Missing (1982)

Missing (1982)

Director: Costa-Gavras

Plot Synopsis

When an idealistic American writer (John Shea) disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in September 1973, his wife (Sissy Spacek) and father (Jack Lemmon) try to find him.

Male Deaths

• John Shea [Charles "Charlie" Horman]
• Joe Regalbuto [Frank Teruggi]

Female Deaths

• None

Trivia

1. During the Pinochet dictatorship, which ran from 1973 to 1990, this picture was banned in Chile.
2. About two days before filming requiring shots of tanks, the Mexican Army denied access to such military vehicles. The picture's Mexican art department then on the run designed and created mock-up dummy tanks for the film which were made of wood.
3. Ed Horman and Joyce Horman ("Beth" in the film) worked very closely with Costa-Gavras, Lemmon, and Spacek throughout the film's production. Costa-Gavras said that after Pinochet died (in December 2006), both he and Joyce Horman felt regret that the former Chilean dictator was not brought to justice.
4. The title of the movie "Still Missing" was changed to Without a Trace (1983) to avoid confusion with this film's title.
5. According to Dennis Schwartz at Ozus' World Movie Reviews, "this one rattled the US government so much, that upon the film's release in 1982 the then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig, appointed by President Reagan, was forced to issue indisputable denials of the film's allegations".
6. This film was denounced by Alexander Haig. Haig was a former United States Army General, United States Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff Ford, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe who commanded all US and NATO forces in Europe.
7. Some movie posters for the film featured a long blurb that read: "Charlie Horman thought that being an American would guarantee his safety. His family believed that being Americans would guarantee them the truth. They were all wrong".
8. According to Wikipedia, "the film was released on both VHS and Laserdisc, in 1982 and 1987, by MCA Videocassette, MCA Videodisc, and MCA Home Video respectively. Unfortunately, the VHS version was pulled from the market due to the lawsuit filed against director Costa-Gavras. Universal Home Video re-released Missing on DVD in 2006, following the dismissal of the lawsuit. A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008".
9. 'The A.V. Club' website reports that film director "Costa-Gavras actually got an official response to 'Missing' from the U.S. government, which is included on the DVD".
10. The name of the Latin American country where this film is set is never mentioned during this picture, although clearly intended to be Chile. Curiously, the Chilean cities of Santiago and Viña del Mar are actually mentioned during the movie, making such an avoidance of referring to the name of country of Chile disingenuous.
11. First American/Hollywood film of Greek director Costa-Gavras, a fact publicized on the movie's DVD cover.
12. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Lemmon) and Best Actress (Sissy Spacek). The film won one Oscar, for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, awarded to Donald E. Stewart and Costa-Gavras, the latter of whom was not present at the awards ceremony.
13. Wikipedia states about the film's music score and soundtrack: "The score is by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis. The movie's piano theme has been used extensively in commercials, but an official release of the film's soundtrack has not yet occurred. The main theme appeared first on Vangelis' 1989 album Themes. The main theme is also available on a the Festival De Cannes (60th Anniversary) compilation of famous soundtracks. A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists. A sung version with lyrics by Tim Rice has been recorded by Elaine Paige".
14. This film was the first cinema movie that featured a music score composed by Vangelis after he had won the Best Original Music Score Academy Award (Oscar) for Chariots of Fire (1981).
15. Show-business trade paper Variety declared "although the country in question is never named, the subject here is unequivocally that of US involvement in the 1973 military coup in Allende's Chile".
16. According to Hal Erickson at Allmovie, "in spite of (or perhaps because of) condemnation from certain high-ranking officials in the Reagan administration, the film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay".
17. One of three movies starring both Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek. They also appear in the equally controversial JFK (1991), a large ensemble cast where they share no scenes. Both films received several Oscar nominations including Best Picture. The third movie featuring Spacek and Lemmon is The Grass Harp (1995).
18. One of a number of movies that actress Sissy Spacek made for Universal Pictures after she had won the Best Actress Academy Award for that studio's 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). The other films were The River (1984), 'night, Mother (1986) and Raggedy Man (1981).
19. Frederic Brussat and Mary Ann Brussat at the 'Spirituality and Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys' website says that "Robert Stone's novel A Flag For Sunrise is a stirring complement to this film's examination of American involvement in South America. Equally important is Jacobo Timmerman's nonfiction work Prisoner Without A Cell, Cell Without A Number, an account of tyranny in Argentina".
20. The only film that year to be nominated for both Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars.
21. Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule also appear in Robert Altman's Three Women (1977).