Author Kurt Vonnegut continues his ironic association withtelevision - a medium he mocks and scorns in his novels and shortstories - as the Showtime cable channel presents a mind-expandingproduction of "Harrison Bergeron."
Based on a 1961 story from Vonnegut's Welcome to the MonkeyHouse collection, the futuristic drama premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday. Astinging "Network"-style satire with tragic undertones, "Harrison" isShowtime's latest first-run original in its weekly made-for-TV filmseries.
Set in the year 2053 - when American tastes in clothing,furniture, music, sitcoms and automobile designs mirror 1950sfashions from the Eisenhower era - Vonnegut's insidious scenario setsup a pop-culture time warp worthy of "The Outer Limits," "TheTwilight Zone" or "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Americans are recovering from the Second American Revolution,which came after the Great Recession in the late 20th century. Torestore and preserve domestic tranquility, America's randomlyselected leaders have endorsed a Constitution dedicated to a newproposition: "All men are not created equal. It is theresponsibility of the government to render them so."
An elite secret society recruits intellectuals and highlyskilled technicians to control the mentally mediocre masses,eliminating all mainstream forms of excellence to prevent the envythat leads to greed, hate and violence. Artists and athletes mustperform with government-issued handicaps.
Harrison Bergeron, an A-plus student who can't sink to C level,avoids "corrective brain surgery" when the covert NationalAdministration Center picks him to program insipid game shows andcomedies for the bland new world.
Actor Sean Astin projects a sense of rebellion in the titlerole. Groomed to be a leader, Harrison senses the moral murkiness ofhis devious TV job. "You haven't made everybody equal," he tells hiscommander (Christopher Plummer). "You've made them the same. Andthere's a big difference."
Buck Henry (as a proud, fussy TV censor who has "eliminatedquality altogether") and Miranda de Pencier (as Harrison's seductiverecruiter) stand out in the supporting cast - even though that wouldbe a serious no-no in 2053!
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