Missing was theatrically released on February 12, 1982 to critical acclaim and modest commercial success, grossing $16 million on a $9.5 million budget. The film premiered at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival where it was jointly awarded the Palme d'Or (along with the Turkish film Yol), while Lemmon won the Best Actor prize. It received four nominations at the 55th Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Actor (for Lemmon), Best Actress (for Spacek) and won Best Adapted Screenplay. The film created significant controversy in Chile and was banned during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, even though neither Chile nor Pinochet is ever mentioned by name (although the Chilean cities of Viña del Mar and Santiago are).[5]
Ed Horman (Jack Lemmon) arrives in Chile to search for his son Charlie (John Shea), who worked as a journalist and disappeared during the recent military coup. Ed meets his daughter-in-law, Beth (Sissy Spacek), with whom he has a strained relationship and they fight over politics. Ed blames his son and daughter-in-law's radical political views for Charlie's disappearance, while Beth blames the American government. Ed uses his connections to meet with various government officials to find out the truth about his son's disappearance.
As he investigates, Ed finds that the American embassy is not as helpful as he thought they would be and he suspects them of hiding information about Charlie. One U.S. diplomat is polite and friendly but constantly lies to him; a high-ranking American military attache is blunt and tells Ed that whatever happened to Charlie was his own fault, noting "You play with fire, you get burned." Together, he and Beth learn that the U.S. had many interests in the country that have been enhanced by the coup and its aftermath and that many military officials aided Pinochet in the coup. As Ed becomes disillusioned with the American government, he comes to respect the work Beth and Charlie were doing and he and Beth reconcile. When they receive proof that Charlie was murdered by the junta and that the U.S. let it happen, he tells the embassy officials "I just thank God we live in a country where we can still put people like you in jail!"
The film ends with a postscript stating that after his return to the United States, Ed received the body of his son Charlie seven months later, making an autopsy impossible, and that a subsequent lawsuit against the US government was dismissed. It also adds that the State Department denies its involvement in the Pinochet coup, a position maintained to the present day.
The film was shot in Mexico[6] with a budget of $9.5 million from Universal Studios, marking Costa-Gavras' most expensive production.[2]
Soundtrack
The score is by the Greekelectronic composer Vangelis. The movie's piano theme has been used extensively in commercials, but an official release of the film's soundtrack has not yet occurred. The main theme appeared first on Vangelis' 1989 album Themes. A 45rpm single of the title track backed with Eric's Theme from Chariots Of Fire was also released by Polydor in 1989.[7] The main theme is also available on the Festival de Cannes (60th Anniversary) compilation of famous soundtracks. A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists. A sung version with lyrics by Tim Rice has been recorded by Elaine Paige and Nana Mouskouri.
Release
Missing was released in theaters on February 12, 1982, in limited theaters and was released widely on March 12, 1982, in 733 theaters. It ranked at #3 at the box office, grossing $2.3 million. In its first week, it grossed $5.5 million. In its second weekend, it landed at #5, making $1.8 million. For its second week, it made $2.3 million. After 49 days and 7 weeks in theaters, the film made between $14[3] and $16[4] million in the US.
The film was released on both VHS and Laserdisc, in 1982 and 1987, by MCA Videocassette, MCA Videodisc, and MCA Home Video respectively. The VHS version was pulled from the market due to the lawsuit filed against director Costa-Gavras. Universal Home Video re-released Missing on DVD in 2004, following the dismissal of the lawsuit. A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008.
