Main Cast: Martha Byrne, Dina Merrill, Jack Gilford, Mark Patton, Jack Ryland, Donna Mitchell, Loretta Devine
Release Year: 1984
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
A bratty but brilliant preteen girl discovers that she's the clone of a long-dead scientist in this story of self-discovery and adventure, which appeared on HBO in the early '80s. Anna Hart (Martha Byrne) gets top grades at her elite private school, but she lies, steals, and bad-mouths her parents, much to the consternation of her father, Graham (Jack Ryland). Anna's mother, Sarah (Dina Merrill), is more indulgent of her daughter, for she knows that the girl is one of a series of clones created to uncover the scientific secrets of Anna Zimmerman, who was close to conquering world hunger when she died in an accident years ago. Although Anna is unaware of her origins, she is plagued by dreams of the years the original Anna spent in a concentration camp, and she suffers from severe headaches whenever she sees flashing lights. Memories of a haunting melody called "Reverie" also plague the girl's imagination. Although Anna's brother, Rowann (Mark Patton), seems smitten by the family's new neighbor, Michaela Dupont (Donna Mitchell), the woman creeps Anna out with her quiet intensity. Nevertheless, Graham forces his daughter to accept piano lessons from Michaela in hopes of unlocking Anna's artistic side and her less offensive personality traits. Soon, though, Anna accidentally sees one of her sister clones on a TV newscast, leading to revelations that threaten to destroy her family and possibly the youngster's very life. Anna to the Infinite Power is based on the novel by Mildred Aimes. Patton's brief movie career would also encompass the lead role in Nightmare on Elm Street 2, while Byrne, who previously appeared on Broadway in Annie, would go on to star for many years as Lily on the perennial CBS soap As the World Turns. Loretta Devine, who would go on to star in the TV series Boston Public, made her film debut here playing Anna's schoolteacher. The song "Anna's Reverie" was written by composer Paul Baillargeon, who also portrays Rowann's music instructor. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Review
A thought-provoking premise, a coolly intellectual script, haunting music, and a strong lead performance distinguish this junior high thriller despite its flat direction and sometimes forgettable supporting cast. There's quite a bit of pseudo-science in the script's depiction of clones who dream about one another's actions and share their prototype's memories, but underneath there are also very well-written conflicts between nature/nurture, reason/passion, and past/future. Writer/director Robert Weimer couldn't frame a decent action sequence if his life depended on it, while his expository dialogue scenes resort to static talking heads. Yet he does prove capable of cool suspense, gauzy melancholy, and haunting dream sequences, thanks in part to future soap star Martha Byrne's likable prepubescent vitriol and the haunting refrain of Paul Baillargeon's recurring song, "Anna's Reverie." Tortured by concentration camp nightmares in which the mournful tune figures heavily, Byrne's Anna becomes an existential heroine in pigtails: Anne Frank as science fiction survivor. As she taps away at her primitive CompuServe terminal, filches baubles from family friends, and patronizes grown-ups with mathematical precision, Anna personifies the pent-up frustration of every smart kid who's ever had to take orders from an obviously fallible grown-up. Her ultimate journey to self-realization may seem more than a little sentimental, but it's also filled with fertile subtext. Unfortunately, Donna Mitchell seems more somnambulant than enigmatic as mystery woman Michaela Dupont, and Mark Patton seems geekier and less sure of himself than he would as the tortured alterna-teen of Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Yet Dina Merrill proves coolly regal as Anna's science-obsessed mother, while Jack Gilford has fun as a kindly yet sinister scientist. The script's ominously uncertain ending typifies Anna to the Infinite Power: grown-up philosophizing dressed up in comic book clothes. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Gail Weed - Clara; Virginia Stevens - Nurse Graff; Marilyn Rockafellow - Mrs. Smithson; John Wardell - Farmer; Susan Lowden - TV Newscaster; Warren Watson - Dr. Bennett; James Louis Fleming - Dr. Randall; Julie Araskog - Nurse; Kent Cottingham - Furniture Mover; Marshall Weimer - Furniture Mover; Stuart Cole - Security Guard; Gary Mitchell - Security Guard; Paule Baillargeon - Himself
Credit
Shela Oakey - Art Director, Dale F. Glickman - Associate Producer, Robert Wiemer - Director, Peter Hammer - Editor, Paule Baillargeon - Composer (Music Score), Glenn Kershaw - Cinematographer, Bruce Graham - Producer, Robert Wiemer - Screenwriter
