Dying Young

            Sometimes we forget how lucky we are. Watch this powerful story about some of realities of radiation and chemotherapy is.  I think all kids should watch this movie because maybe kids might think second about smoking!

More information  
» Cancer Treatment Centers of America
» Cancer.gov
» CancerGuide
» Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation

The Loretta Claiborne Story

Prmer on ABC on "The Wonderful World of Disney" in 2000, now seen on Livetimetv

This is a true story about Loretta Claiborne who was born with mental retardation and also physically challenged. Raised by her mother along with six other siblings, Loretta's mother refused to listen to doctors who told her that Loretta should be placed in an institution. Forty six years later she speaks four languages, ran in over twenty-five marathons as well as being a motivational speaker. 

The Portrayal of Disabilities in Movies and TV

When someone sees a person with a disability portrayed on television or in the movies, he or she may not have any other knowledge about or experience with such an individual. With little else to go on to either support or oppose the effectiveness of the media portrayal, these images can have a profound effect on our beliefs and attitudes. This effect shows up in the form of a general lack of understanding and can add to the social barriers concerning direct contact and interpersonal communication with people with disabilities.   Therefore, the challenge to the visual media is to avoid negative stereotypes and present an "accurate" representation of people who have disabilities. On the other hand, movies have to be entertaining, so some of the scenes might be not an accurate portrayal of people with disabilities. 

Movies are supposed to be entertaining while giving the best representation that they can of the characters and situation.  Most of the time it is very hard to have both the audience be entertained while having an accurate portrayal in a movie. To have the right portrayal the writer, producer, and actors have to do a lot of  research on the topic and/or have a couple experts right there while making the movie. The best way to get an accurate portrayal is to get real actors and actresses that have disabilities to play the roles. They have had the first hand experience which regular actors cannot get from research. 

The following 19 films are some of my favorite films which involve disabilities in one way or another.

At First Sight - Virgil, played by Val Kilmer, lives an independent and fulfilling life, though somewhat sheltered, in a small community with an overprotective sister played by Kelly McGinnis.  Mira Sorvino co-stars as Amy, a New York City architect who goes to a resort to unwind from her stressful job. Here she meets Virgil and they start a relationship. This films strength is an accurate portrayal of blindness. Kilmer researched and plays the role well and shows Virgil to be a fully-rounded and happy person before the operation. He has a job, hobbies, a home and friends. This is a refreshing change from the stereotypical depiction of some poor helpless misfit who spends his time in lonely despair.  Kilmer gives a more accurate study of a blind man with a welcome movement away from the usual blank eyed person with no facial gestures. It is the restoration of his sight that causes the problems. This raises important questions about able-bodied attitudes, perception and understanding of disability.

Children of a Lesser God - In my opinion, this movie was marvelous because it has both entertainment and an accurate portrayal of a deaf woman.  The actress Marlee Matlin is deaf and can play this role well because she has the knowledge of what having a disability is really like. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in this movie.  It was about a strong woman who had trouble deciding if  she wanted to learn how to speak with her voice despite being deaf.  She wanted people to accept her for who she was and not for any other reason.  She finally decided when she fell in love that acceptance from others does not go only one way; it goes both ways.  She decided to learn how to speak so that she could get by better in life.

Forest Gump - The main character Forest Gump, played by Tom Hanks,  has a  "I.Q. of 75."  He overcomes his disability, falls in love, and even manages to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Once again the character who has a disability was played by a non-disabled actor but it is one of the highest grossing films ever. Does this tells us something?   

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner - Lets turn the story line around a bit by looking at how the same situation might occur if the person had a disability instead of a different skin color.  What if the issue of prejudice was not the man's skin color but instead the fact that he was disabled back in the 60's?  In life, we have to work through our differences together to overcome prejudices and misconceptions about each other before judging a person.

The Horse Whisperer - All the reviews I've read have rated it highly and said that the subject is treated sensitively. A simple accident as a horse's hoof slips on an icy road leads to the death of one girl and her horse and severe injury to a second girl and her horse. The survivor, Grace, has lost the lower half of one leg and she is severely traumatized by seeing her best friend killed. Her horse is also traumatized. Her parents have difficulty coping with her condition and her mother decides to travel to Montana to see a 'horse whisperer' hoping he can help the horse and through that her daughter. The romance between the 'horse whisperer' and the mother plays second fiddle to revivification of  Grace. From the novel by Nicholas Evans.

