I due mondi di Charly

I saw this movie on TV when I was a child and while I don't remember every single plot detail, overall it made a lasting impression on me. So much so that I have been determined all these years to try and see this movie again.

I stumbled across the movie on TV and I clearly remember the highly emotional impact it made on me.

Thanks to IMDb I was able to keep searching for the title as I could best remember it and was thrilled when I discovered it here.

A truly stunning memorable movie - I only wish I could get it on DVD. Highly recommended.

When I think of all the dross I have watched over the years that is so forgettable, it is wonderful to return and discover a movie that captivate me so long ago and discover that I am not alone in rating it 10 out of 10!

A mentally challenged man named Charly (Cliff Robertson) desires to become smarter so that he wouldn't always be picked on by his so-called friends at his workplace. However, he has made no progress despite his efforts of going to school. One day he gets a chance to undergo some experimental brain surgery and his intelligence skyrockets, making him a genius. Still, he cannot stop feeling like an outsider or find happiness with Alice, the woman he loves (Claire Bloom).

The director uses many split screens and other alienating techniques to portray the fragile mental state of Charly; at points they get rather annoying and look dated. The montage near the end, depicting the progression of Charly and Alice's relationship, comes across as rather hasty, considering the scene directly preceding it. Mostly the story advances fine though, and the pondering about the surgery's effects on Charly's psyche is interesting – there should have been more of it, actually. Robertson's Oscar-winning performance in the lead role is decent, although I preferred his calm 'intelligent Charly' to his naïve 'challenged Charly'.

Cliff Robertson acting job for playing Charly Gordon is amazing. It is a must see movie, just for that reason alone. The movie shows what it is like to live in the world of a mentally handicapped person. It shows how our society treats those people. It shows how Charly changes into a well, and very intelligent person. It also shows the friendship Charly has with the mouse. Who is the first to have the brain operation. Which is designed to improve the function of the brain. Also it shows the love Charly develops for this teacher Clair. However in the conclusion. The brain operation which made him a mentally well person, is a failure in the end. Sad ending of the movie. However the movie is considered a classic in my mind. Very well put together, and very well acted. I haven't read the book, this movie is based on.

The film is wonderful in many aspects. The acting is first-rate; Oscars usually aren't handed out on a whim. Cliff Robertson delivered the performance of his career in this film.

There are elements of science fiction and psychological action in the film. You have been warned. These segments are well done and add to the film as opposed to creating a negative side-track.

I suggest that anyone watching Charly first read at least part of Daniel Keyes's "Flowers for Algernon" for basic background. The film makes more sense after reading the novel.

All in all, Charly is a worthwhile experience. Some may not like the film, but I find it to be one of the best of the 1960s.

Cliff Robertson earned an Academy Award for playing the title role based on the novel by Daniel Keyes entitled "Flowers for Algernon." His portrayal is heartbreaking and you can't help but feel for the character who is the butt of so many jokes by his so-called colleagues and friends at his workplace, a bakery. Seinfeld's Barney Martin and Dick Van Patten play his co-workers. The divine Claire Bloom (who should be made a Dame) is the sympathetic attractive teacher. Ruth White plays the landlady in one of the last film roles before her death in 1969 from cancer. The setting is filmed on location in Boston, Massachusetts.