LeGuin/PBS Classic Now on Video

The best argument I have ever heard for those literary snobs who sneer at science fiction is a silent one: you simply hand them a copy of anything by Ursula K. LeGuin.

The same process works for those who insist that "real" science fiction is simply too intellectual to be translated to film, only up until recently you had to tell them to watch the PBS schedule, especially during their quarterly fundraisers. That's when you'd be most likely to catch a broadcast of LeGuin's classic, The Lathe of Heaven, produced by WNET in New York and first broadcast in 1980.

The good news is, you'll no longer have to sit through the pleas by all those earnest PBS staff members for donation (although we hope those of you able to do so do support your local PBS station) to see The Lathe of Heaven. It's now available on VHS and DVD, so you can watch it anytime you like.

George Orr (Bruce Davison) is a dreamer. I mean a real dreamer--from time to time what he dreams happens, starting with the death of an aunt he disliked when he was 17. Over the years, the pressure of this "talent" has driven George to medicate himself to stop the dreams. Not surprisingly, he eventually overdoses, which results in is being sent for therapy.

Unfortunately, his psychiatrist, Dr. William Haber (Kevin Conway), also has dreams. He wants to make the world a better place--according to his definition of "better." When he confirms George's talent, he uses hypnosis and a machine he's invented called the Augmentor to manipulate George into changing various negative aspects of reality. Though George is upset that he is being used, it isn't until Haber solves the world overpopulation problem by having him dream a massive plague that destroys most of the people in the world that George rebels.

Unfortunately, by this time it's too late. Haber had perfected his Augmentor so that he can "effectively dream" himself. And along with all the other changes, he has used George's dreams to acquire great power and influence. No longer able to totally control the content of his erstwhile patient's dreams, Haber attempts to do the job himself, nearly destroying the entire planet in the process.

The title of both book and film come from a quote from the Chinese philosopher Chuang Tse: "Those whom heaven helps we call the sons of heaven. They do not learn this by learning. They do not work it by working. They do not reason it by using reason. To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the

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