Mr. Holland’s Opus - A music teacher (Richard Dreyfuss) strives to teach his students to love music while he attempts to write his own music. The sacrifices are not as great as the rewards, however. Ultimately, this impassive square movie tells us, Mr. Holland learns more than his pupils—about himself, music, how to deal with the disappointments of his son's deafness.

The Man Without a Face - One-time teacher Mr. McLeod (Mel Gibson) has a lot of   wisdom, a badly scarred face and body, tutors a troubled young boy who wants to go to a prep school.  The boy was scared to ask McLeod to tutor him, because to the island's inhabitants and summer people, he is "Hammerhead" and other cruel nicknames. Because he stays so resolutely to himself, rumors circulate about him. He killed his wife, some say.  Others say it was a young boy.  He did time in prison.  Once the boy got over McLeod's disability and got to know him as a person, they became friends.

Nell -  Jodie Foster plays Nell, a young woman who was brought up by her mother who suffered a stroke in the deep backwoods.  She is found by a doctor (Liam Neeson) after her mother has died, but she is unable to speak except in a unknown language only her mother could understand.  The doctor becomes her teacher.  It's a worthy film, and a worthy performance, but the only two options that these supposedly "intelligent" doctors can think of  is either leaving Nell totally as she is to fend for herself, or locking her up in a mental institution?  No one talks about trying to get her a teacher and a speech therapist so she can learn to cope with the modern world while still living at her home.

My Left Foot - Born with cerebral palsy, which prevents him from walking and causes him great difficulty in speaking, to a very large, poor Irish-Catholic family in Dublin, Christy Brown was raised at home facing strong pressure from friends and the community that he be placed in an institution.  Christy struggles with physical inaccessibility, the communication barriers he encounters as a result of his disability and social stigma cause him to be perceived as a "vegetable" and a "cripple" by family and friends alike. This is a true story and Daniel Day-Lewis won the award for best actor, but once again the character who has a disability was played by a non-disabled actor. 

Life Stinks -  This movie is about a billionaire who makes a bet that he can live on the streets without any money for one month.  He thinks it will be easy, but it turns out to be harder than he thought. This movie has nothing to do with disabilities but it shows what other people have to go through in their lives.

Powder - An abused albino boy is cursed as different when he is integrated with teens his own age at school.  His classmates, teachers, and others around him are both inspired and terrified by the strange-looking boy who apparently possesses certain inexplicable powers.  I suspect that "Powder" was at one stage an interesting project, but then the production process led to a dumbing-down of the material until the movie was faced with a paradox it could never explain: How could anyone as smart as Powder have a problem with the morons in this movie? The sad thing is that when movies like this fail, executives think that proves there's no audience for unusual, original pictures - because they think they've made one.

Regarding Henry -  A hot shot lawyer steps out one night to buy some cigarettes, and is shot in a holdup.  One of the bullets penetrates his brain, and for weeks he drifts in a coma, until finally he awakens and the long process of rehabilitation can begin. The movie is essentially about how Henry becomes more lovable and human as a  result of his injury also how his soul is healed and his family is saved by the experience.  The film provides a fair depiction of a person coping with a newly acquired physical disability.  Some of the scenes are not very realistic like the scene where Henry's physical and mental rehabilitation physical therapist puts a lot of Tabasco on his eggs to try to get  Henry to talk.

The Other Sister - A mentally challenged woman attempts to make her own way in the world, despite her overprotective mother's objections.  Most people say that this movie is sad, sweet, funny and heartwarming all at one time.  While others think this movie is shameless in its use of mental retardation as a gimmick, a prop and a plot device.  Anyone with any knowledge of retardation is likely to find the film offensive.  It treats the characters like cute little performing seals--who always deliver their "retarded" dialogue with perfect timing and an edge of irony and drama.  Their zingers slide out with the precision of sitcom punch lines.

Rain Man - Tom Cruise plays Charlie Babbit, who exploits his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman).  Many entertaining situations made this a main stream Hollywood success. Great acting by Cruise and Hoffman, but once again the character who has a disability was played by a non-disabled actor.  It's also useful to remember that not all autistic people are like Hoffman's character.

Passion Fish - The main character, May-Alice (McDonnell), due to an accident, she goes from being a healthy ambulatory person to a virtual prison of her own body in one day. The film provides a fair depiction of a person coping with a newly acquired physical disability.

Scent of a Woman - The colonel sits alone in his room, drinking and nursing his self-pity.  He is a mean, angry, sarcastic man.  Needing extra cash, a prep-school student unfortunately lands a job tending a blind colonel (Al Pacino). The colonel buys them a couple of tickets to New York and announces that they are going to do some partying in the big city.  In particular, he wants to brainwash the younger man with his ideas about women and how they are the most wonderful beings in all of God's creation.  

