Page

Awakenings

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Awakenings

Save

Summary

Drama based on the true story of neurologist Oliver Sacks, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. In the late 1960s, shy neurologist Dr Malcolm Sayer arrives at a New York hospital and finds himself having to cope with his first patients, victims of the sleeping-sickness disease, encephalitis lethargica. Sayer is given permission to use a drug that up until this point had been successful in treating patients with Parkinson's disease. His first patient is Leonard Lowe, who has been comatose for 30 years, and the treatment produces astounding results.

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Peter Freedman

Robert De Niro and Robin Williams star in this powerful dramatisation of neurologist Oliver Sacks's book, based on his real-life success in "awakening" patients who had been trapped in a comatose state for over 30 years after contracting sleeping sickness in the 1920s. Williams shows his versatility by playing the shy scientist, though it was De Niro who got the Oscar nomination. Too upbeat for some tastes, Penny Marshall's film got mixed reviews on its release, but still earned an Oscar nomination for best picture. An absorbing treatment of an intriguing subject.

imdb-square

7.8/10

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Cast

rolenameLeonard LoweRobert De NiroDr Malcolm SayerRobin WilliamsEleanor CostelloJulie KavnerMrs LoweRuth NelsonDr KaufmanJohn HeardPaulaPenelope Ann MillerLucyAlice DrummondRoseJudith MalinaBertBarton HeymanFrankGeorge Martin (1)MiriamAnne MearaRolandoDexter GordonDr Peter InghamMax von Sydow

Show more

Crew

rolenameDirectorPenny Marshall

Details

Theatrical distributor

Columbia Pictures

Released on

1991-03-15

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing

Available on

video and DVD

Formats

Colour

News & features about Awakenings

Ad

Ad

Ad