"Wild Palms" (1993) TV mini-series

Directors:

Kathryn Bigelow
Keith Gordon

Writer:

Bruce Wagner (writer)

Release Date:

16 May 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A multi-national corporation attempts to take over America while small pockets of resistance hold out against rampant technology.

Plot Keywords:

Corporation | Eye Gouging | Rhinoceros | Cyberpunk | Illuminati

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

James Belushi	...	Harry Wyckoff
Dana Delany	...	Grace Wyckoff
Robert Loggia	...	Sen. Anton Kreutzer
Kim Cattrall	...	Paige Katz
Angie Dickinson	...	Josie Ito
Ernie Hudson	...	Tommy Lazlo
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Tabba Schwartzkopf
Nick Mancuso	...	Tully Woiwode
Charles Hallahan	...	Gavin Whitehope
Robert Morse	...	Chap Starfall
David Warner	...	Eli Levitt
Ben Savage	...	Coty Wyckoff
Bob Gunton	...	Dr. Tobias Schenkl
Brad Dourif	...	Chickie Levitt
Aaron Michael Metchik	...	Peter

Runtime:

300 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Based on the full page comic strip, written by Bruce Wagner and illustrated by Julian Allen, published in Details magazine from 1990-1993.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The rear-view mirror in Harry's corvette appears and disappears from scene to scene.

Quotes:

Gavin Whitehope: Wake up, Harry! You're having a very important nightmare!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mise-en-abyme (2006)

'What a strange world. So dramatic, so predatory.' - 'We're like two old generals.'

It's a pity it wasn't released 5 years earlier: the mood created by cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (Phenomenon, Cool Runnings) is so eighties-like, the great Michael Mann (L.A. Takedown, Manhunter, The Insider) must like it, if only visually: it's very clean and cool. Except Mann usually adds some really excessive displayals of power with lots of shooting (Miami Vice) and lots of music. Wild Palms is far more subtle. The great score was created by legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence). The chosen hit songs (Where the streets have no name, Hello I must be going) just add slightly to the mood and you really have to pay attention to the songtexts. And notice the subtle fashion statements, like the sober collars? There are 5 episodes directed by 4 directors, one of which is Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days): Strange Days (1995) is a nice movie about more or less the same subject but without the aesthetics and the good acting. James Belushi is great, Robert Loggia and Angie Dickinson must be the devil themselves.

Wild Palms may feel like 'Dynasty - the play - set in the future' about families in multimedia instead of oil. The story IS about media monopolies and law-suits (MS anyone? - Church Windows): there seems to be no credible independent justice system anymore in this future. There are family intrigues, but definitely never really feels like a soap opera. However, one of the flaws of Wild Palms is that you can see that it is made for tv because you can see where the commercials are supposed to be. Wild Palms is quite lengthy, but I just couldn't wait for the next episode to be broadcasted seven days later. I wouldn't recommend trying to watch all episodes at once, because the pace is rather low. Cut it down to 180 minutes and you can show it in a theater (although Warhol's 'Empire' wasn't cut down a minute...). Definitely more interesting than 'JFK' and 'Nixon' together.

9/10