Complete Map of the Universe

It's actually more than like Big Brother. It was like in a sect. The difference is that cameras are everywhere.

All the contestants have to live in the dark for a period of one month. They are virtually prisoners.

In fact, to add to the reality of it the director never informed the actors that the actual filming would be done in the dark.

This caused a lot of problem.

After a day of filming in the dark, one of the actors went completely mad and smashed a camera.

He refused to go on and left the set.

Soon after his lawyers threatened to sue if they didn't remove him.

I wonder who it was. Anyone knows?

They had to remove another actress who was shot in the nude, in the toilets and in the bathroom having a shower.

She had second thoughts about the whole project.

This has been taken from the novel "Map of the Universe". Some of the chapters are "Est" (the game show), "In and Out of Planet Earth" and "Writing on the Wall". Some footage of "The Complete Map of the Universe" has been taken from the first two seasons of the TV show: "Est" and some footage from the other two feature films.

Although I have to admit that it makes for great entertainment, the treatment of the contestants surely contravene the Geneva convention. Forget about the prisoners in the War on Terror, 'Est' is completely insane. The contestants become patients and they have to be cured. It's a sort of a psycho warfare on the contestant's brain. It's totally insane.

The Doctor responsible for this in the film is Dr Kelvin but he is invisible and is only heard once. This means that the film director Nick Peterson is responsible for their treatment. Most of the actors and members of the team who worked with him on other films have complained about how strict and demanding he is. He wants full commitment and he always get it.

If the result is great then it doesn't matter what the method is.

What is not too clear is if the TV show inside the film has been made with real actors or not.

It says that it is different than the TV show "Est" but some of the sequences are the same.

I have seen some of the clips of "Est" reality show on the web. They even had one with a dog! The dog was locked in the dark and kept for a month. The dog became gradually completely dominated. I have seen clips of "Est" with contestants asleep for a few minutes. If that was a preview, how long do they sleep inside the TV show for? It might be therapeutic to watch people sleeping for hours in the dark, especially if some are in the nude.

Real or not real, "Complete Map of the Universe" is great. A CULT film! Does anyone know where to buy the full TV series of "EST" on DVD? It's not currently on Amazon.

It was originally called "Map of the Universe".

The book came out in 1994.

Then there was the TV show: 'Est' and parts of it are in the film.

"EST" is just a series of people living in the dark for a period of one month.

Like in the film they are all filmed with infra red cameras.

They sleep, eat, shower, go to the bathroom all in the dark.

The winner is the one who won't crack up and remains in the house for one month.

All the contestants live in separate rooms.

They can't see. They like 'blind'. It's crazy.

The music is frightening.

Was "Est" a medical treatment from the sixties?

I first heard of the word "Est" in a David Bowie song about his brother, "All the Mad men" from "The Man who sold the World" album.

It says it is a thriller. I'm not sure I agree with it.

It's like Big brother but every day the contestants are psychoanalyzed.

It's insane. It has a lot of nudity but it's all in a good taste.

The whole film has been shot with infra-red cameras except the game show host.

The film was originally conceived in 1992. There was a book before that. I saw an interview with the director Nick Peterson/Virtual Alien where he said that the only reason he didn't sue the makers of Big Brother was that George Orwell should first have the copyright on the TV show.

Full mark for the music score!