The Bourne Identity Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 291 out of 344 people found the following review useful: Hooray for decent, more realistic spy films! Author: Sleel 17 March 2003 I have grown extremely tired of the typical formula spy film like Bond, or the juvenile stunt exhibition "Triple X." There have been a bare handful of spy films that feature relatively realistic spy thrillers, especially recently with a concentration on spectacular movies that have less substance than cotton candy. Besides "The Bourne Identity," "Ronin" is the only other recent spy movie I can think of that didn't feature skydiving, bungie jumping, skiing downhill while shooting innumerable bad guys, laser pens, cars with ejection seats, or silicone breasted women with names you'd be vaguely embarrassed to say in front of your mother. Most of the crap that passes for an espionage film has no plot or reason for existing other than to meet a quota of explosions and cleavage in order to draw the summer action film crowd. While "Bourne" does not have a particularly deep plot, it is consistent and focused.

The focus is entirely upon Bourne and how he is to deal with having no memory of his past, being hunted without knowing why. Some people have complained about being confused by the movie. I for one, do not need to have everything spelled out since in many cases this smacks of unreality in the first place; the essence of espionage is drawing conclusions from very sketchy information. If you can't handle a little of that, you probably should stick to Disney films or TV's Scooby Doo where everything is explained in the end. We never find out about what is in the case in "Ronin" and I can live without some information being filled in about Bourne's past. To those who have moaned about the incompatibility of the book and the movie, seek help. There are probably several things that work in the book that would either be boring and take too much screen time to explain, or would be viewed as cliche to modern screen audiences. As I remember, I liked the book, and I definitely like this movie. I view any movie adaptation as an interpretation of the book rather than a translation from words to pictures anyway.

As for realism, most of the action scenes are believable, no super-gadgets are to be seen, no incredibly lovely models fall madly in bed with Bourne, and the hero shows definite signs of physical vulnerability despite a very high level of training and competance. As someone who has trained in martial arts for over 10 years, unrealistic fight scenes are a pet peeve. The fights in "Bourne" are fast, nasty, and very realistic while still being entertaining for the layman. (And yes, taking a gun away from some idiot who is standing well within your striking radius without getting shot is definitely doable, though I had serious doubts until we tested it for ourselves with plastic dart guns in the dojo several years ago). While not being perfect, "The Bourne Identity" is, simply put, several grades above the typical spy film. Being focused on an individual level rather than involving itself huge political ramifications lends it another layer of respectability rather than detracting from it as some comments have implied since it remains a human problem on a comprehensible scale. The mysteries that are left are bigger mysteries for Bourne than us, and I think should be viewed as intentional omissions rather than loose ends.

The implausibilities are kept to a minimum and the realism to as high a level as possible while still being spectacular enough to meet the expectations of the genre. Was the above review useful to you? 195 out of 234 people found the following review useful: What a Spy Movie Should Be Like These Days from Washington, DC 11 December 2002 James Bond and Ethan Hunt take notice. "The Bourne Identity" is my new standard for contemporary spy thrillers. Gone (or almost gone) are the special effects that James and Ethan rely on all too heavily. Hell, in those franchises the special effects have virtually replaced story and characters. "The Bourne Identity" has a very straightforward story to tell, a mystery that slowly unravels. Spycraft is not all about technical gizmos, but requires human brains and human brawn (and a fair amount of gunplay and car chases). Set in various locales in Switzerland and France during the winter much of the visuals for "The Bourne Identity" are gray and damp. That's a plus, Monte Carlo and like locales can get boring. Mat Damon is great as Jason Bourne, fished from the Mediterranean mostly dead by gunshot wounds.

A total amnesiac, he slowly realizes that he possesses the deadly skills of a well-trained assassin, and that someone is out to kill him. Franka Potente is equally good as the young woman swept up in his life and forced to run with him. Run or be killed. I can't say enough good things about this movie. Doug Limon, thanks, you did a great job. Was the above review useful to you? 175 out of 243 people found the following review useful: Don't watch this movie if you think James Bond is someone who you can meet in real life. from Tessenderlo, Belgium 13 September 2004 Next to Ronin, this is one of the best action / spy movies that I've ever seen. I heard a lot of good critics, but didn't know what to think about it. I only saw it 2 years after it first appeared and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't go watch it in the cinema. I'm not too keen on movies like James Bond and other stuff in this genre, but this one is a lot better.

Normally you see the "super hero" using all kinds of weird gadgets, driving extremely fast sports cars and sleeping with ladies who look more like prostitutes than being normal women. Jason Bourne however doesn't have all this things, which makes this movie a lot more realistic. The fights are fast and very realistic but still entertaining. The action scenes are believable, no super-gadgets, no incredibly willing women sharing his bed... Our hero even shows definite signs of physical vulnerability despite a very high level of training and competence. In the meanwhile he has to deal with amnesia, while being hunted without knowing why. In the end this is still a man which you can identify yourself with. I would say: Go watch it when you are a fan of movies like Ronin, don't watch it if you think James Bond is a person who you can bump into on the streets when going out. Personally I would award this movie with an 8/10. Was the above review useful to you? 234 out of 372 people found the following review useful: Great movie, 1 very incorrect review from United States 17 December 2004 This is a great movie. Unfortunately one reviewer has no knowledge towards the field of psychology.

