Death Watch (in French La Mort en direct) is a 1980 Franco-German science fiction film directed by Bertrand Tavernier, starring Romy Schneider, Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton, and Max von Sydow. It is based on The Unsleeping Eye (sometimes called The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe), a novel by David G. Compton.
Roddy (Keitel), a cameraman from NTV, accepts to have cameras and transmitters implanted behind his eyes, so that everything he sees can be recorded. Because of this operation, he would go blind if he closed his eyes or if he stayed in the dark for a long time. So he takes drug to stay awake.
At the same time, Katherine Mortenhoe (Schneider) hears that she is sick and that she will die soon. Vincent Ferriman (Stanton), an executive of NTV, spies on her and plans to film the last days of her life to make it into a reality television show.
Not to be confused with two unrelated films: Deathwatch (1966) or Deathwatch (2002).
Death Watch provides examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: This future looks a lot like The '80s, except for some Applied Phlebotinum: the possibility to implant cameras and transmitters behind somebody's eyes, the end-of-life treatment, the computer that can write novels, the drug that prevents from sleeping...
- Aesoptinum: The possibility to implant cameras and transmitters behind somebody's eyes (an operation that can make the patient blind as side-effect) only exists to teach that voyeurism is bad.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The main villain is Vincent Ferriman, an executive of NTV who produces an Immoral Reality Show.
- Dystopia: In this society, most diseases have disappeared, but old people are constantly high in drug, so that they do not realize that they are growing old and dying. Moreover, the TV channels have a lot of leeway: filming someone constantly without his consent does not seem to be a big deal for them.
- Electronic Eyes: Roddy has cameras and transmitters implanted behind his eyes, so that everything he sees can be recorded.
- The Film of the Book: The film is based on The Unsleeping Eye (sometimes called The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe), a novel by David G. Compton.
- Harmful Healing: The drug that Dr. Mason gives to Katherine actually makes her sick (for the sake of the show). It even kills her in the end.
- Immoral Reality Show: NTV produces Death Watch, a reality television show about someone who is slowly dying. That person is filmed constantly, but she is not aware of it. Moreover, she is not really dying: she was just tricked into taking drugs that make her sick for the sake of the show.
- Mad Doctor: Dr. Mason is part of a scheme to create a reality television show about someone who is dying. He gives Katherine a drug that makes her sick for the sake of the show.
- Metafictional Title: In-Universe, Death Watch is the title of a reality television show about someone who is slowly dying.
- New Old Flame: Katherine has been divorced for years, but she wants to meet her ex-husband, Gerald Mortenhoe. When they meet, they rekindle good memories.
- Our Graphics Will Suck in the Future: Katherine's computer can write novels, but its screen is blue and white and it only displays text.
- Sinister Surveillance: NTV spies on Katherine Mortenhoe. They secretly film her appointment with Dr. Mason, then they send Roddy, who has cameras implanted in his eyes, to film everything she does.
- The Sleepless: Thanks to a special drug, Roddy does not need to sleep. If he falls asleep, he will go blind.
- Visit by Divorced Dad: In the beginning, Roddy visits his child and ex-wife. He gives some money to her.
- We Will Have Perfect Health in the Future: In this future, most diseases have been eradicated, to the point that the public has a morbid fascination of those rare individuals that still suffer from incurable disease. Thus the titular TV show "Deathwatch'', which voyeuristically documents these people's slow deaths, whether they agree or not.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Dr. Mason tells Katherine that her days are numbered. Subverted because he lies: actually Katherine is not sick. Dr. Mason is part of a scheme to create a reality television show about someone who is dying.
