Rating: 
Summary: Much better than the new remake
Review: Skip the new one with Lisa Bonet and get right to the original. This one is much closer to the book and even begins to explain a little more about what is *really* going on if you pay attention.
Rating: 
Summary: 1980 Original Far Superior to 2002 Remake
Review: The 1980 original film adaptation of Lathe of Heaven is so much more substantive, creative, fascinating (need more adjectives) than the recent 2002 remake by A&E. This 1980 version has, like the book which should be read as well, impact, which is lacking from the remake. The remake seemed to just drag along without any particular theme, let-alone actors that seemed to walk through the scenes. Where are the "grays"? The remake appears to rely on visual effects and a love story (was this even in the book?) than concentrate on acting and story-line. The original is true to the book. Buy the original; pass on the remake.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes, low budget is the way to go
Review: All you really need to make a great movie is a good script and 3 very talented actors. This original version, produced by PBS, doesn't have all the bells and whistles that a modern production of this story might have--the special effects are cheesy, and unfortunately the video quality of even the DVD version is poor. But, the story, one of the best science fiction (and I'd argue, literary) novels ever written, comes through soft and subtle here. Many argue that one does not need to stay true to the book to make a great movie. This movie does stay true, and the other version which did not stay true illustrates that perhaps the novelist knows his/her story best.
Rating:
Summary: This is the Version of Lathe of Heaven that you want, really
Review: Ok, there is the new version from A&E that was just aired on cable and it's gonna be on DVD. THIS IS THE ONE TO BUY. I'm not anti remake, the lower budget origial isn't dumbed down, it is true to the book. The idea is easy, George Orr has a gift, sort of, he dreams and can change the world and only he knows that it's different. Sent to a dream therapist who soon realizes that George really can make the world different,m the therapist decides to make a better world for everyone, nad maybe a lot better for himself. George talks to his lawyer about it, who thinks that he is insane, and attends a session in which Dr Haber eliminates 5 billion people in a plagie that happened years earlier, then there arte tyhe aliens and to get rid of racism everyone is gray..... when you change one thing everything changes. Brilliant book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A Very faithful rendition of the book. I just saw the A&E version of this movie and it is a sad rendition of this marvolous piece of SF. The only draw back is that unlike the original airing of this movie in 1980, the second airing in 2000 did not have Ringo Starr singing "I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends" because of legal stuff. If you loved the book, you will love this movie and its intense, dream-like, low key pace. Kudos!
Rating:
Summary: Classic SF!
Review: A fine and faithful telling of Ursula K. LeGuin's beautiful story of a man whose dreams have more power than he wants, and what happens when he meets a man who wants more power than he has. This low-key production was perfect for its believability and quiet, dreamlike mood. Probably far superior to the current remake being done by A&E, which looks (from the "Making Of..." feature I caught the other night) like it's going to be full of unnecessary razzle-dazzle and obnoxious story changes. Do yourself a favor, buy this video for the real story of George Orr and his dreams. Leave A&E to follow Dr. Haber in his lust to remake the world in his own image, soullessly. Stick with PBS, and watch this fine video instead.
Rating:
Summary: DVD + Moyers interview = a fine time for all
Review: The Lathe of Heaven was the first PBS movie production. I saw it on WNET, Channel 13 when it came out. The movie was as true to the book as was reasonably possible given the financial constraints of the times. The production is excellent and the cast is well suited to the material. I will not include spoilers in the review...suffice it to say that the DVD release with a contemporary Bill Moyers interview with Le Guin is a delight. This belongs in every serious Sci Fi movie collection.
Rating:
Summary: Could be the best Sci-Fi book ever written, but...
Review: I often hear, or read, reviews that say something to the effect, "It was nothing like the book," or "They followed the book exactly." To those reviews I say "Who cares?" The Lathe of Heaven is an excelent example of how following the book exactly does not mean that the movie is excellent. I think the novel is one of the best Sci-Fi books ever written. I like it far better than "Snowcrash," or "Neuromancer." This movie is poorly acted, has special effects that are laughable, was edited by a heavy handed oaf without an artistic bone in his body, and has a soundtrack so bad that the "Flash Gordon" sound track looks good in comparison. On the other hand, the script was an excelent and faithful adaptation of the novel, and when it came out on DVD I bought it. As long as we are all dreaming effectively, can we dream that someone will take that excellent script and give it to some real actors and movie makers. I don't need, or even want, a heavy handed Hollywood Sci-Fi adaptation of it. I would like it to be made with the production quality that this incredible novel deserves. Is Alex Proyas available?
Rating:
Summary: Enduring Science Fiction
Review: There's a LOT I could criticize about this movie:It begins with a apocolyptic vision of nuclear war which IMO we can leave behind us with the Cold War. The picture is bad and the sound is dismal. It looks like somebodys old bootleg tape (which it is, they explain it in a prologue). The special effects were laughable even by the standards of the day. Ditto the costuming.For all that, though, this is worth seeing. The story of a man who can change reality through his uncontrolled (and uncontollable) dreams has a timelessness to it that I would normally only associate with H.G. Wells. It is well paced, intelligently acted, brilliantly scripted. Extras include an interview with LeGuin that any fan of hers is going to want to see. If you need to see something, I dunno, Twilight Zone-esque but still arn't sure, go get a used copy. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot, nice interview, a must for SF fans.
Review: Years ago when I hung out at the CompuServe SciFi forum in it's heyday, I left a message commenting on this movie (going back a decade or so here) - Ursula Le Guin actually mailed me her copy of the movie to copy for myself (this was back when VCR's were still $500+ items) - I made my copy...to Betamax. When the old Beta unit bit the dust, so did my tape collection. When I saw that The Lathe of Heaven was out on DVD, I grabbed it ASAP. Sure the special effects are low-tech - remember this was a local PBS production. But the plot is great, the story is true to the book, and a name that sounds like (JorJor - no, not JarJar) is memorable. What makes this movie stand out - the PLOT carries it - the special effects are secondary - so what if they are low budget and cheesy by today's CG standards. If you never read the book, you'll be nailed by the ending.
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