Overdrawn at the Memory Bank is a 1983 science-fiction film that was directed by Douglas Williams. It was produced for American Public Television and was first broadcast as part of the American Playhouse series. It is based on a short story by John Varley.
In a future dystopia, Aram Fingal is a low-levwl programmer working for Novicorp. Arts are prohibited, but he is caught watching the classic film Casablanca on his workstation. To rehabilitate him, the company transfers his mind (a process called "doppeling") into the body of a wild baboon.
Eventually, Fingal begins to enjoy his baboon existence until he finds his peaceful perch in a tree threatened by an elephant shaking it for fruit. He then activates an escape process that is supposed to return his mind to his original body. Unbeknownst to Fingal, his body has been mistakenly tagged for a sex change. With the computer unable to return him to his body, Fingal's mind must be kept active by storing it in Novicorp's central computer until his body is located. His mind can only be maintained in such a way for a limited time before it is destroyed.
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
Fingal's situation is reported to a rival corporation and the report is broadcast worldwide, causing Novicorp's stock price to crash. Majority shareholders force Novicorp's Chairman to divert resources to keep Fingal alive and find his body. Apollonia, a computer controller, is assigned to locate Fingal and keep him from accessing Novicorp's mainframe.
With Apollonia's help, Fingal creates a virtual world where he encounters characters from Casablanca, including a version of cafe owner Rick. Fingal grows bored and he plots to bring down Novicorp's finances without his mind being removed and destroyed.
Apollonia tries to keep Fingal out of trouble, placing her in opposition with Novicorp's leaders. She finds herself falling in love with Fingal and develops a conflict of interest. With Apollonia's considerable help, Fingal eventually "interfaces" with the mainframe and defeats his antagonists. He also returns to his body, which has been found.
Finally corporeal and reunited with his accomplice, Fingal and Apollonia experience a traditional happy ending, with Fingal having taken complete control of the HX368. Fingal orders bonuses and stocks for every employee, commits Novicorp's Chairman to a month of "compulsory rehab" via doppeling, and changes his and Apollonia's identities to the characters' from Casablanca, With his total control of the Novicorp system, Fingal vows to fight against the dystopian government. He and Apollonia talk about opening a club on the other side of town: Rick's Place.
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank was originally broadcast on the New York City PBS affiliate WNET in 1983, and was partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
This was the second movie in WNET's experiment in producing television movies for public television. The first was an adaptation of Ursula Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven in 1980. While the adaptation of Lathe is well-regarded, WNET's movie experiments ended after Overdrawn was an acknowledged failure.
The movie was shot on videotape in order to take advantage of cutting-edge (for their time) digital graphics and special effects.
The wild-animal footage was taken from the documentary Animals Are Beautiful People. The scene in which animals appear to be getting drunk from eating the fruit of the Marula tree is alleged to have been staged.
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Wardrobe mistress Mary Jane McCarty was also wardrobe mistress for The Last Chase.
