Cold Lazarus (Channel 4 – BBC 1996, Albert Finney, Ciaran Hinds)

In Cold Lazarus, the direct continuation of Karaoke, the action moves forward 400 years into the future (the year AD2368 in fact) where Daniel Feeld’s head and mind have been cryogenically preserved by the Madison Science Centre team and he forced to play his memories for the scientists who very quickly learn that the memory can play tricks. Lazarus makes lots of points about the current world we live in and the media.

Definitely an interesting vision of a dystopian future with its organic wheelchairs called auto-cubes and hover bubble-cars but as always with Potter it leaves you dazed, sometimes confused and always mesmerised.

production details
UK | Channel 4 – BBC – Whistling Gypsy | 4×75 minutes | Broadcast 26 May – 16 June 1996

Writer: Dennis Potter
Producers: Kenith Trodd, Rosemarie Whitman
Director: Renny Rye

cast
Albert Finney as Daniel Feeld
Carmen Ejogo as Blinda
Ciarán Hinds as Fyodor
Keeley Hawes as Linda Langer
Rupert Penry-Jones as Policeman
Diane Ladd as Martina Masdon
Frances de la Tour as Emma Porlock
Henry Goodman as David Siltz
Saffron Burrows as Sandra Sollars
Grant Masters as Tony Watson
Ganiat Kasumu as Luanda
Rob Brydon as Karl
Roy Hudd as Ben Baglin
Richard E. Grant as Nick Belcher
Anna Chancellor as Anna Griffiths
Hywel Bennett as Arthur ‘Pig’ Malion