One reviewer states it's a good movie based on a completely false occurrence, that being amnesia in general. They say it doesn't exist and nobody loses their memory of their identity while retaining knowledge of everything else. This is untrue. I am currently studying to become a psychologist, it's called Dissociative Amnesia. -Dissociative Amnesia - formerly Psychogenic Amnesia, is a pervasive loss of memory of significant personal information. This disorder is characterized by a blocking out of critical personal information. Dissociative amnesia, unlike other types of amnesia, does not result from other medical trauma, such as a blow to the head. The predominant disturbance is one or more episodes of inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness - Just to prove, it's true, and does happen. So this movie is not based on something made up, similar losses of memory do happen to people. Especially people in a job such as that. So, concluding, this is a great action film, I truly enjoyed this movie along with the sequel, The Bourne Supremacy.

Both are I think going to be a couple of the best movies we will see this decade (2000-2010) Was the above review useful to you? 75 out of 101 people found the following review useful: One of the best spy films around from United States 23 October 2005 This story has been done several times in the past, most recently in "A Long Kiss Goodnight". It's also true that Doug Liman and the producers created their own Jason Bourne mythology,since this movie is different in many ways to the book. But the truth is Liman takes an old story and puts a new fast paced spin on it. Matt Damon stars as the enigmatic assassin who just wants to figure out who he is. As he travels from city to city he's followed by CIA agents who want to dispose of him to save their own jobs. He's helped along the way by Marie played by the brilliant Franka Potente. Together they come face to face with the people that want them dead. The cast is great and so is the story. This film should be on everyone's top ten list. Was the above review useful to you?

72 out of 103 people found the following review useful: Realistic Spy Movie from England 27 December 2006 Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a highly trained assassin, found left for dead at sea. He wakes to find he has no memory of who he is and he needs answers fast if he is to survive the attempts to erase his existence. The Bourne Identity is excellently paced and brings a great deal of realism to the spy genre. The fight sequences are fast and believable, the car chases are accurately choreographed and the character of Jason Bourne is vulnerable and easy to identify with. Matt Damon plays the role with apparent ease, he simply slips into the character and brings him to life. As spy thrillers go The Bourne identity one of the best around. 8/10 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 20 September 2003 The crew of a fishing vessel find a body floating in the middle of the ocean. They bring it on board and the improvised 'doctor' finds two bullets on the back and a Swiss bank account implanted in the hip of the body.

The 'body' indeed is not dead but unconscious: he is Jason Bourne (Matt Dammon), a CIA secret and very well prepared agent with amnesia. During the period of fishing in the sea, he recovers his health. Once on shore, he decides to go to the Swiss bank and then to the American Consulate. There he meets Marie Helena Kreutz (Franka Potente, from 'Run Lola Run' and 'Anatomy') and they two together will pass to the most spectacular actions along the film. The great Matt Dammon and Franka Potente are perfect. This movie is everything that 'Tripple X' and 'Die Another Day' intended to be and did not offer to the viewer: a non-stop and excellent action film. Fortunately this screenplay was not in the hands of Tom Cruise, otherwise he would like to perform the role of Jason Bourne and spoil this film, as usual. It is amazing the filmography of Matt Dammon. This great actor knows how to select good screenplays.

I am not familiarized with the filmography of Franka Potente ( I believe most of them has not been released on VHS or DVD in Brazil), but in 'Run Lola Run' and 'Anatomy' I liked her performance very much. One thing that called my attention along this movie was her perfect accent in English (with the exception of the 'sh....' expressions in German). The great Chris Cooper and Julia Stiles perform secondary roles along this outstanding action movie. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "A Identidade Bourne" ("The Bourne Identity") Was the above review useful to you? 36 out of 45 people found the following review useful: Excellent from United Kingdom 9 November 2005 I was pleasantly surprised with the Bourne Identity.Very rarely do I get to watch a movie that surpasses my expectations.First of all can I say that there are so many films out there that have the same regurgitated ideas and plot lines.Not many of which have any originality.

This however is one of the exceptions thankfully and pleasantly.Centred around a man who gets washed ashore and with no memory.( OK so this has been done before !!) but this movie was original.A selection box of mystery, action and great acting by all concerned.Haven't seen much of Mr Damion I have to admit but he was impressive.The photography ( can I use that term without sounding like a theatre studies student ?) was very good.In fact watching this movie was like watching one of those middle of the night foreign movies in a funny sort of way.However this was much more. In a word this film was ORIGINAL.Well directed and well acted. Good to see a film that doesn't have to rely on spectacular special effects and painted backdrops.This film worked because it worked without any of that.( Now I am waffling) Was the above review useful to you? 47 out of 70 people found the following review useful: It's the little things that make this film work 14 June 2002 *** This review may contain spoilers *** While the action genre is as believable and formulaic as an NSync song, The Bourne Identity takes a much needed step to the side to watch oncoming traffic.

Subtle, yet still holding true to multiple action formulas (lots of fighting, cool weaponry, and chase scenes), this film presents a new era of action film making which could be all the wave. Matt Damon, who has the unfortunate nature of watching his less talented friend Ben Affleck gain notoriety for trash movies, is an excellent choice as the CIA operative turned amnesiac Jason Bourne. His presence is both believable and realistic, like he is some guy who looks like a bookworm. While the film's cinematography was rather average, there are moments in the film which presents actual anxiety. The viewer knows something is coming, yet the genuine far exhibited by the characters makes those moments so interesting. I thought this would be some average action, but I walked away amazed. Franka Potente played the role of Marie perfectly, even though some prettier and less talented actress could have been placed in this film. Kudos to the producers for the casting choice. 7.4/10 Was the above review useful to you?

