The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

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Movie
German title Bubble trouble
Original title The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1976
length 96 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Randal Kleiser
script Douglas Day Stewart
Joe Morgenstern
production Cindy Dunne
Joel Thurm
music Mark Snow
camera Archie R. Dalzell
cut John McSweeney Junior
occupation

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble is an American feature film in the genre of drama and romance from the year 1976 . The main roles in the film by Randal Kleiser are played by John Travolta , Diana Hyland , Robert Reed , Ralph Bellamy and Glynnis O'Connor . The production team included Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling ( Spelling-Goldberg Productions ). The screenplay is written by Douglas Day Stewart and the story comes from Joe Morgenstern and partly from Stewart, the score was produced by Mark Snow .

The script is based on a true story and tells the story of David Vetter , an American boy born in 1971 who suffered from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency and was unable to develop any defenses against viruses of any kind and who died in 1984. In the USA he was best known as the "Bubble Boy" because he lived in a sterile plastic isolator all his life.

The film, which for the first time on 12 November 1976 Network of ABC aired reached public domain and therefore subject to any statutory copyright . The Boy in the Plastic Bubble was one of the last films to be released under the public domain in the United States.

action

Tod Lubitch has lived with an extremely deficient immune system since he was born , which is why he has to grow up in a completely sterile environment. Since his childhood parents Mickey and Johnny took him out of Texas Children's Hospital , he has spent most of his time in his room, which is hermetically sealed and protected from bacteria and viruses. His food is also specially prepared for him, as eating outside of isolation could also harm him. He only has physical contact with other people through gloves, as without them he could also become infected with diseases. With advancing age, death decides to want to see more of the outside world and also wishes to have contact with people of the same age. After he has been enrolled in the local school by his parents, he can attend it with specially made protective clothing, similar to a spacesuit . In his teens, Tod Lubitch falls in love with the neighbor's daughter Gina Biggs and has to decide whether to leave his complete isolation, follow his heart and go to almost certain death, or stay in his protective bladder forever. After learning from his doctor that his body had produced a few antibodies that could possibly be sufficient for a life outside of isolation, one morning Tod takes the big step and leaves the safe area without protective clothing. When he walks past his parents who are still sleeping and opens the front door, he can first enjoy the fresh air to the fullest. After touching leaves and a tree, Death approaches Gina, who is about to saddle her horse. When she sees him, he confesses his love to her and they both kiss. In the end, both of them get on Gina's horse and ride away, the soundtrack of the film ("What Would They Say" by Paul Williams ), which is often played during some scenes, also sounds when they both ride away and the credits appear.

Locations

The film was shot primarily in the 20th Century Fox studios but also on Malibu Lake in California and at the " William Howard Taft High School " in Woodland Hills , Los Angeles .

Trivia

  • In the last scene of the film, a person covered with a sheet can be seen in the background on the left, walking past without notice of the recordings.
  • Together with John Travolta, Kleiser shot the successful musical film Grease just two years later .
  • In Germany the film was released on DVD in May 2006, under the title " Bubble Trouble ".
  • From the shooting of The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, John Travolta lived in a relationship with Diana Hyland, who was almost 18 years older and had her last film role in the film. She died of breast cancer on March 27, 1977 in Los Angeles.
  • Diana Hyland was posthumously awarded an Emmy for her role as the self-sacrificing mother of the sick death Lubitch .
  • With the film Bubble Boy , in which Jake Gyllenhaal plays the leading role, a remake of the classic from 1976 was created in 2001 .
  • In numerous series and programs such as Saturday Night Live , Simpsons , Mystery Science Theater 3000 , Gilmore Girls , Navy CIS , Family Guy , South Park or Dr. House, as well as in films like The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down and Superstar , reference is made to The Boy in the Plastic Bubble .

Reviews

Phil Hall's criticism of filmthreat.com was rather negative, as he meant “ The Boy in the Plastic Bubble is vintage 70s TV cheese. From the tacky décor and clothing to the grueling Paul Williams love song over the closing credits, the film will draw nostalgic chuckles from those who survived that decade. "

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 'For John Travolta, protecting Jett was everything. He had to be in control. That's why he flew his own plane 'says biographer , accessed May 15, 2010
  2. ↑ The Bootleg Files: “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” , accessed on May 15, 2010