Demon Seed (1977)

Director:

Donald Cammell

Writers:

Dean R. Koontz (novel)
Robert Jaffe (writer) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Julie Christie carries the "Demon Seed."

Plot:

A scientist creates Proteus--an organic super computer with artificial intelligence which becomes obsessed with human beings, and in particular the creators wife.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Computer | Artificial Intelligence | Rape | Machine

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Julie Christie	...	Susan Harris
Fritz Weaver	...	Alex Harris
Gerrit Graham	...	Walter Gabler
Berry Kroeger	...	Petrosian
Lisa Lu	...	Soong Yen
Larry J. Blake	...	Cameron
John O'Leary	...	Royce
Alfred Dennis	...	Mokri
Davis Roberts	...	Warner
Patricia Wilson	...	Mrs. Talbert
E. Hampton Beagle	...	Night Operator
Michael Glass	...	Technician
Barbarao	...	Technician (as Barbara O. Jones)
Dana Laurita	...	Amy
Monica MacLean	...	Joan Kemp

Also Known As:

Proteus Generation

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

About 20 minutes into the film, Dr. Harris watches television while eating a meal. The television audio is from the third chapter of part three of Joseph Conrad's suspenseful 1915 novel, Victory: An Island Tale. The novel's central character, Heyst, who has renounced the world due to his ascetic upbringing, falls in love with Lena. He takes her away to his isolated island to live alone together, but others intrude on his plans - somewhat foreshadowing developments in the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Mrs. Harris is trying to get the little girl out of the car for her session, a sound man can be seen through the back window behind her.

Quotes:

Proteus IV: There is a terminal available, Dr. Harris.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Conceiving Ada (1997)

One of the coolest

This movie does seem to be older than 1977 when you see it, yet it is very nice. Nice enough to have searched for it on Imdb. The film depicts a rarely seen machine intelligence, one that has a conscience, a purpose and a cool calculating mind. One would expect that from a machine, but usually machines in movies are stupid, mean, vengeful, everything a computer should have no reason to be. The ending is also great, showing the stupidity inherent in extreme human emotion. A must see and a classic. Demon Seed could seem to many troubling as it forces you to think and ask questions many of us prefer to refuse to ask. The nature of humanity, moral and thought are all put into question by this movie. See it and answer those questions for yourself.