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The Man Who Wasn't There (1983 film)

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The Man Who Wasn't There
Theatrical poster with the tagline: "Being invisible gets you into spy rings, diplomatic circles, and the girl's locker room."
Directed byBruce Malmuth
Written byStanford Sherman
Produced byFrank Mancuso, Jr.
Starring
CinematographyFrederick Moore
Edited byHarry Keller
Music byMiles Goodman
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • August 12, 1983 (1983-08-12)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6.5 million[1]
Box office$2,443,487[2]

The Man Who Wasn't There is a 1983 American 3-D comedy film directed by Bruce Malmuth and starring Steve Guttenberg.[3]

Plot

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When he accidentally takes possession of a top-secret invisibility potion while en route to his wedding, government bureaucrat Sam Cooper finds himself engulfed in a madcap free-for-all as Russians and other bad guys try to get the substance. To elude the Reds, his own State Department bosses and his livid fiancée, Cooper takes the vanishing juice himself—which only makes matters worse.

Cast

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Production

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The project began when Paramount executives were inspired by the success Friday the 13th Part III and commissioned Friday series producer Frank Mancuso Jr. to produce another 3D film.[1] Despite not even having a script or team ready for such a project, Paramount announced an untitled 3-D film for Summer of 1983 with the production thrown together very quickly.[4] The concept was to remake something from the Paramount film library, or some widely known subject, and add in 3-D effects.[1] Following rejected pitches that included a 3-D remake of Rosemary's Baby, Mancuso ultimately decided to do a mixture of Foul Play and North by Northwest with added invisibility elements.[1]

Critical reception

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Movie historian Leonard Maltin declared the picture a "BOMB" (his lowest possible rating) and noted that "...Better writing, directing, and acting can be found at your average nursery-school pageant."[5]

Home media

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A Blu-ray 3D version of the film was released by Kino Lorber in December 2023. The 3-D restoration was completed by the 3D Film Archive.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Scapperotti, Dan (1982). "The Man Who Wasn't There". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. ^ The Man Who Wasn't There at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (August 13, 1983). "FILM: 'MAN WHO WASN'T THERE,' 3-D". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Clarke, Frederick S. (1982). "3-D Explosion". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide
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