A seriously ill schoolteacher becomes dependent on a “miracle” drug that begins to affect his sanity. (95 mins.)
| Bigger Than Life (1956) | |
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Rating: 7.6/10 (6,218 votes) Director: Nicholas Ray Writer: Cyril Hume (story and screenplay), Richard Maibaum (story and screenplay), Burton Roueche (article) Stars: James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau, Robert F. Simon Runtime: 95 min Rated: Not Rated Genre: Drama Released: 26 Oct 1956 |
| Plot: Schoolteacher and family man Ed Avery, who's been suffering bouts of severe pain and even blackouts, is hospitalized with what's diagnosed as a rare inflammation of the arteries. Told by doctors that he probably has only months to live, Ed agrees to an experimental treatment: doses of the hormone cortisone. Ed makes a remarkable recovery, and returns home to his wife, Lou, and their son, Richie. He must keep taking cortisone tablets regularly to prevent a recurrence of his illness. But the "miracle" cure turns into its own nightmare as Ed starts to abuse the tablets, causing him to experience increasingly wild mood swings. | |