18 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Fine little action flick from NY 12 March 2006 I can sympathize with reviewers who had read the book and were disappointed by this film and the liberties it apparently took with the story. I've had that happen with books I've enjoyed and it can spoil a film you might otherwise have liked. I never read the book, so I was able to appreciate this film on its own merits - slick, tough, fast-paced and refreshingly devoid of the kind of nonsense that has made the Bond films harder and harder to sit through. I'm especially impressed by the fights, which, as other reviewers have pointed out, are among the most believable martial-arts-based fight scenes ever seen. No big grand gestures or Olympian kicks - just fast, nasty moves designed to inflict maximum damage with minimum effort. The cast is uniformly good - even Damon, who is no fave of mine, comes across believably as a man who's trained to hold it all in, but isn't sure what it all is that he's holding in. Cooper, Cox and Owen shine in their all-too-brief screen time.

Potente is attractive in a real person sort of way (sigh of relief for this genre) and possesses an inner strength that makes her character's actions and reactions ring truer than what we'd get from the traditional Hollywood eye-candy girlfriend these films normally feature. From the gritty bowels of the trawler, where Damon awakens to his situation, to the field where he confronts his most deadly assailant, the locations are the antithesis of the travel poster hotspots that Bond so frequently visits. Despite its breakneck pace (handled so well by Liman and so poorly in the sequel by his protégé), the film manages to convey a sense of melancholy that lifts it a bit above the average action thriller. Sorry book fans - it may not be your cup of Ludlum, but it's still a damn fine little action flick. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 86: Project MUSE - Remember Everything, Absolve Nothing: Working through Trauma in the Bourne Trilogy Working through Trauma in the Bourne Trilogy Vincent M.

Gaine (bio) The Jason Bourne trilogy constitutes an interesting example of mainstream Hollywood cinema attempting to engage critically with contemporary political issues following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Although the critique is constrained by commercial and generic expectations, The Bourne Identity (Doug Liman, 2002), The Bourne Supremacy (Paul Greengrass, 2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (Greengrass, 2007) nonetheless intersect with debates about terrorism, trauma, and the war on terror. This essay discusses the tension between the franchise's attempt at political critique and its commercial context of romantic sentimentalization. Generically, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) shares much with James Bond and other secret agents such as Jack Ryan and Harry Palmer, but the trilogy expresses discomfort with the role of the spy as an unproblematic agent of his government. This is significant in relation to 9/11, as since the attacks there has been significant cultural debate about the appropriate response. The political and military response presented a binary opposition between "us" (the United States) and "them" (terrorists), which avoided critical analysis.

1 Similarly, although 9/11 provided what Susan Sontag called "a monstrous dose of reality," the response was, for some, a replacement of politics with psychotherapy, indicating more concern with treating the traumatized "victims" than with identifying the motivations for the attacks. 2 However, various popular entertainment texts did [End Page 159] undertake a form of political criticism, as noted by Liz Powell in her contribution to this In Focus. The Bourne franchise is such a text, and one of the most significant because the franchise explicitly intersects with some of the debates in post-9/11 culture. For the purposes of this essay, the major concerns of the Bourne franchise are the concepts of trauma and responsibility. Jason Bourne is presented as a damaged hero, as evidenced by his amnesia and trauma over his past as a CIA operative. Anna Froula quotes, in her contribution to this section, Cathy Caruth's characterization of trauma as "repeated intrusive hallucinations, dreams, thoughts." 3 Bourne, and the films' viewers, experience these intrusions as flashbacks, specifically flashbacks to his assassination missions and, in the final film, his training.

The flashbacks stand out from the rest of the films' visual style through lower lighting, over- and underexposure, and unsteady cinematography. These intrusions serve to illustrate the inescapable nature of trauma, creating a parallel between the traumatized hero and the traumatized viewer. Bourne is traumatized, much as Western society, specifically the United States, was by 9/11. Bourne can thus be seen as a surrogate for the American viewer. Just as those who saw the collapse of the Twin Towers either in person or through the media are likely to be haunted by the images, so is Bourne haunted by the images of his past experiences. There is a further parallel, however, between Bourne and the Western viewer: both are implicitly culpable. The Western (again, particularly American) viewer of both 9/11 and the Bourne trilogy can be seen as tacitly or overtly supportive of the US foreign policy that, arguably, provoked the terrorist attacks.

If the public who supported US foreign policy experienced the results of certain policies on September 11, 2001, and therefore bears some responsibility for its own trauma, Bourne is similarly responsible for his trauma, since he was a willing participant in policies of assassination. The franchise does not present Bourne as a passive victim in his trauma but rather as at least partially responsible for what has happened to him. In doing so, the Bourne trilogy stresses responsibility and culpability for what Paul Greengrass describes, in his DVD commentary for Ultimatum, as the current "paranoid culture." At the same time, though, Bourne is presented as a sympathetic protagonist whom the viewer is meant to support. While this tension could undermine any political critique in the films, it is also the means by which a political message is expressed. If Bourne is responsible for his own trauma, so is the audience—the electorate for the (successive) governments who provoked al-Qaeda. These are the viewers at whom the franchise aims a political critique, suggesting their culpability for 9/11 and the subsequent war on terror.

