Mind Meld
Mind Meld | |
---|---|
Directed by | Peter Jaysen |
Produced by | William Shatner Scott Zakarin Rich Tackenberg Peter Jaysen[1] |
Starring | William Shatner Leonard Nimoy |
Narrated by | Billy West |
Cinematography | Adam Biggs[1] |
Edited by | Mark Panik[1] |
Production company | Creative Light Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime is a 2001 American
They talk about differences they had with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, and about the strained relationships between Shatner and some of the other cast members. It was in this film that Nimoy first publicly revealed that he had struggled with alcoholism while he was acting in the original television series. Shatner talks about the death of his third wife, Nerine Kidd, who accidentally drowned in a pool in 1999 after suffering from alcoholism.
Mind Meld was produced to advertise Shatner's personal website. Filming took place at Nimoy's home on September 5, 2001, and Billy West narrated the title sequence. The film's title refers to a fictional practice in Star Trek—a mind meld is a telepathic link that Vulcans are able to create with other organisms. Mind Meld was released for sale on Shatner's website on November 6, 2001, coinciding with the release of the director's cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Mind Meld attracted some notoriety because of an unintended sound in one scene that became a popular subject of flatulence humor among Star Trek fans and on morning zoo radio programs. Shatner denied being the source of this sound in multiple interviews; he and Mind Meld's director, Peter Jaysen, attributed it to equipment on set.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "F", and said that the only people likely to watch the film were extreme Star Trek fans and people interested in hearing Shatner's supposed flatulence. Laurence Lerman of Video Business praised the film for not "rehash[ing] anecdotes that have long been staples of Star Trek conventions and behind-the-scenes memoirs",[3] and instead for dealing with such topics as alcoholism, career difficulties, and conflicts on the set of Star Trek.
Contents
The film focuses on the effects Star Trek had on the lives of Shatner and Nimoy,
Both men describe Star Trek as having put personal pressures on them that negatively affected their family lives.
Shatner says that acting in Star Trek was "life-consuming" and left him "barely any time for family", and that this was the reason for his divorce from Gloria Rand, his first wife.
Production
Mind Meld was produced as a way of advertising Shatner's personal website,[4] williamshatner.com, which offered features including the Shatner and Friends fan club's quarterly newsletter, semi-regular updates on Shatner's life, and a photograph of Shatner with the gorilla Koko.[17] Shatner said that another reason they decided to make the film was because Nimoy was visibly getting old.[7][a] Shatner asked Nimoy if he would be willing to discuss his experiences with alcoholism in the film, and Nimoy agreed. Nimoy later said that no one had ever asked him about this part of his past, and that discussing it in Mind Meld "was an opportunity to put out some information that might be helpful to some people."[11]
Filming took place on September 5, 2001,
Release
Mind Meld was released on VHS and DVD for sale on Shatner's website[22] on November 6, 2001,[3][7] coinciding with the release of the director's cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a film that Shatner and Nimoy agreed was not as good as they had hoped it would be.[24][b] Mind Meld was produced by Creative Light Entertainment, a company that produced another filmed interview the following year—Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels, an interview of Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee by film director Kevin Smith.[27] The Mind Meld DVD offers widescreen and fullscreen options, Dolby Digital surround sound, and a five-minute "making of" featurette.[28] Mind Meld T-shirts were available on Shatner's website.[29] The film's release prompted Wil Wheaton, who had portrayed Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, to change the name of his comic science fiction improvisational theatre company from "Mind Meld" to "EarnestBorg9".[30]
Shatner referred to The Original Series as "cartoonish" in Mind Meld, but later, upon questioning by a reporter, said, "I never thought it was a cartoon ... I never thought it was beneath me."[31] In a February 2002 interview on Larry King Live, Shatner said Mind Meld was similar to My Dinner with Andre, and indicated that he and Nimoy were hoping to produce more films of a similar nature.[20] Nimoy said of the film, "This is the most personal insight the fans will get into our relationship and into aspects of Bill and myself they've never heard before."[8] In April 2002, Mind Meld was screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[32] Two years later, Mind Meld was included in the bonus material when the first six Star Trek films were re-released as a special edition box set.[33]
Alleged flatulence
Around 52 minutes and 47 seconds into the film, when Shatner is talking about the other Original Series actors disliking him,
Jim Dawson devoted an entire chapter of his 2006 Modern History of the Fart to Shatner's alleged flatulence in Mind Meld, which he compares to the sound of someone stepping on a tribble.[2][c] G. Noel Gross of DVD Talk compared the excitement over this sound to that evinced by adolescent boys watching pornography, and compared the level of scrutiny devoted to the scene to that received by the Zapruder film.[13]
Reception
Sarah Sloboda of The New York Times wrote that Mind Meld "provides a genuine glimpse of the lives of the stars shadowed by the roles that defined their public personas, and the mutual experience that binds them as friends".[4] Gross praised the video quality, but criticized the DVD functionality and features. He also wrote that "even in the heavier parts of this conversation, there's a warmth and comradery there that's rife with good humor".[13] Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an F, saying that the only people likely to watch the film other than extreme Star Trek fans are people interested in hearing the sound alleged to be Shatner's flatulence, which Brown said can be clearly heard. He called the film "seemingly interminable" and said the discussion between Shatner and Nimoy shows that they "rival black holes in sheer self-absorption".[36] According to John Henzell, writing for The Press of New Zealand, Mind Meld's trailer took its subject matter so seriously that it became comical.[17]
Vern Perry of the
Laurence Lerman of Video Business praised Mind Meld for not "rehash[ing] anecdotes that have long been staples of Star Trek conventions and behind-the-scenes memoirs", but instead dealing with such topics as alcoholism, career difficulties, and conflicts on the set of Star Trek.[3] Mike Clark of USA Today praised Shatner's interviewing abilities and wrote that the film was engaging. Clark called Shatner's and Nimoy's conversation "surprisingly frank", but added that Shatner was "full of himself".[24] A review in British newspaper The Guardian summarized Mind Meld as "a couple of gents sitting around talking".[14]
Notes
- ^ Shatner is older than Nimoy by four days, with both born in 1931.[7]
- ^ Other films involving Shatner were nearing their release dates at the time;[25] he acted in Showtime[26] and Shoot or Be Shot,[20] and directed Groom Lake.[7]
- ^ This is a Star Trek in-joke; in the Star Trek universe, tribbles are small, hairy extraterrestrials that reproduce rapidly.[35]
References
- ^ a b c Jaysen, Peter (director) (2001). Mind Meld (Motion picture). Event occurs at 1:13:32.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dawson (2006), p. 79.
