Missing (1982 film)


Missing is a 1982 American historical drama film directed by Costa-Gavras and starring Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon, Melanie Mayron, John Shea, Janice Rule and Charles Cioffi. It is based on a book that was first published under the title The Execution of Charles Horman: An American Sacrifice by Thomas Hauser, and inspired by the true story of American journalist Charles Horman, who disappeared in the bloody aftermath of the US-backed Chilean coup of 1973, that deposed the democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende. Set largely during the days and weeks following Horman's disappearance, the movie depicts his father and wife searching to determine his fate. The film examines the relationship between Horman's wife Beth and her father-in-law, American businessman Edmund Horman.
The film was released theatrically on February 12, 1982. It was shown in competition at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival where it was jointly awarded the Palme d'Or. It received four nominations at the 55th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role and winning Best Writing. Missing grossed $14–16 million against its $9.5 million budget. The film was banned in Chile during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, even though neither Chile nor Pinochet is ever mentioned by name. A sign of Lan Chile can also be seen in the background when Beth and Edmund meet for the first time in the movie.

Plot

Ed Horman arrives in Chile to search for his son Charlie, who worked as a journalist and disappeared during the recent military coup. Ed meets his daughter-in-law, Beth, with whom he has a strained relationship and they fight over politics. Ed blames his son and daughter-in-law's radical political views for Charlie' disappearance, while Beth blames the American government. Ed uses his connections to meet with various government officials to find out the truth about his son's disappearance.
As he investigates, Ed finds that the American embassy is not as helpful as he thought they would be and he suspects them of hiding information about Charlie. One U.S. diplomat is polite and friendly but constantly lies to him; a high-ranking American military attache is blunter and tells Ed that whatever happened to Charlie was his own fault, noting "You play with fire, you get burned." Together, he and Beth learn that the U.S. had many interests in the country that have been enhanced by the coup and its aftermath and that many military officials aided Pinochet in the coup. As Ed becomes disillusioned with the American government, he comes to respect the work Beth and Charlie were doing and he and Beth reconcile. When they receive proof that Charlie was murdered by the junta and that the U.S. let it happen, he tells the embassy officials "I just thank God we live in a country where we can still put people like you in jail!"
The film ends with a postscript stating that after his return to the United States, Ed received the body of his son Charlie seven months later, making an autopsy impossible, and that a subsequent lawsuit against the US government was dismissed. It also adds that the State Department denies its involvement in the Pinochet coup, a position maintained to the present day.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Mexico, with a budget of $9.5 million from Universal Studios, marking Costa-Gavras' most expensive production.

Soundtrack

The score is by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis. The movie's piano theme has been used extensively in commercials, but an official release of the film's soundtrack has not yet occurred. The main theme appeared first on Vangelis' 1989 album Themes. The main theme is also available on the Festival de Cannes compilation of famous soundtracks. A bootleg release of the soundtrack exists. A sung version with lyrics by Tim Rice has been recorded by Elaine Paige and Nana Mouskouri. A 7-inch single was released by Polydor in 1989.

Release

Missing was released in theaters on February 12, 1982, in limited theaters and was released widely on March 12, 1982, in 733 theaters. It ranked at #3 at the box office, grossing $2.3 million. In its first week, it grossed $5.5 million. In its second weekend, it landed at #5, making $1.8 million. For its second week, it made $2.3 million. After 49 days and 7 weeks in theaters, the film made between $14 and $16 million in the US.
The film was released on both VHS and Laserdisc, in 1982 and 1987, by MCA Videocassette, MCA Videodisc, and MCA Home Video respectively. The VHS version was pulled from the market due to the lawsuit filed against director Costa-Gavras. Universal Home Video re-released Missing on DVD in 2004, following the dismissal of the lawsuit. A special edition DVD was released by The Criterion Collection in October 2008.

Lawsuit

In 1983, a year after the film's theatrical release, both the film and Thomas Hauser's book The Execution of Charles Horman were removed from the United States market following a lawsuit filed against Costa-Gavras and Universal Pictures's parent company MCA by former ambassador Nathaniel Davis and two others for libel. A lawsuit against Hauser himself was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. Davis and his associates lost their lawsuit, after which the film was re-released by Universal in 2006.

Reception

Reviews

gave the film three stars, writing that while the film was being cited for courage in criticism of the U.S. government, the criticism was clouded by its direction, but the best scenes were where Lemmon and Spacek's character were bogged down by the embassy's "niceties" in their search. Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times, positively reviewing the message and Ricardo Aronovich's cinematography.
In his 2015 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin awarded Missing three and a half stars, highlighting Lemmon's acting and crediting Costa-Gavras as a skilled director. The film has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 32 reviews with the consensus: "Thanks in large part to strong performances from Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon, Missing is both a gripping character exploration and an effective political thriller."

Accolades

Missing won the Palme d'Or at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, while Lemmon was awarded Best Actor for his performance.
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientResult
Academy Awards11 April 1983Best PictureEdward Lewis and Mildred Lewis
Academy Awards11 April 1983Best Adapted ScreenplayCosta-Gavras and Donald Stewart
Academy Awards11 April 1983Best ActorJack Lemmon
Academy Awards11 April 1983Best ActressSissy Spacek
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best FilmEdward Lewis and Mildred Lewis
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best DirectionCosta-Gavras
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best ActorJack Lemmon
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best ActressSissy Spacek
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best ScreenplayCosta-Gavras and Donald Stewart
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best EditingFrançoise Bonnot
British Academy Film Awards20 March 1983Best ScoreVangelis Papathanassiou
Cannes Film Festival14 – 26 May 1982Palme d'OrCosta-Gavras
Cannes Film Festival14 – 26 May 1982Best ActorJack Lemmon
Golden Globes29 January 1983Best Motion Picture - DramaMissing
Golden Globes29 January 1983Best Director - Motion PictureCosta-Gavras
Golden Globes29 January 1983Best ScreenplayCosta-Gavras
Golden Globes29 January 1983Best Actor in a Motion Picture - DramaJack Lemmon
Golden Globes29 January 1983Best Actress in a Motion Picture - DramaSissy Spacek
London Film Critics' Circle1982Best FilmCosta-Gavras
National Board of Review14 February 1983Missing