Disability On Film

Re:Best disabled character

apulrang — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:36:36 GMT

joem18b:

I'd give a nod to Jean-Dominique Bauby in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Certainly the most disabled of them all. The same thing happened to a friend of mine; I used to visit him 4 times a week. But he was worse that Bauby, in that he couldn't even blink in a consistent way.

Thanks for contributing. I just saw "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly", and I liked it a lot. The depiction of the man may be my favorite at this point. However, taken as a whole, the movie falls just short of the "best" in my book. One thing bothered me. The film is so focused on Jean-Do, that the other residents of his hospital become pieces of the scenery. They serve to underscore the awful strangeness and sadness of his new situation in a couple of key scenes. This dehumanizes them, and reinforces that idea that disability is unrelentingly depressing. Which is not only offensive, it is out of sync with the rest of the movie, which superbly shows that even the most "confined" life can be pleasurable.

Re:Best disabled character

joem18b — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:35:21 GMT

I thought that The Other Sister handled the issue of young adults who are mentally challenged very well.

Re:Best disabled character

apulrang — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:36:10 GMT

Thanks for joining. You won't find me criticizing anyone for being politically incorrect. However, one of the ways I evaluate a "disability film" is through a sort of political / social lens. When I see a disability depiction, I ask three key questions:

1. Is the depiction nuanced and original, or simplistic and cliched?

2. What feelings are viewers most likely to come away with ... horror and pity? inspiration and uplift? familiarity and understanding?

3. Do I, as a person with a disability, feel embarrassed by or comfortable with the depiction?

Having said all that, I can certainly appreciate a negative or humiliating portrayal, such as that of Dr. Strangelove, if the negatives are outweighed by something else, like comedic effect or a bravura performance.

Dr_Gor:

apulrang:

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.

   I hesitated to join this group or even post anything on here for fear of not being "politically correct" or of being "insensitive".   But the fact is that I can think of a hundred or more great movies that have a handicapped character in a lead role. Does having a broken leg in a cast count?   If so then add Rear Window to the following list...

   The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

   Monkey Shines

   House of Psychotic Women

   Anthropophagus II

   ANTHROPOPHAGUS

   Silver Bullet

   Dr. Strangelove

   The Miracle Worker

   Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

   ...

   But my favorite pereformances come down to a two way tie. between Mia Farrow in See No Evil   and Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark   ...   two VERY creepy movies that will make you think about how much it would suck to be blind.

                                                                  < GOR >

Re:Best disabled character

rjsprague — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:41:38 GMT

I thought Dancer in the Dark was a pretty good film, and Bjork was at least mildly enjoyable to watch.

Re:Best disabled character

joem18b — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:17:11 GMT

I was also thinking about Marlon Brando's first movie role, in which he plays a paralyzed war vet learning to cope with his injuries.

Re:Best disabled character

joem18b — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:07:57 GMT

Dr_Gor:

But my favorite pereformances come down to a two way tie. between Mia Farrow in See No Evil and Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark ... two VERY creepy movies that will make you think about how much it would suck to be blind.

< GOR >

This reminds me of the Rutger Hauer classic, Blind Fury.

Re:Best disabled character

joem18b — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:45:46 GMT

If it's ok to be politically incorrect, I'll mention my two favorite disabled characters: God and the devil. Folks are getting so non-religious these days that it's hard for these two to get anything done anymore; they're practically crippled. Doubt is messing things up. God is stuck being George Burns or Morgan Freeman. He can act cool but you can tell he's straining. I mean, Evan Almighty was a boxoffice bomb. And Satan is in the same boat. Stuck as Harvey Keitel with Adam Sandler as his son.

Re:Best disabled character

Dr_Gor — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:16:14 GMT

apulrang:

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.

I hesitated to join this group or even post anything on here for fear of not being "politically correct" or of being "insensitive". But the fact is that I can think of a hundred or more great movies that have a handicapped character in a lead role. Does having a broken leg in a cast count? If so then add Rear Window to the following list...

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Monkey Shines

House of Psychotic Women

Anthropophagus II

ANTHROPOPHAGUS

Silver Bullet

Dr. Strangelove

The Miracle Worker

Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

...

But my favorite pereformances come down to a two way tie. between Mia Farrow in See No Evil and Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark ... two VERY creepy movies that will make you think about how much it would suck to be blind.

< GOR >

Re:Best disabled character

rjsprague — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:40:27 GMT

Heh. I enjoyed Am I Sam, but I saw it years ago and maybe I just had different ideas at the time. I don't recall feeling manipulated, but everyone comes to films with their experiences and emotional baggage in tow.