Lawsuit
In 1983, a year after the film's theatrical release, both the film (then in the home video market) and Thomas Hauser's book The Execution of Charles Horman were removed from the United States market following a lawsuit filed against Costa-Gavras and Universal Pictures's (then) parent company MCA by former ambassador Nathaniel Davis and two others for libel.[8] A lawsuit against Hauser himself was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. Davis and his associates lost their lawsuit, after which the film was re-released by Universal in 2006.[9]
Reception
Reviews
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, writing that while the film was being cited for courage in criticism of the U.S. government, the criticism was clouded by its direction,[5] but the best scenes were where Lemmon and Spacek's character were bogged down by the embassy's "niceties" in their search:
By the time Missing begins its crucial last half-hour, a strange thing has happened. We care about this dead American, and his wife and father, almost despite the movie. The performances of Spacek and Lemmon carry us along through the movie's undisciplined stylistic displays.[5]
The American filmmaker Wes Anderson listed Missing as one of his favorite films.[10]
In his 2015 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin awarded Missing three and a half stars, highlighting Lemmon's acting and crediting Costa-Gavras as a skilled director.[11] The film has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 32 reviews with the consensus: "Thanks in large part to strong performances from Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon, Missing is both a gripping character exploration and an effective political thriller."[12]
^"Davis v. Costa-Gavras, 580 F. Supp. 1082 | Casetext Search + Citator".
^Taylor, Stuart Jr. (11 January 1983). "Libel Suit is Filed Against 'Missing'". The New York Times.
^Zack Sharf (July 16, 2021). "Wes Anderson's Favorite Movies: 35 Films the Auteur Wants You to See". IndieWire. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Maltin, Leonard (2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN978-0698183612.
Missing: “Who Would Care About Us If We Disappeared?” An essay by Michael Wood at the Criterion Collection.
February 04, 2023
missing, 1982, film, missing, stylized, missing, 1982, biographical, drama, film, directed, costa, gavras, from, screenplay, written, gavras, donald, stewart, adapted, from, book, execution, charles, horman, american, sacrifice, 1978, thomas, hauser, later, re. Missing stylized as missing is a 1982 biographical drama film directed by Costa Gavras from a screenplay written by Gavras and Donald E Stewart adapted from the book The Execution of Charles Horman An American Sacrifice 1978 by Thomas Hauser later republished under the title Missing in 1982 based on the disappearance of American journalist Charles Horman in the aftermath of the United States backed Chilean coup of 1973 which deposed the democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende 2 MissingTheatrical release posterDirected byCosta GavrasScreenplay byCosta GavrasDonald E StewartBased onThe Execution of Charles Horman An American Sacrifice1978 bookby Thomas HauserProduced byEdward LewisMildred LewisStarringJack Lemmon Sissy Spacek Melanie Mayron John Shea Tina RomeroCinematographyRicardo AronovichEdited byFrancoise BonnotMusic byVangelisProductioncompanyPolyGram PicturesDistributed byUniversal PicturesRelease dateFebruary 12 1982 1982 02 12 Running time122 minutesCountryUnited States 1 LanguagesEnglishSpanishBudget 9 5 million 2 Box office 16 million US 3 4 It stars Jack Lemmon Sissy Spacek Melanie Mayron John Shea Janice Rule and Charles Cioffi Set largely during the days and weeks following Horman s disappearance the film examines the relationship between Horman s wife Beth and his father Edmund and their subsequent quest to find Horman Missing was theatrically released on February 12 1982 to critical acclaim and modest commercial success grossing 16 million on a 9 5 million budget The film premiered at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival where it was jointly awarded the Palme d Or along with the Turkish film Yol while Lemmon won the Best Actor prize It received four nominations at the 55th Academy Awards Best Picture Best Actor for Lemmon Best Actress for Spacek and won Best Adapted Screenplay The film created significant controversy in Chile and was banned during Augusto Pinochet s dictatorship even though neither Chile nor Pinochet is ever mentioned by name although the Chilean cities of Vina del Mar and Santiago are 5 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Soundtrack 5 