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David and Lisa (1962)
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:8
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.1/10
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Directed by Frank Perry (THE SWIMMER) and based on a nonfiction story by Dr. Theodore Isaac Rubin, this movie was a bona fide independent hit at the time of its 1962 release. Rich performances,... Directed by Frank Perry (THE SWIMMER) and based on a nonfiction story by Dr. Theodore Isaac Rubin, this movie was a bona fide independent hit at the time of its 1962 release. Rich performances, unusual frankness for its day, and David's disturbing dream sequences--rendered in Leonard Hirschfield's stark black-and-white photography--also created strong word-of-mouth interest in the film. Seventeen-year-old David (Keir Dullea) suffers from a violent fear of being touched. When his mother (Neva Patterson) takes him to an institution for teenagers, he is angry and distrustful of both the doctors and his fellow patients, even calm and thoughtful Dr. Swinford (Howard Da Silva), who tries to help him. However, David has a breakthrough when he begins communicating with Lisa (Janet Margolin), a pretty 15-year-old schizophrenic who talks in childlike rhymes. Their friendship is mutually beneficial, and when David's parents decide that he should return home, he realizes that he has gained a sense of belonging at the institution and is reluctant to leave. Meanwhile, while David is away, Lisa demonstrates in her own alarming way how much his influence means to her. [More]
Starring: Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Clifton James
Starring: Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Clifton James, Neva Patterson, Richard McMurray, Jaime Sanchez, Karen Lynn Gorney
Director: Frank Perry
Director: Frank Perry
Screenwriter: Eleanor Perry
Producer: Paul M. Heller
Composer: Mark Lawrence
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Reviews for David and Lisa
The understated charm of David and Lisa is what set the movie apart from so many other attempts at depicting the problems of the mentally ill.
... strong performances and sensitive direction create a moving drama...
Frank Perry's soft, romanticized look at two misfits in an asylumn, played by the attractive Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin, this early indie film became a campus favorite in the 1960s and led the way to the rise of independent cinema in the 1970s.
[Frank Perry] has done a simple, commendable, sympathetic semi-documentary.
Margolin and Dullea are two underrated actors who are brilliant in this 'love at the mental home' movie
It's not a bad time, but it's talky and more than a little pedantic. And Dullea looks like the oldest teen on earth.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 67% 67% | Bruno |
| 47% 47% | My Sister's Keeper |
| 66% 66% | Is Anybody There? |
| 82% 82% | Thirst |
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