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Slaughterhouse-Five
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Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) More at IMDbPro »

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Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) -- Based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel about a man, untethered by time, who moves from World War II to a futuristic planet.

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   4,185 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Roy Hill
Writers:
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (novel)
Stephen Geller (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Slaughterhouse-Five on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 March 1972 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Sci-Fi | Drama | War more
Tagline:
A Man Becomes Unstuck In Time In The Film That Became A Classic. more
Plot:
A man tells his story of how he became unstuck in time and abducted by aliens. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Guillermo del Toro Booked Until 2017
 (From toxicshock. 6 September 2008, 8:30 AM, PDT)

History is (re)written by the victors
 (From amctv - SciFi Scanner: Fact vs. Fiction. 31 August 2007, 10:33 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
'Unstuck in Time' makes for interesting narrative more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Michael Sacks ... Billy Pilgrim
Ron Leibman ... Paul Lazzaro

Eugene Roche ... Edgar Derby
Sharon Gans ... Valencia Merble Pilgrim

Valerie Perrine ... Montana Wildhack
Holly Near ... Barbara Pilgrim

Perry King ... Robert Pilgrim

Kevin Conway ... Roland Weary
Friedrich von Ledebur ... German Leader (as Friedrich Ledebur)
Ekkehardt Belle ... Young German Guard (as Nick Belle)
Sorrell Booke ... Lionel Merble
Roberts Blossom ... Wild Bob Cody
John Dehner ... Prof. Rumfoord
Gary Waynesmith ... Stanley
Richard Schaal ... Howard W. Campbell Jr.
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
104 min | Canada:93 min (Ontario - edited version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Canada:PA (Ontario - edited version) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Australia:M | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (1988)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The character of Howard Campbell Jr. appears in the film and speaks to the American P.O.W.s before the bombing of Dresden. Vonnegut wrote an entire novel about this character called "Mother Night", later made into a film by Keith Gordon starring Nick Nolte as this same character. more
Quotes:
Tralfamadorian speaker: We know how the world ends and it has nothing to do with Earth, except that it gets wiped out too.
Billy Pilgrim: Really? How does it end?
Tralfamadorian speaker: While we're experimenting with new fuels, a Tralfamadorian test pilot panics, presses the wrong button, and the whole universe disappears.
Billy Pilgrim: But you have to stop him. If you know this, can't you keep the pilot from pressing ...
Tralfamadorian speaker: He has always pressed it, and he always will. We have always let him, and we always will let him. The moment is structured that way.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 30 people found the following comment useful:-
'Unstuck in Time' makes for interesting narrative, 16 August 2001
8/10
Author: kgprophet from Minneapolis

I give this film a 7 out of 10.

It makes an eloquent statement about how traumatic moments in our life stay with us as if it ‘just happened yesterday'. What makes this film so appealing is how it depicts what would happen if you could jump around your entire life. When the future influences the past, it takes on a great significance. Billy Pilgrim is a humdrum Optometrist who nevertheless has an exciting life, surviving the bombing of Dresden in WW2, living through a plane crash, and being transported to another planet. Yet he maintains to be humble. As we follow Billy's life, the portrait of mediocre America is a touching contrast to the other moments that are frightening. He knows how he will die, and in the process becomes unafraid to live life to it's fullest. The inhabitants of the planet Tralfamador (??) say it is best to concentrate on the good moments in your life, and not so much on the bad. But they are still there, and you cannot erase that moment of your life. In essence, the true moral of this film is to accept all that has happened in your life. For if you don't, you deny the validity of your existence. When Billy finally writes about his adventures, others have a chance to learn about the world and themselves that would've otherwise been denied.

Technically, the film uses the moments where Billy jumps in time as meaningful transitions. It interweaves lessons learned from one part of his life and applies it to the present moment (whenever that is). The film's real treasures are the supporting characters that surround Billy. It also vividly transports you to WW2, a semi-autobiographical account of Kurt Vonnegut's real life experiences in Dresden. The film is filled with anecdotes that present the film's other main theme, that life is indeed ironic.

I was deeply touched by this film, with it's ability to whisk you from scenes of horror to amusing ‘Kodak moments'. The music poignantly represents these transitions, and helps to carry the film. In the end, you can accept his death, by having lived his life.

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