- ^ a b c d e Lerman, Laurence (October 15, 2001). "Hailing Frequencies are Open". Video Business. Vol. 21, no. 42. Radnor, Pennsylvania. p. 18.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sloboda, Sarah (2014). "Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime (2001)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ Westbrook, Caroline. "Leonard Nimoy Dead: Legendary Star Trek Actor Best Known as Mr Spock Dies Aged 83". Metro. London. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ "Is William Shatner Returning as James Kirk in 'Star Trek 3'?: J.J. Abrams Called Him, Will Appear 'If It is Meaningful', Actor Says". Venture Capital Post. New York City. October 1, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Keveney, Bill (November 16, 2001). "Shatner Stays Busy: Star Trek's First Captain Releases DVD with Ex-Co-Star, Hosts Iron Chef". The Province. Vancouver. p. C10.
- ^ a b c "Jeanne Tripplehorn Looks to Series TV to Breathe Life into Her Career". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton. October 7, 2001. p. B3.
- ^ a b c d Buckman, Adam (October 10, 2001). "Well Excuse Me, Scotty". New York Post. p. 119.
- ^ Greenberger (2012), p. 220.
- ^ a b c Spelling, Ian (December 2001). "Melding of Minds". Starlog. No. 293. p. 60. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Terrace (2011), p. 1011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Gross, G. Noel. "Mind Meld". DVD Talk. Beaverton, Oregon. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Still on Warp Speed After All These Years". The Guardian. London. November 23, 2001. p. C12.
- ^ a b c d Mackenzie, Drew (October 11, 2001). "Bar Trek: Search for Spock". Daily Mirror. London. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Jim Beam Me Up Scotty: Spock Tells of Booze Battle". Daily Record. Glasgow. October 31, 2001. p. 20.
- ^ a b Henzell, John (July 16, 2002). "To Boldy Go...". The Press. Christchurch. p. 36.
- ^ a b c d e Buckman, Adam (November 21, 2001). "The Big Stink Goes On". New York Post. p. 84.
- ^ a b Buckman, Adam (October 11, 2001). "Shatner: I'm Not a Stinker". New York Post. p. 82.
- ^ a b c King, Larry (February 21, 2002). "Interview with William Shatner". Larry King Live. Los Angeles. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ Lawson & Persons (2004), p. 342.
- ^ a b Moore, Frazier (November 24, 2001). "Busy William Shatner Chats with Nimoy: Ex Captain Kirk Hosts on New Iron Chef USA". The Telegram. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. p. E18.
- ^ "Side Orders". The Province. Vancouver. September 26, 2001. p. B3.
- ^ a b c Clark, Mike (November 16, 2001). "Home Movies". USA Today. p. 6E.
- ^ "Shatner Reveals Pain of Wife's Death". BBC News Online. London. February 22, 2002. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ^ O'Regan, Seamus (March 14, 2002). "New Film Comedy Features De Niro, Murphy and Shatner". CTV Television Network. Toronto.
- ^ Rivero, Enrique (May 5, 2002). "Comic Book Legend Featured in Latest DVD". Video Store. Vol. 24, no. 19. Duluth, Minnesota. p. 12.
- ^ Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California. p. E8.
- ^ Vesely, Carolin (March 13, 2002). "Get a Life". Winnipeg Free Press. p. A8.
- ^ Wheaton (2004), p. 211.
- The Newcastle Herald. Newcastle, New South Wales. p. 7.
- ^ a b Stacy, Greg (April 11, 2002). "Newport Beach Film Festival Beams Down". OC Weekly. Costa Mesa, California. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Dawson (2006), p. 80.
- ^ "Capt. Kirk Sees Trek Reality". New York Post. September 21, 2002. p. 10.
- ^ Robinson & Bauer (2011), p. 447.
- ^ Brown, Scott (November 9, 2001). "Space Oddity". Entertainment Weekly. No. 624. New York City. p. 88.
Bibliography
- Dawson, Jim (2006). Blame It on the Dog: A Modern History of the Fart. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 1580087515.
- Greenberger, Robert (2012). Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History. London: Quarto Group. ISBN 978-1610586894.
- Lawson, Tim; Persons, Alisa (2004). The Magic Behind the Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578066964.
- Robinson, Peter N.; Bauer, Sebastian (2011). Introduction to Bio-Ontologies. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1439836668.
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786486410.
- ISBN 0596555571.
External links
- William Shatner's official website, the website the film was produced to advertise
- Mind Meld at IMDb
- Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime at AllMovie
- Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime at Memory Alpha
- Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime at Rotten Tomatoes