The political critique made by any Hollywood release is inevitably tempered by commercial constraints, which usually take the form of romanticization, with the proven wisdom of popular storytelling dictating the inclusion of a sympathetic protagonist. The figure of the lone spy carrying out dangerous work for his country is a romantic figure, but in Identity, Bourne's former handler Terry Conklin (Chris Cooper) strips the sentiment away by describing Bourne as "a malfunctioning $30 million weapon." The franchise consistently maintains the tension between Bourne's romanticized role as a sympathetic protagonist and his status as a weapon of questionable US policy. [End Page 160] The awareness of and eventual confrontation with Bourne's past constitutes the franchise's political critique, most emphatically in Ultimatum. In Identity, the CIA's concern is to limit exposure of Bourne's botched assassination of a former African president. In Supremacy, a corrupt CIA official and a Russian businessman frame Bourne to distract attention from themselves.

In Ultimatum, post-9/11 concerns are more overt: much of the film takes place in cities that have suffered terrorist attacks, including London, Madrid, and New York; Bourne's flashbacks of his training feature hooded prisoners that recall scenes from Abu Ghraib, while the training itself involved immersion, reminiscent of waterboarding. In his DVD commentary, Greengrass describes his intention to give the film a "strong contemporary edge," but his attention is focused not so much on the threat of terrorism as on the paranoid culture and "focused brutality" of antiterrorism that have become familiar in the post-9/11 landscape. 4 Bourne's enemy in Ultimatum is CIA counterterrorist division Blackbriar, successor to the Treadstone program under which Bourne previously operated. Blackbriar's supervisor, Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), describes its official mission using terms that have become familiar during the war on terror, such as "rendition," and, crucially, Vosen justifies Blackbriar's actions: "You've seen the raw intel. . . . You know how real the danger is.

We need these programs now." The debate over this "need" is a major one in the war on terror: how far is too far? Later, Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) asks Vosen, "When does it end?" only to receive a rebuke: "It ends when we've won." Ultimatum refutes this justification of extreme measures in the war on terror, declaring that it needs to end now. Blackbriar demonstrates a significant falsehood, the concept of, as Susan Willis puts it, "a world where traumas and dire inequality happen (and are contained) elsewhere." 5 Bourne's case file demonstrates that the trauma caused by the CIA is far closer to home, as it details targets assassinated by Bourne, including US citizens. Eventually, Vosen as well as Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) are arrested for their involvement in Treadstone and Blackbriar, and it is implied that CIA director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn) is next.

Bourne and Landy's exposure of Blackbriar to the attorney general is a clear declaration that, as far as the film is concerned, the "focused brutality" has to stop, as it serves only to perpetuate trauma and injustice. E. Ann Kaplan discusses various representations of trauma, arguing that popular genres (in her example, the melodrama) register and negotiate cultural traumas through "'quiet' or 'common' trauma." 6 Bourne's amnesia represents the common cultural trauma experienced in the post-9/11 world, an inability to make sense of what has happened. The behavioral modifications of Bourne's training distanced him from his actions, making him the ideal weapon, and his journey centers on reconnecting with what he has done and attempting to take responsibility for his actions. A crucial aspect of this journey involves feeling shame and guilt for the deaths and suffering that he has caused. It is significant that agents still working for the CIA, such as Paz (Édgar Ramírez) and Desh (Joey Ansah), receive instructions electronically, hardly speak, and act without question, barely registering as people.

David Bordwell complains that [End Page 161] "[t]he villain in the average Charlie Chan movie displays more psychological continuity than the nasty agents in Bourne Ultimatum," but these "assets," as Vosen describes them, are perfect weapons precisely because their personalities have been suppressed. 7 These are the stoic "manly men" who will do whatever is necessary to defend the United States, yet, in doing so, they cease to be human. 8 Bourne's search for his identity and his past, including his guilt, ultimately serves to rehumanize him. Not that he is absolved. As the trilogy emphasizes culpability, Bourne's rediscovery of responsibility is also a reclaiming of morality. It can be argued that he gets off lightly, not having to stand trial for his Treadstone operations but instead escaping; the franchise thus maintains the romanticization of its hero despite its concern with culpability. This sentimental preservation of Bourne's status as hero can be read in terms of generic and commercial constraints on the ability of mainstream cinema to engage critically with serious political topics.

A polemical film runs the risk of alienating its primary audience, Western viewers who are accustomed to the hero's triumph, so Ultimatum tempers its political critique with the preservation of Bourne's hero status as he dives into the East River in New York, his immersion suggesting absolution and rebirth. Had Bourne been arrested, his condemnation would have made the political critique the central point of the film, possibly alienating audiences. But the point of the Bourne trilogy is not to condemn its protagonist: it is to show his culpability and, crucially, his acceptance of and willingness to live with his guilt. It can be argued that the sentimental preservation of Bourne's hero status dilutes the political critique, but as Kaplan asks, is it essential that "critical political debate be opposed to a discourse including empathy for those who suffer trauma and hurt?" 9 Does the sentimentality of Bourne's escape completely negate the trilogy's political criticism? Rather than offering an outright condemnation, the conclusion of Ultimatum suggests a way of dealing with trauma.

Bourne's traumatized state is one of confusion, and his endeavor to find out where he came from, acknowledge what he has done, and experience guilt can be read as an attempt to understand and, therefore, work through trauma. Trauma cannot be escaped from—wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have only exacerbated tensions between the United States (as well as Britain) and the Middle East, while Homeland Security and the increasing power of the Right in the United States have created a culture of fear. But reviewing involvement critically, accepting culpability and even guilt for what has occurred, can enable, in Kaplan's terms, "a certain working through." 10 Bourne "works through" back to where he started, learning along the way about what he has done and attempting (in vain) to apologize. At the end of Supremacy he apologizes to Irena Neski (Oksana Akinshina) for killing her parents. His apology is futile and pathetic, and crucially so; he cannot be absolved for what he did, but he can accept shame, as he does after killing Desh in Ultimatum, and he can live with that shameful knowledge.

