Up for auction “Dream Lover” Kristy McNichol &Justin Deas Signed 0X8 B&W Photo. This item is authenticated By Todd
Mueller Autographs and comes with their certificate of authenticity. ES-5201E Dream Lover is
a 1986 American thriller film about a
woman who undergoes sleep deprivation therapy after being attacked in her
apartment - with unexpected results. The film was directed by Alan J. Pakula, and stars Kristy McNichol, Ben Masters, and Joseph Culp.
The film was not well received by critics. Movie historian Leonard Maltin called it "Abysmal...an intriguing
concept is torpedoed by snaillike pacing and sterile atmosphere. What Alfred Hitchcock could have done with this!" Despite
a popular misconception, Bobby Darin's song of the same title is not used in
the movie. While sleeping, musician Kathy Gardner has romantic fantasies about
herself and her boyfriend Kevin McCann. Kevin admires her penchant for flute
playing, and invites Kathy to front his jazz band. However, she's slated to
visit Japan with her father Ben. At a local theater, Kathy mentions Kevin's
offer to Ben. Ben's friend Claire urges Kathy to accept the offer; she mentions
Kathy's late alcoholic mother, who had a turbulent relationship with Ben.
Kathy's father agrees that she should join Kevin's band. That night, Kathy has
another dream: as a child, she jumps out a window. While moving into her new
apartment the next day, Kathy is startled by the sudden appearance of a man
named Danny. He mistook her for somebody named Maggie, for whom he's been
searching. Kathy explains that she's never heard of any such person;
embarrassed, Danny gives her a flower and leaves. That evening, after a
successful performance, Kevin and his band celebrate at Kathy's apartment. He
stays afterward to help her clean up. They wash and dry the dishes, then make
love in her bedroom. He suggests they share a place, either his or hers. Late
that night, Kathy has another bizarre dream; like the previous one, this dream
features a long corridor ending in a large white door. On the other side of the
door is a painting like the one which hangs above her father's bed. When Kathy
awakens from the dream, it is still dark outside. She enters her kitchen and,
while fixing herself something to eat, notices that her apartment door is open.
Kathy just has time to lock and chain the door before Danny emerges from the
shadows. He attacks her murderously, and again demands to know where
"Maggie" is. Despite his threats, Kathy denies knowing what he's
talking about. She then tricks Danny and kills him with his own knife.
Afterward, Kathy calls the police; they wonder if she and Danny were sexually
involved, since there are traces of semen in her bed. She explains that it's
Kevin's, not Danny's. The cops remain suspicious of Kathy's self-defense
claims, as she admits to having fatally stabbed an unarmed man. Kathy moves in
with Kevin, despite Ben's objections. She keeps having nightmares about finding
Danny in her bed, and about being attacked by him. Failing drug therapy, Kevin
takes her to Dr. Michael James - who suggests visiting a local "Sleep
Center". There Kathy's dreams are monitored with electrodes, so that she can
be awakened just before Danny's appearance. Michael explains that her brain
functions normally while Kathy sleeps...however, Kathy's body should be
releasing a chemical to paralyze her during the dream; said chemical is absent,
causing Kathy to partially act out her dreams. Kathy continues performing with
Kevin's jazz band. They receive an offer to record in London. That night, Kathy
finds Danny in her bed where Kevin should be. It turns out to be just another
nightmare. She returns to the Sleep Center. Michael suggests, in her dream, she
subdue Danny without killing him. Their first attempt backfires; Kathy dreams
of herself in Danny's position, assaulting and killing Kevin. She is persuaded
to give it another try, and this time it works: instead of a Danny-like maniac,
Kathy finds herself as a young girl dressed in Victorian garb. She has found
peace in her "Dream World". The next day, Kathy visits Martin - one
of her father's friends. She returns to her apartment and finds Kevin with
another woman. Kathy revisits the Sleep Center, where further experiments are
being conducted based on her case. She offers to be Michael's test subject, but
then dreams of him attacking and raping her in place of Danny.
It turns out he forgot to give Kathy the drug which was part of the experiment.
Kathy patches things up with Kevin and they leave for London. She has
nightmares about murdering him for his disloyalty. Kevin and Kathy check into a
London hotel. Kathy's dreams continue, making her wonder if she's awake or
asleep. Meanwhile, fearing the worst, Ben and Michael arrive in London to hunt
her up. While visiting Ben at his hotel suite, Kathy has another nightmare
about being a child. In the dream, she totes a teddy bear and wears a white
dress - which suddenly turns deep red. Then her father enters, reveals himself
as Danny, and rapes her. Kathy, semi-awake and hallucinating, wounds Ben with a
bread-knife and then rushes to the window...which offers a view similar to that
in the picture above her father's bed. Still toting the knife, she follows a
bird (a dead-ringer for the one featured in her dreams) onto the ledge and then
jumps. The murderous "Dream Kathy" falls to her death, while the
"Real Kathy" is caught by Michael and dragged back inside. Having at
long last exorcised her own "Dark Side", Kathy smiles at both men. |