Ticket to Heaven
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| Ticket to Heaven | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster (1981) |
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| Directed by | Ralph L. Thomas |
| Produced by | Alan Simmonds Vivienne Leebosh Ronald Cohen |
| Written by | Josh Freed Anne Cameron Ralph L. Thomas |
| Starring | Nick Mancuso Saul Rubinek Meg Foster Kim Cattrall |
| Music by | Micky Erbe Maribeth Solomon |
| Cinematography | Richard Leiterman |
| Editing by | Ron Wisman |
| Distributed by | Miracle Films Ltd |
| Release date(s) |  September 10, 1981 (premiere at TIFF) October 9, 1981 |
| Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | C$4,500,000[1] |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Ticket to Heaven is a 1981 Canadian film about the recruiting of a man into a group portrayed to be a cult, and his life in the group until forcibly extracted by his family and friends. The film was directed by Ralph L. Thomas. It was released on DVD on June 20, 1998.
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[edit] Contents
David has broken up with his girlfriend of many years and travels to a summer camp out in the countryside. However, in actuality the facility is a training ground for a "religious cult." The film portrays three main methods in which cults are said to indoctrinate new members: low-calorie, low-protein diets, sleep deprivation, and "love-bombing". After participating in these tactics, David becomes indoctrinated, and works as a volunteer laborer for the organization.
The motto of the group's "father" is: "Stay up, earn money, destroy the Satan!" - where "Satan" refers to critics of the cult. Cult members are taught how to commit suicide in the event that their parents attempt to forcibly remove them from the facilities. Larry, David's good friend, discovers him in the camp and is shocked at the changes he finds in David's personality. Larry then devises a strategy to free his friend and restore his freedom of thought.
[edit] Production
The film is based on the non-fiction book Moon Webs by Josh Freed, which describes Freed and his friend (whom he calls 'Benji Miller') and their negative experiences with the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church. When Benji's friends finally found him, he had become a frail figure who sold flowers in the street to serve his master. Freed tried to understand what had happened to his friend, and went through the first stages of Moonie indoctrination himself, then organized an attempt to kidnap and deprogram his friend. The attempt was led by Benji's parents, who were subsequently arrested for trying to win back their son.[2]
The film does not refer to Reverend Moon or the Unification Church by name but makes little effort to disguise the identity of the organization.[2]
[edit] Awards
Ticket to Heaven was nominated for fourteen 1982 Genie Awards, and won four :
| Award | Recipients(s) |
| Best Motion Picture | Ronald I. Cohen, Vivienne Leebosh |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Nick Mancuso |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Saul Rubinek |
| Best Achievement in Film Editing | Ron Wisman |
| Nomination | Nominee(s) |
| Best Achievement in Direction | Ralph L. Thomas |
| Best Achievement in Music Score | Micky Erbe, Maribeth Solomon |
| Best Achievement in Overall Sound | Marc Chiasson, Bruce Carwardine, Glen Gauthier |
| Best Achievement in Sound Editing | Marc Chiasson, Glen Gauthier, Don White, David Appleby, Bruce Carwardine |
| Best Performance by a Foreign Actor | Guy Boyd |
| Best Performance by a Foreign Actress | Meg Foster |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | R.H. Thomson |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Kim Cattrall |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Dixie Seatle |
| Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Medium | Ralph L. Thomas, Anne Cameron |
[edit] Reception
The film was selected as one of the top ten films of 1981 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars.[3]
Time Magazine had a more critical take, complaining that "Although it has plenty of impact, Ticket is often too busy being outraged to bother with niceties of characterization and plot. (Just how does David become converted? At what point does he snap out of it?)", and suggesting that the film "ignores the central dilemma: that kidnapping an adult, however pure the motive or dear the victim, is against the law".[4]
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Nick Mancuso | David |
| Saul Rubinek | Larry |
| Meg Foster | Ingrid |
| Kim Cattrall | Ruthie |
| R.H. Thomson | Linc Strunc |
| Jennifer Dale | Lisa |
| Guy Boyd | Eric |
| Paul Soles | Morley |
| Harvey Atkin | Mr. Stone |
| Robert Joy | Patrick |
| Michael Wincott | Gerry |
[edit] See also
- 3rd Genie Awards
- Cults and new religious movements in literature and popular culture
- List of fictional religions
- Parody religion
- Religious satire
[edit] References
- ^ Staff. "Box office business for Ticket to Heaven (1981)", IMDB. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ a b Maslin, Janet. "'Ticket to Heaven,' A Sleeper About Cults", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, November 13, 1981. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Ticket to Heaven, Review", Chicago Sun-Times, January 1, 1981. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
- ^ Staff. "Rushes: Ticket to Heaven", Time Magazine, December 14, 1981. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
[edit] External links
- Ticket to Heaven at Allmovie
- Ticket to Heaven at the Internet Movie Database
- Ticket to Heaven at Rotten Tomatoes
- Reel.com
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