Release 6 Lawsuit 7 Reception 7 1 Reviews 7 2 Accolades 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksPlot EditEd Horman Jack Lemmon arrives in Chile to search for his son Charlie John Shea who worked as a journalist and disappeared during the recent military coup Ed meets his daughter in law Beth Sissy Spacek with whom he has a strained relationship and they fight over politics Ed blames his son and daughter in law s radical political views for Charlie s disappearance while Beth blames the American government Ed uses his connections to meet with various government officials to find out the truth about his son s disappearance As he investigates Ed finds that the American embassy is not as helpful as he thought they would be and he suspects them of hiding information about Charlie One U S diplomat is polite and friendly but constantly lies to him a high ranking American military attache is blunt and tells Ed that whatever happened to Charlie was his own fault noting You play with fire you get burned Together he and Beth learn that the U S had many interests in the country that have been enhanced by the coup and its aftermath and that many military officials aided Pinochet in the coup As Ed becomes disillusioned with the American government he comes to respect the work Beth and Charlie were doing and he and Beth reconcile When they receive proof that Charlie was murdered by the junta and that the U S let it happen he tells the embassy officials I just thank God we live in a country where we can still put people like you in jail The film ends with a postscript stating that after his return to the United States Ed received the body of his son Charlie seven months later making an autopsy impossible and that a subsequent lawsuit against the US government was dismissed It also adds that the State Department denies its involvement in the Pinochet coup a position maintained to the present day Cast EditSissy Spacek as Beth Horman Jack Lemmon as Edmund Ed Horman Melanie Mayron as Terry Simon John Shea as Charles Charlie Horman Charles Cioffi as Capt Ray Tower USN David Clennon as Consul Phil Putnam Richard Venture as U S Ambassador Jerry Hardin as Colonel Sean Patrick Richard Bradford as Andrew Babcock Joe Regalbuto as Frank Teruggi Keith Szarabajka as David Holloway John Doolittle as David McGeary Janice Rule as Kate Newman Ward Costello as Congressman Hansford Rowe as Senator Tina Romero as Maria Richard Whiting as StatesmanProduction EditThe film was shot in Mexico 6 with a budget of 9 5 million from Universal Studios marking Costa Gavras most expensive production 2 Soundtrack EditThe score is by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis The movie s piano theme has been used extensively in commercials but an official release of the film s soundtrack has not yet occurred The main theme appeared first on Vangelis 1989 album Themes A 45rpm single of the title track backed with Eric s Theme from Chariots Of Fire was also released by Polydor in 1989 7 The main theme is also available on the Festival de Cannes 60th Anniversary compilation of famous soundtracks A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists A sung version with lyrics by Tim Rice has been recorded by Elaine Paige and Nana Mouskouri Release EditMissing was released in theaters on February 12 1982 in limited theaters and was released widely on March 12 1982 in 733 theaters It ranked at 3 at the box office grossing 2 3 million In its first week it grossed 5 5 million In its second weekend it landed at 5 making 1 8 million For its second week it made 2 3 million After 49 days and 7 weeks in theaters the film made between 14 3 and 16 4 million in the US The film was released on both VHS and Laserdisc in 1982 and 1987 by MCA Videocassette MCA Videodisc and MCA Home Video respectively The VHS version was pulled from the market due to the lawsuit filed against director Costa Gavras Universal Home Video re released Missing on DVD in 2004 following the dismissal of the lawsuit A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008 Lawsuit EditIn 1983 a year after the film s theatrical release both the film then in the home video market and Thomas Hauser s book The Execution of Charles Horman were removed from the United States market following a lawsuit filed against Costa Gavras and Universal Pictures s then parent company MCA by former ambassador Nathaniel Davis and two others for libel 8 A lawsuit against Hauser himself was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired Davis and his associates lost their lawsuit after which the film was re released by Universal in 2006 9 Reception EditReviews Edit Roger Ebert gave the film three stars writing that while the