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Comedy drama

Insignificance (1985): Cast & Plot

Insignificance (1985) movie poster

Insignificance is a 1985 comedy drama directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Theresa Russell as The Actress, Meachall Dunsmoor and Gary Busey. It runs 1 hour 50 minutes.

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Read the plot summary
Insignificance (1985) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 50m (110 min)
Director
Nicolas Roeg
Genres
Drama , Comedy
Original language
English
Studio
Recorded Picture Company
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Insignificance About?

The premise of Insignificance without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

An off‑beat comedy that examines life, death, sex and the cosmos through a meeting of four 1950s icons who never actually crossed paths. Set in post‑World War II America, the film weaves flashbacks and flash‑forwards around a fictional Einstein’s reflections, childhood memories and anxieties about the future, creating a striking modern fable.

Insignificance Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • 1950s
  • new york city
  • hotel room
  • baseball player
  • professor
  • year 1954
  • film shoot
  • actress
  • misunderstanding
  • hotel
  • dysfunctional marriage
  • seduction
+38 more
  • guilt
  • miscarriage
  • punched in the stomach
  • price of fame
  • albert einstein character
  • joe dimaggio character
  • joseph mccarthy character
  • marilyn monroe character
  • postmodernism
  • roeg and t. russell
  • based on stage play of the same name
  • u.s. senator
  • famous upskirt
  • black comedy
  • autograph hunter
  • female infertility
  • sex with prostitute
  • female sexuality
  • famous athlete
  • hydrogen bomb
  • famous actress
  • isolation of celebrity
  • misogynist
  • screenplay adapted by author
  • unfaithful wife
  • famous scientist
  • mistaken for therapist
  • atomic bomb explosion
  • second red scare
  • historical fiction drama
  • sex symbol
  • physical abuse causes miscarriage
  • male impotence
  • marital infidelity
  • senate committee hearing
  • younger version of character
  • hiroshima japan
  • famous politician
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Cast & crew

Insignificance Cast & Characters

Theresa Russell leads the cast as The Actress, with Meachall Dunsmoor as Actress as a Child and Gary Busey as The Ballplayer. Directed by Nicolas Roeg; 25 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Insignificance

· 21 more
Show all 25 cast members
From the director

More from Nicolas Roeg

More films directed by Nicolas Roeg, best-rated first: Don't Look Now, Walkabout, The Witches and The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Full filmography
Plot

Insignificance Plot Summary

What happens in Insignificance from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

On a crowded New York City street, a film crew stages a provocative sequence: The Actress, Theresa Russell in a white dress stands on a grate while a towering fan imitates subway gusts, blowing her skirt up around her waist. The Ballplayer, Gary Busey, watches with obvious discomfort as onlookers ogle her from every angle. Instead of joining him after the shot, she slips into a taxi and disappears. She then stops at a shop to gather a curious assortment—toys, flashlights, balloons—tiny symbols of spectacle and desire that will echo through the night’s events.

Full summary

The whole story of Insignificance, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Insignificance?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who portrayed The Actress in the film?
Details

Insignificance Also Known As

21 alternative titles, including “Malícia Atômica” and “La signora in bianco”.

Also known as
  • Malícia Atômica
  • La signora in bianco
  • She's the Bomb
  • Einstein & Marilyn: O Encontro do Século
  • Uma Noite Inesquecível
  • Insignificancia
  • Ничтожество
  • Alt er relativt
  • Μια νύχτα με τη Μέριλιν
  • עניין שולי
  • Insignificance - Die verflixte Nacht
  • 无足轻重
+9 more
  • Нікчемність
  • A színésznő és a relativitás
  • 毫無意義
  • Une Nuit de Reflexion
  • Z przymrużeniem oka
  • マリリンとアインシュタイン
  • 사랑의 상대성
  • Bezvýznamnost
  • Önemsizlik

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FAQ

Insignificance FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Insignificance, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Insignificance?

Insignificance runs 1 hour 50 minutes (110 minutes).

When was Insignificance released?

Insignificance was released on May 11, 1985.

Who directed Insignificance?

Insignificance was directed by Nicolas Roeg.

More films by Nicolas Roeg

Who is in the cast of Insignificance?

Insignificance stars Theresa Russell as The Actress, Meachall Dunsmoor as Actress as a Child and Gary Busey as The Ballplayer, among 25 credited actors.

Does Insignificance have a post-credit scene?

No. Insignificance has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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