Robert De Niro
Leonard Lowe
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In 1969, a doctor tests an experimental drug on a man in an unresponsive state — who awakens after 30 years and must come to grips with life as an adult. Watch trailers & learn more.
- The Inspiration For Awakenings Dr. Sayer Explained
- Awakenings True Story: The Real Doctor Sacks and His Drug Experiments
- Awakenings Book vs. Awakenings Movie: What They Changed
- Robin Williams & Oliver Sacks Became Lifelong Friends
Robin Williams' Character Is Based On Dr. Oliver Sacks
Awakeningsfollows neurologist Malcolm Sayer (played by Robin Williams), who, in 1969 while working at a hospital in the Bronx, began extensive research on catatonic patients who survived the 1917-1928 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Sayer learns of a new drug that helps patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and believes it could be of use on catatonic patients. He runs a trial on patient Leonard Lowe (played by Robert De Niro), who completely “awakens” and starts to show major impr...
The Real Experiments That Inspired The Awakened Movie Explained
The drug Sacks began using on catatonic patients was L-DOPA, also known as levodopa, an amino acid precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (adrenaline). L-DOPA is used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but Sacks saw its potential in helping other diseases. According to an article by AP News back in 1991, De Niro's character, Leonard Lowe, is a real person based on a real patient of Sacks, described as “an exceptionally well-read man, freely quoting...
Despite Being Remarkably Accurate, Awakenings Is Still A Fictional Tale
There are many differences between the Awakenings book and the movie. The most notable is that Oliver Sacks doesn't appear in the movie, with the Dr. Malcolm Sayer character that is played by Robin Williams standing in for him. This was a deliberate decision to give the writers artistic license for dramatic scenes and friction that didn't occur in real life (including flirting with a female nurse, which the real Oliver Sacks never did, as he was homosexual). The patients in Awakenings have ha...
Playing A Fictional Version Of Dr. Sacks Was Robin William's Favorite Role
Of course, Awakenings made various changes to the stories of Sacks’ patients, but as it counted on Sacks as technical advisor, the crew made sure that it stayed true to the essence of the book and gave a true yet devastating portrayal of encephalitis lethargica and its effects. Character-actor and adlib performer extraordinaire, Robin Williams, and Oliver Sacks were close friends by the time both sadly passed away, meeting on the set of Awakenings. Williams spent a lot of time with Sacks to m...
- Adrienne Tyler
Find out how and where to watch "Awakenings" online on Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ today – including 4K and free options.
- Penny Marshall
- PG-13
- 29
The story of a doctor's extraordinary work in the Sixties with a group of catatonic patients he finds languishing in a Bronx hospital.
- (37)
- Penny Marshall
- PG-13
- Robert De Niro
Awakenings: Directed by Penny Marshall. With Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson. Dr. Sayer is a pioneering neurologist who wants to take a risk and give his patients who suffer from encephalitis a drug used for Parkinson's Disease.
- (161K)
- Biography, Drama
- Penny Marshall
- 1991-01-11
Awakenings is a 1990 American biographical drama film based on the 1973 non-fiction book of the same name. Directed by Penny Marshall, it was written for the screen by Steven Zaillian, who based his screenplay on Oliver Sacks's 1973 memoir of the same name.
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Robin Williams and Robert De Niro star in Awakenings, which is based on the true story of a doctor whose medical discovery helped bring sick patients out...
- 3 min
- 3.3M
- Netflix
