Harrison Bergeron is a smart kid in a future America where everyone is supposed to be equal, which is interpreted as "the same". On the eve of brain surgery which is supposed to make him as stupid as everyone else, he is kidnapped by the secret rulers of the society, who retain their intelligence to keep things running. When he impregnates his romantic interest and she runs away, Harrison is devastated to find that the secret government has had her brain altered so that she will not be able to pass along information to the dumb society to which she must return. He finds this level of governmental control unjust, and rebels by commandeering the television control room. He exposes the national viewing audience to subversive influences such as jazz, classic movies, and comedy which is actually intelligent and funny--a contrast to the blandness they were accustomed to seeing. He encourages them to remove the mind-controlling apparatus that makes them all equally stupid. He is overpowered by force and later finds out that very few people were actually influenced by the exposure to the former glories of American achievement--most viewers just mindlessly digested it like anything else. This movie is smart, moving, and extremely thought provoking.
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The review of this Movie prepared by Susan
"All men are not created equal. It is the purpose of the Government to make them so." is the overall expression of Vonnegut's story and this film based on the story. The repressive society of Harrison Bergeron controls people to the extent of surgical alteration of individuals who are above average. Harrison fights an inner struggle with his own brilliance, and then fight Big Brother who has taken him in because of his genius.
The review of this Movie prepared by Mobius
The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and the unceasing vigilance of the Handicapper General. Everyone was equal every which way.
Harrison Bergeron is an exciting adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s classic short story by the same name. This multi-layered depiction of the classic struggle between 14-year-old Bergeron and his arch-nemesis Diana Moon Glampers (who bears a strong resemblance to his mother) will take you on an intellectual thrill ride. Where it stops is up to you. Is this a story of mass repression or personal alienation? The answer just might surprise you.
The review of this Movie prepared by Pandora Holloway