film was being cited for courage in criticism of the U S government the criticism was clouded by its direction 5 but the best scenes were where Lemmon and Spacek s character were bogged down by the embassy s niceties in their search By the time Missing begins its crucial last half hour a strange thing has happened We care about this dead American and his wife and father almost despite the movie The performances of Spacek and Lemmon carry us along through the movie s undisciplined stylistic displays 5 Vincent Canby writing for The New York Times positively reviewed the film s message and Ricardo Aronovich s cinematography 6 The American filmmaker Wes Anderson listed Missing as one of his favorite films 10 In his 2015 Movie Guide Leonard Maltin awarded Missing three and a half stars highlighting Lemmon s acting and crediting Costa Gavras as a skilled director 11 The film has a 94 approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 32 reviews with the consensus Thanks in large part to strong performances from Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon Missing is both a gripping character exploration and an effective political thriller 12 Accolades Edit Missing won the Palme d Or Golden Palm at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival while Lemmon was awarded Best Actor for his performance 13 Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient s Result Ref s Academy Awards 11 April 1983 Best Picture Edward Lewis and Mildred Lewis Nominated 14 Best Actor Jack Lemmon NominatedBest Actress Sissy Spacek NominatedBest Adapted Screenplay Costa Gavras and Donald Stewart WonBritish Academy Film Awards 20 March 1983 Best Film Edward Lewis and Mildred Lewis Nominated 15 Best Direction Costa Gavras NominatedBest Actor Jack Lemmon NominatedBest Actress Sissy Spacek NominatedBest Screenplay Costa Gavras and Donald Stewart WonBest Editing Francoise Bonnot WonBest Score Vangelis Papathanassiou NominatedCannes Film Festival 14 26 May 1982 Palme d Or Costa Gavras Won 13 Best Actor Jack Lemmon WonGolden Globes 29 January 1983 Best Motion Picture Drama Missing Nominated 16 Best Director Motion Picture Costa Gavras NominatedBest Screenplay Costa Gavras NominatedBest Actor in a Motion Picture Drama Jack Lemmon NominatedBest Actress in a Motion Picture Drama Sissy Spacek NominatedLondon Film Critics Circle 1982 Best Film Costa Gavras Won 17 National Board of Review 14 February 1983 Top Ten Films Missing Won 18 See also EditForced disappearance 1973 Chilean coup d etat Operation Condor also known as Plan Condor References Edit Estudios Churubusco British Film Institute Retrieved March 22 2021 a b c Wolf William 1 February 1982 Costa Gavras Goes to Hollywood New York p 44 a b Missing 1982 Box Office Mojo Retrieved May 2 2016 a b Box Office Information for Missing The Numbers Retrieved March 27 2013 a b c Ebert Roger January 1 1982 Missing 1982 RogerEbert com Chicago Sun Times Retrieved March 16 2017 a b Canby Vincent 12 February 1982 MISSING BY COSTA GAVRAS The New York Times Retrieved 17 June 2017 Vangelis Missing Discogs Davis v Costa Gavras 580 F Supp 1082 Casetext Search Citator Taylor Stuart Jr 11 January 1983 Libel Suit is Filed Against Missing The New York Times Zack Sharf July 16 2021 Wes Anderson s Favorite Movies 35 Films the Auteur Wants You to See IndieWire Penske Business Media LLC Retrieved 24 September 2021 Maltin Leonard 2014 Leonard Maltin s 2015 Movie Guide Penguin ISBN 978 0698183612 Missing 1982 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved 17 June 2017 a b Festival de Cannes Missing festival cannes com Retrieved 2009 06 12 THE 55TH ACADEMY AWARDS Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved 17 June 2017 Film in 1983 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Retrieved 17 June 2017 Missing Hollywood Foreign Press Association Retrieved 17 June 2017 AWARD FILM OF THE YEAR London Film Critics Circle 12 April 2010 Retrieved 17 June 2017 1982 Award Winners National Board of Review Retrieved 16 June 2017 Further reading EditHauser Thomas 1978 The Execution of Charles Horman An American Sacrifice New York Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ISBN 0 151 29456 9 Hauser Thomas 1982 Missing A New Film by Costa Gavras New York AVON ISBN 0 380 49098 6 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Missing 1982 film Missing at IMDb Missing at AllMovie Missing at the TCM Movie Database Missing at Letterboxd Missing at Rotten Tomatoes Missing Who Would Care About Us If We Disappeared An essay by Michael Wood at the Criterion Collection Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Missing 1982 film amp oldid 1131875099, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
