Das zweite Leben des Mr. Soames

Sadly he wasn't nominated.

This is a very thought provoking film, I read the book before they made the film, it deviated a bit but still a good rendition with great performances from Stamp and Robert Vaughn, always a great actor sad to see him go at a fine old age.

If you want intelligent Sci Fi then is for you, however if Sci Fi means CGI, non stop action with space ships and aliens then don't bother, it's not.

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary,this movie is worth watching. It tells a deeply moving story of a man who has awakened from a coma that he has been in since birth and has 30 years of catching up to do. Terence Stamp plays the lead and is well suited to the part. He is a fine actor who has not recei ved enough accolades.

An underrated, pretty much forgotten movie that deserves to be better known. The premise - a 30 year-old man in a coma since birth suddenly awakened - had me hooked from the start. Terence Stamp gives an excellent performance as a baby in a man's body. How do you treat such a patient? Scientist Vaughn believes Stamp deserves a proper childhood, including play and affection. Scientist Davenport thinks that it's important that that Stamp be given an intense regular schedule of learning to catch up. It turns out both men are right (AND wrong). What happens in the second half of the movie will be foreseen by many viewers, but it's handled with intelligence and believability. Some viewers today may not be pleased with the ending, which is not cut-and-dried and sweetly happy. But it's not without hope, and it feels more real than any artificial ending that would probably be tacked on if the movie was made today.

1969's "The Mind of Mr. Soames" was an adaptation of a 1961 Charles Eric Maine novel, perhaps his best known work and certainly superior to earlier efforts like "Spaceways," "The Atomic Man," or "The Electronic Monster." Overshadowed in the wake of Cliff Robertson's similar "Charly," we find Terence Stamp in the title role, a 30 year old man in a lifelong coma only now being prepared surgically to be 'born' through the skills of Dr. Michael Bergen (an engagingly warm turn from Robert Vaughn). Supervising the around the clock television coverage and the patient's lengthy training program is Dr. Maitland (Nigel Davenport), a rather inflexible individual who seems more interested in personal glory than John's welfare. Bergen remains present to offer much needed 'play time' to ease the long term dreariness of teaching lessons, even unlocking the door to allow Soames to explore the outside world for the first time, until Maitland's staff drag him back inside (he was quite willing to return, had they not forced the issue). Rather than risk being hurt again Soames finally rebels, using a chair to knock out his captor and climb over the institution wall to freedom. This adult male with the aptitude of a child learns harsh lessons on his own, unable to pay for meals, facing rejection from schoolchildren playing ball, and finally being injured by a passing motorist whose wife treats him with genuine kindness. Once he's been tracked down to a lonely country barn, Bergen goes inside to help John plead his case, to make his own decision to return without anyone taking him by force. Producer Milton Subotsky's obvious obsession with the name Maitland does not necessarily make Nigel Davenport an out and out villain, though he does clash with Robert Vaughn's more humane treatment, the surgeon well versed in child psychology as father to three kids. Terence Stamp ably conveys the frustration, boredom, and finally sheer joy of first time experience, a difficult role that he carries off in entirely believable fashion. Only a few television airings preceded its fall into complete obscurity, a sad fate for Stamp compared to Cliff Robertson's Oscar-winning performance, but one that also deserves long neglected recognition.

"The Mind of Mr. Soames" is a very unusual film and about the only movie that I can think of that is similar is Truffaut's "The Wild Child". Both are about someone who basically goes from zero socialization to being forced to interact with the world...whether they want to or not.

When the film begins, you learn that a Mr. Soames (Terrence Stamp) has been in a coma since birth...30 years ago! However, a group of doctors think they can operate on him and bring him out of it. So suddenly they have what is, in essence, a 30 year-old baby. A person who looks like a man but needs to be given an accelerated childhood in order to bring him up to speed for lost time. The problem is that instead of treating him with love and compassion, he's more like a science project and no one wants to listen to Dr. Bergen (Robert Vaughn) who urges them to reconsider their methods.

Not surprisingly, Soames is depressed and angry. After all, folks won't give him clear answers and he's living in an emotionally deprived world. So he escapes from the hospital and goes on an adventure. But not knowing any of the rules of society, he is about as lost as King Kong in New York or the Frankenstein monster! You really have to feel sorry for the guy and you have a strong feeling that nothing good will come of it.

Overall, this is a good film with a bit of a flaw. Terrence Stamp is wonderful as Soames. But I also had a hard time believing that all but one of the doctors could be THAT clueless in how to properly care for this patient...it did seem a tiny bit far- fetched...although treating him like a science experiment, I could believe as this has happened before with feral children brought back to civilization (the famous case of Genie is a sad example). Still, despite this, the film is thought provoking and interesting...and worth seeing.