Similarly, we, the Western viewing and voting public, can [End Page 162] regard 9/11 and the war on terror as something we have nothing to do with, or we can regard ourselves as bearing some responsibility for what our leaders do, and act against them through democratic processes. Greengrass seems to agree, as his conclusion to the Bourne trilogy strongly suggests a notion of responsibility, a sense that we can "do something about it," as Bourne says to Landy. The opportunity he gives her is one that the public has as well. Greengrass and Damon express this belief more explicitly in their subsequent collaboration, Green Zone (2010), which declares outright that the Bush administration blatantly lied about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify the US invasion. Susan Faludi notes that, in times of crisis, American culture resorts to old notions of archetypal frontier heroism, but that an alternative is "learning to live with insecurity, finding accommodation with—even drawing strength from—an awareness of vulnerability." 11 This is the sensibility represented by Jason Bourne.

He is not an unquestioning agent of clarity but, rather, a person like us in the post-9/11 landscape: no longer able to be an unproblematic hero or patriot, but confused, uncertain, and traumatized. In order to work through this trauma, he must become reflective, penitent, and capable of reconciliation, and acknowledge his own culpability. The climax of Ultimatum can be read as an illustration of the notion, often attributed to Edmund Burke, that "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Bourne, as well as Landy, prove themselves to be good by doing something, but the task is not complete. The final scene can be read as metacinematic: much as Bourne formed a substitute for the traumatized member of the American public, so Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) forms a substitute for the film viewer, watching the events unfold on a screen. Actual accountability in intelligence services must be pursued by the public, by demanding inquiries into the Iraq War and the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for example.

The final image of Bourne stirring back to life and swimming away is a romantic wish fulfillment—he is our hero so we want him to survive—but as he swims away, he leaves the responsibility with us. The films suggest an understanding of the current sociopolitical climate: an understanding and acceptance of uncertainty and danger, combined with a notion that we have a responsibility, and an ability, to influence what happens. [End Page 163] Vincent M. Gaine Vincent M. Gaine is an independent postdoctoral researcher. His monograph Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann is forthcoming from Palgrave in 2011. He has published on Batman and gender in the films of James Cameron. He is currently researching the work of Christopher Nolan. Footnotes 1. Richard Jackson, Writing the War on Terrorism: Language, Politics and Counter-Terrorism (Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2005), 69. 2. Susan Sontag, "The Talk of the Town," New Yorker, September 24, 2001, 32; E.

Ann Kaplan, Trauma Culture: The Politics of Terror and Loss in Media and Literature (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005), 16. 3. Cathy Caruth, Trauma: Explorations in Memory (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995), 4-5. 4. Susan Faludi, The Terror Dream: What 9/11 Revealed about America (London: Atlantic Books, 2007), 4. 5. Susan Willis, Portents of the Real: A Primer for Post-9/11 America (London: Verso, 2005), 112. 6. Kaplan, Trauma Culture, 69. 7. David Bordwell, "Unsteadicam Chronicles," Observations on Film Art (blog), August 17, 2007, David Bordwell's Website on Cinema, . 8. Faludi, The Terror Dream, 148. 9. Kaplan, Trauma Culture, 16. 11. Faludi, The Terror Dream, 286.

Copyright © 2011 University of Texas Press Lost Memories: Our 10 favorite amnesia movies – IFC Posted by Scott Neumyer on February 9th Movies have dealt with the issues of memory and, specifically, amnesia since as far back as the 1932 Greta Garbo-starring As You Desire Me (and possibly even farther). Lost memories have become a go-to movie trope over the past few decades, with varying levels of success, and with the latest film to tackle the issue (the Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams vehicle The Vow) hitting theaters this weekend, we thought it might be a good time to round up some of the coolest amnesia movies we’ve ever seen. Write them down before you forget them! “Memento” (2000) Remember way back before the year 2000 when no one really knew who Christopher Nolan was? I certainly do. Then this little film called “Memento,” starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, premiered in September at the Venice International Film Festival to vast critical praise and it began to pick up steam as it rolled out to a wider audience.

Before we knew it, “Memento” rode its non-linear structure, fantastic performances, and little sticky notes all the way to box office success and Academy Award nominations for Original Screenplay and Film Editing. The Nolan the world would come to know for his brilliant reinvention of the Batman series and for the genius mind-bending film Inception was born. The thing that makes “Memento” such incredibly compelling cinema, aside from those fantastic performances and the aforementioned non-linear structure, is its ingenious use of a very unique brand of amnesia. Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t store any new memories. He spends the entire film jotting down new information on sticky notes (so he can actually keep track of his life without the assistance of a properly functioning memory) while he tries to put together the pieces of his own personal mystery. It’s an interesting take on the amnesia trope and a hell of a film that showed everyone the kind of talent that Christopher Nolan would soon be known for worldwide. “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996) Three years before Renny Harlin started genetically engineering Mako sharks to eat Samuel L.

