IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 6 nominations total
Dick Van Patten
- Bert
- (as Richard Van Patten)
Edward McNally
- Gimpy
- (as Skipper McNally)
Marianna Case
- Young Woman
- (uncredited)
Leon Collins
- Tap Dancer
- (uncredited)
Harry Cooper
- Conference Attendee
- (uncredited)
Frank Dolan
- Eddie
- (uncredited)
Randee Lynne Jensen
- Extra
- (uncredited)
Ralph Nelson
- Convention Speaker
- (uncredited)
Donald Warnock
- Conference Attendee
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter the operation, when Charly loses his temper over being beaten once again by the mouse, no one seems to notice that he is now pronouncing Algernon's name with the middle "n" included, instead of his previous "Algeron" with the "n" missing.
- GoofsWhen Charly is talking to Mrs. Kinnian outside the building for his night class, he is wearing a gold vest. When the camera cuts back to him after Mrs. Kinnian enters her car, he is wearing a blue vest.
- Quotes
Charly Gordon: I was wondering why the people who would never dream of laughing at a blind or a crippled man would laugh at a moron?
- Crazy creditsThe title appears onscreen as if scrawled by a child, with the "R" backwards.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998)
Featured review
Think about this from a 1968 perspective
I saw this movie at the drive-in when I was 12. I recall finding it to be a touching tragedy. I used to volunteer with "the special ed class", and found the students there to be gentle and grateful and affectionate, and could never understand how the other kids could make fun of them the way they did. But that only explains how and why this touched me personally, even at the age of 12.
Reviews some 30 years after this film was made are very critical, calling it 'schlock', and criticizing the simplification of a complex issue. However, over the last 30-40 years, society has become more enlightened about both mental retardation, but also about what science can and cannot do. It was easier to suspend belief and go with the concept.
At the time, this movie conveyed something new about how a mentally retarded person might view their situation....that alone made this film unique; lots of people never even considered the feelings of the mentally retarded, so this film surely opened some eyes.
And way ahead of it's time (I'm sure this was never considered in making the film), because it conveys the feelings and reactions of someone who is losing their intellectual capacity....such as those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. At that time, little thought was given by the average person about the feelings of either the mentally retarded, or people with Alzheimer's or dementia.
I'm sure the book was better than the movie; that almost always goes without saying. However, movies reach audiences that books sometimes don't, and this movie reached a new audience.
I'm afraid too many reviewers are unable to see an older movie and not hold it to the same standards, socially, scientifically and a cinematography standpoint. Cinema has evolved, as has society and science, and it's quite interesting to watch "Charly" with that in mind.
Reviews some 30 years after this film was made are very critical, calling it 'schlock', and criticizing the simplification of a complex issue. However, over the last 30-40 years, society has become more enlightened about both mental retardation, but also about what science can and cannot do. It was easier to suspend belief and go with the concept.
At the time, this movie conveyed something new about how a mentally retarded person might view their situation....that alone made this film unique; lots of people never even considered the feelings of the mentally retarded, so this film surely opened some eyes.
And way ahead of it's time (I'm sure this was never considered in making the film), because it conveys the feelings and reactions of someone who is losing their intellectual capacity....such as those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. At that time, little thought was given by the average person about the feelings of either the mentally retarded, or people with Alzheimer's or dementia.
I'm sure the book was better than the movie; that almost always goes without saying. However, movies reach audiences that books sometimes don't, and this movie reached a new audience.
I'm afraid too many reviewers are unable to see an older movie and not hold it to the same standards, socially, scientifically and a cinematography standpoint. Cinema has evolved, as has society and science, and it's quite interesting to watch "Charly" with that in mind.
helpful•244
- JDFeltz
- Mar 4, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $15,826,800
- Gross worldwide
- $18,530,000
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![Claire Bloom and Cliff Robertson in Charly (1968)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjNlNDQ2YzEtMTkxNy00MzYzLWFmOTgtODZiMWI1MjI3ODc5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,1,90,133_.jpg)