Babies are created in the lab, and every child's future is predestined into one of five classes.

While most people are happy to retain this established order, including Thomas Grambell, a supervisor of human "hatcheries," resistance is growing, as evidenced by quirky malcontent Bernard Marx and other rebels.

Bernard and his girlfriend Lenina Disney go to a primitive reservation which holds to 20th century values, and while there meet a native named John (also called the Savage). They return with him to civilization, and his presence further upends conventional thinking. John is seen as a freak and this grants him some degree of celebrity. John develops romantic feelings for Lenina, which are considered highly inappropriate, bordering on the obscene.

John's parents are from the more technologically advanced part of the world, and he has educated himself using often banned works such as Shakespeare. John realizes that his sexual mores, based on the works he studied, are antiquated in this advanced society. He therefore asks to be assigned a solitary posting, but even as he mans the lighthouse alone, he cannot escape his memories of Lenina.

Cast

Kristoffer Tabori as John the Savage
Bud Cort as Bernard Marx
Keir Dullea as Thomas "Tomakin"{{cite web | url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/brave-new-world.2/ | title=Brave New World:Synopsis | publisher=MSN | access-date=7 August 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714164136/http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/brave-new-world.2/ | archive-date=14 July 2010 | url-status=dead }} Grahambell
Julie Cobb as Linda Lysenko
Ron O'Neal as Mustapha Mond
Marcia Strassman as Lenina Disney (Crowne){{cite web | last=Pearce |first=David | url=http://www.huxley.net/bnw/bravenewworld.html | title=Brave New World (1980) (TV) | publisher=BLTC Research | date=1998 | access-date=7 August 2013}}
Dick Anthony Williams as Helmholtz Watson
Jonelle Allen as Fanny Crowne
Jeanetta Arnette as Dwightina
Casey Biggs as Beta lighthouse guard
Reb Brown as Henry
Tara Buckman as Alpha Teacher
Nigel Bullard as Plant Manager
Shane Butterworth as John as a child
Lee Chamberlin as Head Nurse
Beatrice Colen as Gamma Female
Patrick Cronin as Gamma Male
Valerie Curtin as Chief Warden Stelina Shell
Murray Salem as Chief Engineer
Marneen Fields as Futuristic Factory Worker
Aron Kincaid as J. Edgar Millhouse
Carole Mallory as Miss Trotsky
Tricia O'Neil as Maoina Krupps
Victoria Racimo as Beta Teacher
Delia Salvi as High Priestess

Production

Originally 4 hours long, it was cut down to three hours before being televised.{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/71171/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World (1980)|website=Turner Classic Movies|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=24 April 2020}} Brave New World was directed by Burt Brinckerhoff for Universal Television and first shown on NBC on 7 March 1980.{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080468/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl | title=Plot Summary for Brave New World (1980) (TV) | publisher=IMDb.com, Inc. | access-date=7 August 2013}} The screen adaptation was written by Doran William Cannon. It was filmed in Universal City, California.{{cite web|url=https://retrovision.tv/brave-new-world-1980/|title=Brave New World (1980)|website=RetroVision|access-date=24 April 2020}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Year ! Award ! Category ! Nominee(s) ! Result ! Ref.
rowspan="2"\| 1980 \| rowspan="2"\| 32nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards \| Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special \| Tom H. John Mary Ann Biddle \| {{nom}} \| rowspan="2"\| {{cite web\|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/brave-new-world\|title=Brave New World - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins\|website=Television Academy\|access-date=October 18, 2021}}
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special \| Harry L. Wolf \| {{nom}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

Year

! Award

! Category

! Nominee(s)

! Result

! Ref.

rowspan="2"| 1980

| rowspan="2"| 32nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

| Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special

| Tom H. John
Mary Ann Biddle

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2"| {{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/brave-new-world|title=Brave New World - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins|website=Television Academy|access-date=October 18, 2021}}

Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or a Special

| Harry L. Wolf

| {{nom}}

Reception

TCM found the film ambitious but tedious, confusing and ultimately unsuccessful.

Home media

The film was released on DVD.{{cite web|url=https://www.zeusdvds.com/brave-new-world-1980-dvd/|title=Brave New World (1980)|website=Zeus DVDs|access-date=2 March 2015}}