Charly (1968 film)
Charly (marketed and stylized as CHAЯLY) is a 1968 American science fiction drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on Flowers for Algernon, a science-fiction short story (1958) and subsequent novel (1966) by Daniel Keyes.
| Charly | |
|---|---|
1968 theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ralph Nelson |
| Screenplay by | Stirling Silliphant |
| Based on | Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes |
| Produced by | Ralph Nelson |
| Starring | Cliff Robertson Claire Bloom Leon Janney Lilia Skala Dick Van Patten |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Edited by | Fredric Steinkamp |
| Music by | Ravi Shankar |
Production companies | ABC Pictures Robertson and Associates Selmur Productions |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release dates | June 28, 1968 (Berlin) September 23, 1968 (New York City) |
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,225,000 |
| Box office | $8,500,000 (rentals) |
The film stars Cliff Robertson as Charly Gordon, an intellectually disabled adult who is selected by two doctors to undergo a surgical procedure that triples his IQ as it had done for a laboratory mouse who underwent the same procedure. The film also stars Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney, Dick Van Patten and Barney Martin. Robertson had played the same role in a 1961 television adaptation titled "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon," an episode of the anthology series The United States Steel Hour.
The film received positive reviews and was a success at the box office and later in home media sales. Robertson won Best Actor at the Academy Awards.