Tropic Thunder was painfully hilarious. Robert Downey Jr.'s character has a somewhat lengthy monologue about a mentally impaired character that Ben Stiller's character played in one of the fictional films in Tropic Thunder, and he relates it to Sean Penn's performance in "I Am Sam".

I'm sure that if I watched "I Am Sam" now I'd probably hate it. I don't know why that is though.

Re:Best disabled character

joem18b — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:10:35 GMT

I'd give a nod to Jean-Dominique Bauby in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Certainly the most disabled of them all. The same thing happened to a friend of mine; I used to visit him 4 times a week. But he was worse that Bauby, in that he couldn't even blink in a consistent way.

Re:Best disabled character

Risselada — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:16:02 GMT

apulrang:

rjsprague:

I'm going to go with Sean Penn in I Am Sam.

While the ridiculing of his performance in Tropic Thunder was hilarious, I didn't think it should be a bad thing for an actor to accurately portray a person with disabilities. If anything such an actor should be lauded for helping movie watchers better understand the tough circumstances that can arise for such a person when they are taken advantage of. Most people simply aren't mature enough to handle such realities, which is unfortunate.

That's another one I need to see. Though, I have to say that my impression from clips I've seen and reviews I've read is that he film romanticizes the "Sam" character's pure wish to be a Dad, without adequately exploring the real challenges and how they could be solved. If I'm wrong about that, I'll be glad to see it in the actual film.

You aren't wrong. You are right. And I Am Sam is my least favorite movie of all time. Pure manipulation.

Re:Best disabled character

Risselada — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:15:10 GMT

rjsprague:

I'm going to go with Sean Penn in I Am Sam.

While the ridiculing of his performance in Tropic Thunder was hilarious, I didn't think it should be a bad thing for an actor to accurately portray a person with disabilities. If anything such an actor should be lauded for helping movie watchers better understand the tough circumstances that can arise for such a person when they are taken advantage of. Most people simply aren't mature enough to handle such realities, which is unfortunate.

Wow I didn't know that Tropic Thunder ridiculed my least favorite movie of all time! Now I have to see it.

Re:Best disabled character

apulrang — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:57:59 GMT

rjsprague:

I'm going to go with Sean Penn in I Am Sam.

While the ridiculing of his performance in Tropic Thunder was hilarious, I didn't think it should be a bad thing for an actor to accurately portray a person with disabilities. If anything such an actor should be lauded for helping movie watchers better understand the tough circumstances that can arise for such a person when they are taken advantage of. Most people simply aren't mature enough to handle such realities, which is unfortunate.

That's another one I need to see. Though, I have to say that my impression from clips I've seen and reviews I've read is that he film romanticizes the "Sam" character's pure wish to be a Dad, without adequately exploring the real challenges and how they could be solved. If I'm wrong about that, I'll be glad to see it in the actual film.

Re:Best disabled character

rjsprague — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:06:13 GMT

I'm going to go with Sean Penn in I Am Sam.

While the ridiculing of his performance in Tropic Thunder was hilarious, I didn't think it should be a bad thing for an actor to accurately portray a person with disabilities. If anything such an actor should be lauded for helping movie watchers better understand the tough circumstances that can arise for such a person when they are taken advantage of. Most people simply aren't mature enough to handle such realities, which is unfortunate.

Re:Best disabled character

apulrang — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:26:49 GMT

Risselada:

apulrang:

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.

I'd have to go with what might be one of the big icons of historical people with physical disabilities, The Elephant Man. John Hurt's performance in the David Lynch film is certainly a classic.

It has been so long since I saw Elephant Man that I don't retain any particular feelings about it. Gotta see it again!

Re:Best disabled character

seely — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:22:18 GMT

Risselada:

apulrang:

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.

I'd have to go with what might be one of the big icons of historical people with physical disabilities, The Elephant Man. John Hurt's performance in the David Lynch film is certainly a classic.

Kudos on that one... years since I saw it but it certainly is a memorable and moving performance.

Re:Best disabled character

Risselada — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:33:29 GMT

apulrang:

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.

I'd have to go with what might be one of the big icons of historical people with physical disabilities, The Elephant Man. John Hurt's performance in the David Lynch film is certainly a classic.

Best disabled character

apulrang — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:07:13 GMT

Which disabled character do you most enjoy? Which had the most profound impact on you? Which is the most skilled portrayal of a disabled character? Pick your favorite disabled character and explain your criteria.