Jackson, he chose the actor to star alongside Geena Davis in one of the great amnesia movies of our time – “The Long Kiss Goodnight.” Written by the great Shane Black (“The Monster Squad,” “Lethal Weapon”), “The Long Kiss Goodnight” tells the story of Samantha Caine (Geena Davis), a mother and teacher in Pennsylvania who was found, washed up on a New Jersey beach, pregnant, injured, and suffering from complete amnesia. (Think Snooki in about three more years). After searching for the next eight years or so, Caine finally discovers that she’s actually Charly Baltimore, an assassin for the CIA. She finally starts recovering some of those memories, turns all badass, hangs out with Samuel L. Jackson and kicks ass all over the place. It’s maybe the most feel-good case of amnesia on this list. Either way, it makes for some great cinema in what has become a classic of the amnesia film subgenre and the action film genre.

<noscript><iframe width="640" height="360" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> “Total Recall” (1990) Nearly ten years after Arnold Schwarzenegger hit the big time by playing Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer, the actor was still one of Hollywood’s hottest tickets. Wrapped around the 1990 release of “Total Recall,” Schwarzenegger would star in hits like “Predator,” “Twins,” “Kindergarten Cop,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” and “True Lies.” That’s a hell of a resume. Teaming up with director Paul Verhoeven (“RoboCop,” “Basic Instinct”) brought Ahhhhnold on the set of one of the weirdest amnesia films of all time – the sci-fi actioner “Total Recall.” Schwarzenegger stars as Doug Quaid, a construction worker who is really a secret agent that eventually ends up having to travel to Mars to figure out who he really is and why his memory was erased. He’s good. He’s bad. He’s a creepy killing machine from Mars.

He becomes the first person (or thing) in a movie to tear off Michael Ironside’s arms. It’s a role only the Governator could love and one that he’ll likely never forget (even if his character would). <noscript><iframe width="480" height="360" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> “Dark City” (1998) Between 1994’s The Crow and 1998’s Dark City Alex Proyas seemed poised to be the next director to take Hollywood by storm with his dark, gothic neo-noir vision and technical prowess. Then he made I, Robot in 2004 and Knowing in 2009 and all the good will he earned with his early work went down the drain. We’re hoping he returns to form in 2013 with Paradise Lost but, regardless, we can always appreciate the amazing amnesia-centric film he crafted in Dark City. Sporting an all-star cast of Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt, Dark City starts with John Murdoch (Sewell) waking up in a hotel bathtub with a bad case of amnesia.

He’s soon accused of murder and spends much of the film trying to clear his name by learning his true identity, all while on the run from both the police and the “Strangers.” And that’s just what’s going on right on the surface of this intelligent, creepy neo-noir sci-fi film. If you’ve never seen it, grab a copy of the Director’s Cut and consider yourself in for a real treat. <noscript><iframe width="640" height="360" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> “The Bourne Trilogy” (2002-2007) The 2002 debut of Doug Liman’s The Bourne Identity marked the beginning of what would eventually become one of action film’s greatest franchises. Starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac who spends three films trying to discover his true identity, and loosely based on Robert Ludlum’s novels, the film made a ton of money at the box office and turned Damon into a veritable action hero.

Paul Greengrass picked up where Liman left off with The Bourne Supremacy in 2004 and The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007. Each film ratcheted up the realistic action that the series would become known for, gave Bourne a bit more information to process about his identity, and upped the ante for what action spy films could do without the extensive use of CGI. All three films revolve around Bourne’s amnesia and handle it in a way that’s both inventive and exciting. The only thing I’d like to forget about this series is the fact that Universal is likely moving forward on another Bourne film without Matt Damon.

<noscript><iframe width="640" height="360" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> Top 10 Movie Characters Who Suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (Split Personality) - Toptenz.net Toptenz.net Posted by Ryan Thomas on January 27, 2012 in Bizarre , Movies & Television , Science | 57,562 Views | 35 Responses Our minds allow us to interpret what we perceive externally, yet there is still so much left unexplained about the mind itself. If it is true we only use a fraction of our total brain capacity, what exactly is left untapped? While a lot is yet to be uncovered, we already have a pretty impressive list of the mind’s abilities and defects. And there are a lot of defects. One in particular, regardless of how uncommon it is in actuality, comes up time and again in film. It is dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple (or split) personality disorder. Here are ten film characters who suffer from the very disorder, often for our amusement: 10.

Charlie Baileygates/Hank Evans ( Me, Myself, and Irene ) On a lighter note, Jim Carrey ‘s character Charlie Baileygates morphs into alter ego Hank Evans as a self-defense mechanism. Extremely assertive, and inappropriately so, his confrontational alternate provides an outlet for what Charlie is too feeble to express himself. 9. Bruce Banner ( The Hulk ) The Hulk was originally a comic, but it has been adapted to every visual medium imaginable several times over, and given two film treatments in the last decade alone (the latter replenishing the badassery the Ang Lee version kept to a tasteful minimum). The original character is part Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, at least according to co-creator Stan Lee , and the themes are all the same- a scientist who transforms into an uninhibited, id-guided monster. But outside of fantastical terms, and in more clinical ones, what the scientist Bruce Banner faces is a case of split personality disorder, where he becomes someone (or something, rather) else, which acts as a conduit for all his repressed feelings. And while some may do nefarious things in a subhuman state, the Hulk is kind of heroic.

