''Eternity'' is a 1990 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Steven Paul Steven Paul (born May 16, 1959) is an American independent filmmaker, actor, and talent manager. He is the chairman, founder and CEO of Crystal Sky Pictures. Life and career Paul was born in New York City. His mother, Dorothy Koster Paul, was ...

and written by

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations ...

with Paul and his mother Dorothy Koster Paul. The theme of the film is

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

Plot

Voight wars with his brother, played by

Armand Assante Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film '' Gotti'', Odysseus in the 1997 miniseries adaptation of Homer's ''The Odyssey'', Nietzsche in '' When Niet ...

, over a medieval kingdom. He wakes up and sees everyone in his real life as being reincarnations of the people in his dream. Assante is now an industrialist out to control the media and the US presidency. He attempts to buy out Voight's TV show to silence him.

Cast

as Edward/James *

as Romi/Sean *

Wilford Brimley Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the ...

as King/Eric *

Eileen Davidson Eileen Marie Davidson (born June 15, 1959)Peterson, Bettelou (Knight-Ridder)"Here's the Lowdown on Eileen Davidson". ''The Ledger Enquirer TV Book''. June 12, 1988. p. 60. Retrieved August 28, 2023.Barrand, Roderick (March 30, 1988)"After ...

as Dahlia/Valerie *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

as Taxpayer/Guido

Production

Planning for ''Eternity'' took place over six years prior to its release, under the working title ''Avatar''. Jon Voight was signed to play the film's lead, marking his return to film after a three year absence. Voight had been working on the film during its planning stage and had co-written the script. Michael Legrand was confirmed as writing the score for ''Eternity''. Filming took place over a seven week period during January and February 1989 in and around Los Angeles. By August 1989 the movie had gone into post production status.

Release

Voight and Paul had initially intended for ''Eternity'' to receive a theatrical release in the United States around Thanksgiving or Christmas, but plans for this fell through. ''Eternity'' was released direct to home video on November 20, 1990 though Academy Entertainment.

Reception

Roger Taylor of the ''

Casper Star-Tribune The ''Casper Star-Tribune'' is a newspaper published in Casper, Wyoming, with statewide influence and readership. It is Wyoming's largest print newspaper, with a daily circulation of 23,760 and a Sunday circulation of 21,041. The ''Star-Tribune' ...

'' panned the film, stating that "The viewers could almost feel embarrassment for the professionals who appeared in it if it weren't for the fact that Jon Voight is given partial credit for the screenplay."

References

Julian Brown, ed. ''Variety Science-Fiction Movies: Illustrated Reviews of the Classic Films'', p41. Hamlyn, London, 1992.

External links

* * {{Steven Paul 1990 films 1990 drama films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films American drama films American independent films Films about reincarnation Films set in the Middle Ages