This adaptation of Le Guin's best book tells the intriguing story of a man whos dreams change reality and a psychiatrist who uses that gift/curse for his own ends.It's not a slick production, being mainly 2 or 3 people having conversations and some dream sequences that attempt to tell large stories with small special effects, but it's still very effective. The cast is solid, with the dreamer harried and the shrink increasingly monstrous as a man whose belief in his greatness is constantly belied by his actions and statements.I really like the overarching and philosophical take on grand solutions as well as small things like the way the future contains a benevolent-yet-uncaring bureaucracy.The biggest issue with the movie is the big end scene. It's not in any way clear what's going on. I first watched this movie with my dad on its original broadcast, and the only reason I understand the scene is because he, having read the book several times (he taught a class in sci-fi literature), knew exactly what was going on. I just watched the movie with my girlfriend, and even though she'd read the book a few months ago she found the scene as perplexing as I had. It's an unfortunate flaw in what is otherwise a very solid and thoughtful sci-fi flick. Still worth watching.

This fairly low-budgeted PBS film from 1980 shows why a real story, with real ideas, runs rings around the multi-million dollar CGI-fests that overrun theaters today. A sensitive, thoughtful adaptation of the Ursula LeGuin classic about dreams, power, responsibility, Taoism, reality, unreality, and being in & at one with the world, it's blessed with three strong & subtle performances. Bruce Davison, still one of our most underrated actors, is especially fine in conveying the uncertainties & initial confusion of George Orr, as well as his basic human decency & his emerging moral strength as the world continues to shift around him. Yes, the special effects are simple even for 1980 ... but that doesn't matter in the least. The film knows that real science-fiction isn't about special effects; it's about people & ideas. A thoroughly entertaining, gripping story, it brings those ideas to life without lecturing, but by letting the characters live them out & react as real human beings. It's a film I've watched many times over the decades since it first aired, and it remains as fresh & vivid as ever, always revealing something new. How many films can do that? This one does, effortlessly. It needs to be available on DVD again!

When I first saw "The Lathe of Heaven" back in the 80s on PBS while in high school, I was completely mesmerized and blown away. This wasn't because of special effects, lasers or destructive monsters, but because of the psychological element of control and power that plagues the mind.Based on the phenomenal book by Ursula Le Guin, the film does the book justice. Though, in the end, a book is a book and a movie is a movie, lovers of the novel will not be disappointed.If you love a great story, full of conflict, tension and surprises, you will enjoy this romp through the mind of George Orr and his inherent angst and strife. For me, this is one of the most potent science fiction tales of all time, if not one of the most thought-provoking stories ever told. Regardless, don't miss out on the amazing book and Le Guin's remarkable imagination.

To those who came to this one expecting the A&E remake, don't worry. You've come to the right place. Although the A&E version has all the glitz and glamor, this 1980 PBS production has all the rest (which the A&E is sadly missing).1. It is fairly loyal to the material, Ursula K. Le Guin's novel.2. It is well acted, arguably very well acted.3. Characterization is loyal to that in the novel.4. It communicates the somewhat convoluted plot quite effectively.5. It carries the message forward. (No spoilers here.)(The A&E remake accomplishes *none* of these.)So snag this one on DVD while it's still available. Watch it. It's a little treasure. Although the glitz and glamor of the A&E remake are missing, it has everything else."Antwerp"