That is when he’s not recklessly laying cities to waste. 8. Teddy Daniels (Shutter Island) SPOILER ALERT (-editor) A familiar trope for a psychological thriller , Martin Scorcese’s take on the genre puts a federal marshal on an island-turned-mental hospital to solve a murder. What he learns along the way is that there’s more to the case than he himself realizes, mostly because his case is one big repressed memory. He is actually himself a patient, relapsing into his former lifestyle prior to an event that induced his psychotic break, being the drowning of his own children by his insane wife (who he shot and killed upon the horrific discovery). This, of course, is only revealed at the end, when we’ve already been exposed to enough nonsense to be skeptical. The plot parallels in many ways films like Gothika and Hide and Seek, which both feature lead characters that would feel very at home on this list. Or in a straight jacket. 7. Malcolm Rivers (Identity) SPOILER ALERT The afflicted character is being evaluated to see whether or not the murders he committed were by one of his several personalities.

Each personality occupies a room in the motel inside his head, and one of them is a killer, killing off the rest of the personalities one at a time. The movie we watch is in fact just a metaphor for what is going on with Malcolm as he attempts to consolidate his multiple personalities into a single one. When that single personality is that of a child, all is well until we learn, via Hitchcockian ending, that the child was the killer all along. 6. Mort Rainey ( Secret Window ) SPOILER ALERT Johnny Depp plays crazy as literally as possible in this film based on a Stephen King novella. He is harassed by one John Shooter, played by John Turturro, and accused of plagiarism. As several people and a dog wind up stabbed with a screwdriver, it seems he is quite the unfortunate victim, until we learn he is a victim of his own disposition. John Shooter is none other than his alternate personality that seems motivated more than anything by a need to change the ending of one of his stories. That and some corn on the cob. 5.

Sybil Dorsett (Sybil) Originally a miniseries adapted from a book, Sybil is based on a real life person and graduate student who suffered from multiple personality disorder (she had 13 of them). The film centers around Sybil’s sessions with a psychiatrist, during which we get to meet such characters as a seven-eight-year-old boy named Sid who loves football and a precocious 13-year-old girl named Vicky who speaks French. In all, 11 of her personalities are female, two are male, and many pose a direct conflict to one another. In trying to explain the cause of such internal overpopulation, it is revealed that Sybil is repressing memories of abuse as a child. They say truth is stranger than fiction , and in this case 13 people stand as proof, all of them Sybil. 4. Gollum/Sméagol (Lord of the Rings) This wretched little cave-dwelling creature does in fact have a split personality disorder. The personalities are so potent that they bicker amongst themselves regularly, usually when Gollum/Sméagol is facing a moral dilemma.

Like a Faustian contemplation between the little angel and devil on his shoulders: he (Gollum) really wants “the precious,” but he (Sméagol) also wants to be loyal to “master.” That inner turmoil usually churns out a victor in Gollum, the id-chaser who wants no more but to behold the mighty power of the ring. In that way, the ring is the best possible prescription for keeping his other, albeit better, personality at bay. 3. Unnamed Narrator (Fight Club) SPOILER ALERT The narrator of this movie, based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, lives a plain life, where in which he calls pieces of furniture “clever” and gets off on support group sympathy. Tyler Durden, a soapsalesman, is a risk-taker who is willing to take a punch to the face and start a fight club . While they don’t sound one in the same, they are. Durden is the more expressive half of the narrator, the one who seeks both pleasure and pain, and the complete destruction of all the major credit card company buildings. He, being the salesman he is, comes forward whenever supply doesn’t meet personal demand. 2.

Norman Bates (Psycho) SPOILER ALERT Hitchcock’s film is a classic psychological thriller, riddled with symbolism, birds, and voyeurism. There are also a lot of Freudian concepts at work. If you were to check into Bates Motel, you’d encounter more than just a really bad shower; you’d meet the innocent-seeming mama’s boy Norman, who feins to attend to his ailing mother’s woes, while in reality his mother is dead. That doesn’t seem to register with Norman however, as he hoards her corpse on a rocking chair and keeps her alive in his head. He even dresses up as her and murders pretty girls he suspects his mother wouldn’t approve of. The dark twist is that he developed the dissociative identity disorder shortly after he killed his mother and the lover who had come between them. His umbilical chord, as it turns out, extends beyond the grave, and his condition goes straight back to Oedipus. 1. Dr. Jekyll (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) Granted Jekyll and Hyde are best known as literary characters, stemming from Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde,” they have shown up in film on several occasions, presenting the same essential internal conflict. While Stevenson is said to have penned the tale in record speed on a cocaine high, it is easy to read into the story as a cautionary tale of how drugs make uncivil beasts of men. On a basic psychological level, the tale can be as much an allegory for bipolarity or split personality disorder. Mr. Hyde is the manifestation of Dr. Jekyll’s primal, pent-up urges, unleashed upon the consumption of a mysterious elixir. Performing unspeakable acts uncharacteristic of Jekyll, it is very much as if a new identity has been forged inside his subconsciousness. And so is the birth of a frighteningly unpredictable psychological disorder. Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them to our YouTube Playlist: Dissociative Identity Disorder in the Movies – The Playlist | Permalink Your right radioactive poisoning does not cause DID but whoever provided the list of movies attempted to select ones that illustrate dissociative phenomena, in the case of the Bruce and the Hulk identity alteration. This is not clinical case material, but fictionalized illustrations of the subjective experiences.

