Whose Life Is It Anyway? (film)
| Whose Life Is It Anyway? | |
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Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
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| Directed by | John Badham |
| Produced by | Lawrence P. Bachman |
| Written by |
Brian Clark (play, screenplay) Reginald Rose (screenplay) |
| Starring |
Richard Dreyfuss John Cassavetes Christine Lahti Bob Balaban |
| Music by | Arthur B. Rubinstein |
| Cinematography | Mario Tosi |
| Edited by | Frank Morriss |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $8.2 million |
Whose Life Is It Anyway? is a 1981 film adapted by Brian Clark and Reginald Rose from a 1972 television movie and Clark's play of the same title. The film is directed by John Badham and stars Richard Dreyfuss.
Sculptor Ken Harrison is paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident, and is no longer able to create art, make love or have any semblance of a normal existence. He hires a lawyer (Bob Balaban) who, reluctantly at first, represents him to petition legally for the right to end his life, while knowing that he is trying to win his client a death sentence.
The hospital administrator (John Cassavetes) is staunchly opposed to euthanasia, and is determined to keep his patient alive even against his wishes. Harrison's sympathetic doctor (Christine Lahti), meanwhile, develops personal feelings for him. She wants to keep him alive, even though Harrison's girlfriend has accepted his decision.
A young orderly (Thomas Carter) and nurse (Kaki Hunter) do what they can to keep Harrison's spirits up, even wheeling him to a hospital basement where they treat him to reggae music and marijuana. In the end, though, it is up to a judge (Kenneth McMillan) whether the patient has a moral, ethical and legal right to choose to die.
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