David and Lisa (1962)

David and Lisa (1962)

Taglines: An unusual love story!

David and Lisa is a 1962 American drama film directed by Frank Perry. It is based on the second story in the two-in-one novellas Jordi/Lisa and David by Theodore Isaac Rubin; the screenplay, written by Frank Perry’s wife Eleanor Perry (Renée Rosenfeld), tells the story of a bright young man suffering from a mental illness which, among other symptoms, has instilled in him a fear of being touched. This lands him in a residential treatment center, where he meets Lisa, a similarly ill young woman who displays a split personality.

The film stars are Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Neva Patterson, Clifton James, Richard McMurray, Nancy Nutter, Mathew Anden, Jaime Sánchez, Karen Lynn Gorney and Janet Lee Parker. The film earned Perry a nomination for the 1963 Academy Award for Best Director and one for Eleanor Perry for her screenplay. The film was later adapted into a stage play in 1967 and a made-for-television film in 1998.

In 1998, the film was remade into a made-for-television film that premiered on ABC on November 1, 1998. Produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Lloyd Kramer, the film starred Lukas Haas as David, Brittany Murphy as Lisa, and Sidney Poitier as Dr. Swinford, with a supporting cast featuring Debi Mazar, Allison Janney, Kim Murphy, Giuseppe Andrews, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Gene Wolande, Kimiko Gelman, and Ty Hodges. The scenes were shifted to the Los Angeles area, including the Museum of Natural History at Exposition Park and Venice Beach.

David and Lisa (1962)

About the Story

David Clemens is brought to a residential psychiatric treatment center by his apparently caring mother. He becomes very upset when one of the residents brushes his hand, as he believes that being touched can kill him. Cold and distant, he mainly concentrates on his studies, especially that of clocks, with which he appears to be obsessed. It is later revealed that he has a recurring dream in which he murders people by means of a giant clock.

He meets Lisa Brandt, a girl who has two personalities: one of them, Lisa, can only speak in rhymes, while the other, Muriel, cannot speak, but can only write. David befriends her by talking to her in rhymes. Over time, he begins to open up to his psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Swinford and also becomes friendly with another resident, Simon, which provokes Lisa’s jealousy. Following an argument when his mother visits, David’s parents decide that he should leave the place. He returns to his parents’ house, but after a short time, runs away to the treatment center, where he is allowed to stay.

David and Lisa (1962) - Janet Margolin
David and Lisa (1962) – Janet Margolin

One day Lisa realizes that she is both Lisa and Muriel and that they are the same person. After this breakthrough, she seeks out David, but he is busy listening to Simon play a Bach piece on the piano. Lisa turns on the metronome, interrupting Simon’s playing and provoking David’s anger. Then, Lisa runs away from the center and takes the train into Center City, Philadelphia, unnoticed. David and the staff fruitlessly search for her until the next morning, when David realizes that she might have returned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she had once embraced a statue of a mother and child.

David and Dr. Swinford rush to the museum, where David finds Lisa on the museum steps. Upon seeing David, Lisa appears to be cured and speaks to him in prose. David, overcoming his own fear of touch for the first time, allows her to hold his hand, while they walk down the stairs to go on their return trip.

David and Lisa Movie Poster (1962)

David and Lisa (1962)

Directed by: Frank Perry
Starring: Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Neva Patterson, Clifton James, Richard McMurray, Nancy Nutter, Mathew Anden, Jaime Sánchez, Karen Lynn Gorney, Janet Lee Parker
Screenplay by: Eleanor Perry
Cinematography by: Leonard Hirschfield
Film Editing by: Irving Oshman
Costume Design by: Anna Hill Johnstone
Set Decoration by: Gene Callahan
Art Direction by: Paul M. Heller
Music by: Mark Lawrence
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Continental Distributing
Release Date: December 26, 1962

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