In the case of Norman Bates, yes he exhibits psychopathic behaviors, but that is not mutually exclusive from DID. Yet unfortunately psychopaths are overused in movies depicting DID. But as the plot unfolds we see that it is the dissociated aspect of Norman’s identity who identifies with his mother and does the killing. Again not a clinical case of DID, but depicts the dissociative mind. | Permalink Two things about this list surprise me: a) All but one character listed is male, when a disproportionate percentage people diagnosed with DID are female. b) I’m shocked that I’ve never seen Bette Davis’ character ‘Baby’ Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane characterized as having DID. As a person who lives with DID myself, I find it to be one of the more accurate, honest and unsensationalized portrayals I’ve seen in film, perhaps largely because no one in the film ever refers to her ‘personalities’ but is obviously aware of them.

The mood swings, childlike dress and behavior, particularly the defiance/fear in the face of authority, are all characterists I (and my family) are familiar with and the suggestion of incest between Jane and her father (further reinforced by her lifelong devotion/obsession) seem to suggest DID all the more, as it is most commonly linked to childhood abuse. | Permalink @ Cookie : I am saddened to read that you suffer from DID. “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane (1962) was on TV just yesterday on the TCM channel and I watched it. One of the ironies was that Joan Crawford as Baby Jane’s sister portrayed the long suffering sister of Jane (Bette Davis) as we all look upon Joan Crawford as an evil woman both on and off the screen. They were both remarkable in their roles. The one scene from that movie that always makes me shudder with slight fear is Baby Jane serving the dead / cooked Rat to Joan Crawford (who as we both know was confined to a wheelchair). It makes my blood curdle with just the thought of it. I am hoping that you are doing well and that you can conquer your medical dilemna(s). Good Luck Cookie !!

| Permalink Re: #5, Sybil, it’s now coming out that Sybil was pretty much a hoax. Shirley Mason, the real life Sybil, had emotional problems, but didn’t display multiple personalities until her psychiatrist, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, began injecting her with very strong drugs. Wilbur wanted to be a rock star in psychiatry, and the character of Sybil is probably about as real as the Amityville Horror. Shirley Mason definitely had psychiatric problems, but Wilbur was also involved in the “repressed memory” scandal, and it’s likely that much of the book was manufactured because it would get her attention, fame and money. | Permalink I strongly beg to differ with you regarding the late Dr. Wilbur who was highly regarded among her colleagues. She was one of the founding members of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. I had the great honor to know her personally and can tell you she was a compassionate and unassuming psychiatrist and an astute professor who worked and lived during the time when medical journals were not accepting cases pertaining to Multiple Personality Disorder. Even though she was a published author she could not get this case published in a psychiatric journal.

And her motivation to have it published was to further the field of study. She along with the pioneers in the field of MPD suffered a great deal of discrimination and marginalization from colleagues who refused to believe such cases existed. The literature claimed they were “rare” and more than likely most mental health professionals would not likely see one case in their entire lifetime. This by the way was the rational not to teach about the diagnosis or treatment of MPD/DID in professional graduate schools. What we know now is that MPD is rare, but not uncommon and it is not created by the therapy. MPD now called DID is a trauma related disorder. It develops at a very young age when a child is subjected to repeated and severe abuse. No other psychiatric condition could explain Sybil’s presentation. Long before her treatment began with Dr. Wilbur Sybil experienced non alcoholic blackouts/ amnesia. There were not neurological explanations for the amnesia. Sybil had DID. Sybil herself wanted the book to be published and movie to be made, she even picked Sally Field for her role because she didn’t think there was another actor who could convincingly portray her alter Peggy except Sally.

In order to help Joanne Woodward capture the essence of the psychiatrist Connie Wilbur lived with Paul Newman and Joanne for a period of time. Even though the book and subsequent movie was based on actual audio tapes of therapy sessions released by Sybil there where some fictional aspects for plot devices such as the boyfriend who didn’t exist. Dr. Wilbur may have used some unorthodox methods, but Sybil was not heavily drugged nor harmed. You must keep in mind there was no protocol or standard of care for the treatment of such cases and this was her first case. Nevertheless Sybil got better and was functioning well when her treatment was over. This is not included in the book because the book ends before the treatment was completed. Connie Wilbur had no idea the book would become so successful and the only thing she cared about was getting MPD to be taken seriously. On the other hand the journalist/junior psychologist who wrote the scathing book trashing Dr. Wilbur’s treatment of Sybil and falsely accusing her of creating the condition through the therapy is not an expert in DID or Dissociative Disorders. Instead she chose to sensationalize, misrepresent, distort facts and out and out lie to make her case.

She wrote her book with a bias about MPD/DID that in itself is unprofessional and unscientific to begin with and continued to support her thesis with subjective and confabulated arguments from the “repressed memory” literature. The the False Memory Syndrome (FMS) group from which the repressed memory so- called research was derived has long since been refuted. The research was faulty and full of holes. The F MS was an organization established by parents who were accused of abuse by their adult children. These angry parents managed to get the support of some professionals who knew nothing about traumatic memory but instead normative memory (which their research was based on) to support them and create a controversial movement within the mental health field at a time when the field was in its infancy in understanding the effects of childhood trauma and how to treat it. It was not Dr. Wibur who wanted to be a star, but instead the book’s author whose name I’ve forgotten , ( however, I remember she was so obsessed with the fact that Sybil was the most successful book of journalistic writing in terms of sales), who wanted to rise to fame by topping those sales with her own book.

Unfortunately she chose to do it at the expense of a dedicated psychiatrist who had the courage to blaze the trail for those of us who are helping people with DID and other dissociative disorders today. Thank you, Connie Wibur.

Question: What disorder did the hero of the Bourne trilogy of films suffer from?
Answer: Amnesia