The Waterdance - This film provides a great insight into what a person goes through when life is suddenly altered by a disability.  Eric Stoltz plays a young writer who becomes a paraplegic as a result of a hiking accident and must recover in a multiethnic rehabilitation center.  There he meets two other paraplegics, played by Snipes and Forsythe, who themselves are learning to adjust to their disabilities. The movie does an excellent job of realistically dealing with the issues that confront many newly disabled people - especially their personal relationships. The handling of the main character's relationship - both emotional and physical - with his girlfriend (Hunt) is especially honest.

Trading Places - A poor black man is swapped with a privileged white man because of a bet by two rich and pampered old men that think it would be amusing to see how the two men react in totally different lifestyles. This movie has nothing to do with disabilities but it shows what other people have to go through in there lives.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape - Gilbert's (Johnny Depp) problems--obese mom, retarded brother, boring town--don't seem so important when a new hottie shows up.  Romance, as it generally does, acts as a catalyst for the family, that breaks their routine that might have held them together forever. When Gilbert brings Becky home to meet his mother, there is a sense of anxiety and thrill that breaks their same old  pattern of years.

I can only think of two television shows that involve someone with a disability in every show.

Reasonable Doubts -  Marlee Matlin who also starred in the film "Children of a Lesser God" also played a deaf lawyer in "Reasonable Doubts" a television series that ran from 19 to '. Cobb goes to work as investigator/interpreter to Tess. It is not long before both realize that although they're devoted to stamping out crime and exacting justice, in every other way they're as different as night and day.  Tess, struggling with a dissolving marriage, is unhappy that she and husband Bruce (Tim Grimm) are now separated and face divorce. Cobb, on the other hand, relishes his freedom and enjoys a strictly physical relationship with Kay Lockman (Nancy Everhard), who runs the LineUp Bar, a local police hangout. While the idealistic Tess maintains the ethic of "innocent until proven guilty," Cobb lives by the belief that the accused are usually guilty— he'll worry about asking questions later. Both Tess and Cobb had their doubts about developing a professional relationship, much less a personal one. With all of this going on in every show, it shows that deaf people can have a sisl carear, love, a home and friends.

Life Goes On -  was a television series that ran from 1989 to '93. The series broke ground in portraying anindividual with Down syndrome, Corky, who was trying to make it through high school mainstream after being in special education classes for years. The series dealt with serious issues such as HIV, blended families, and Corky's romance with a woman who also had Down syndrome.

A list of films which involve in one way or another various disabilities. I got this information from http://www.caravan.freeserve.co.uk/

Amputee

Aunt Mary (TV Film) - Drama 1979 - The story over 20 years of a disabled women living in Baltimore, US

Bad Day at Black Rock - Thriller 1955 - Spencer Tracy's character has only one arm. But nothing inhibits him in his quest for justice. Classic

Best Years of Our Lives The - War 1946 - B/W. At the end of WW2 three veterans return home. One, Harold Russell, has lost both hands which Russell had. He won a special Oscar. Classic

Child's Wish, A a.k.a. A Fight for Justice - Drama 1997 - It all starts with a lump on the knee which then becomes cernovial cykoma, a malignant tumour of the connective tissue. The teenage girl who has this has to have a leg amputated followed by chemotherapy.

Crippled Masters The - Thriller 1982- Martial Arts with a handicap. One combatant legless, the other armless.

Crossbar (TV Film) - Biography? 1979 - The pole-vaulter, Aaron Kornylo, despite having only one leg goes in for the Olympic trials.

Cutter's Way - Drama War 1981 - John Heard is the one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged embittered vet driving his wife to despair.

Dr. Strangelove; or, How I Learned to stop worrying and love the bomb - Black comedy UK 1964 - Dr. Strangelove (Sellers) is in a wheelchair and has a mechanical arm. His physical disabilities are meant to mirror his mental condition.

English Patient, The - War 1996 - The base of the story is a badly burned victim, this film specifically about disability but the nurse's relationship with the badly burned flyer is thought provoking.

Enter the Dragon - Kung Fu 1973 - The major villain, Han, has only one hand but a Swiss army knife of prosthetic attachments to his stump.

Erzekek Iskolaja a.k.a. School of Sensitivity - Drama Hungary 1996 - A beautiful woman who has lost her legs in an accident and is in a wheelchair.

Eternal Sea The - Biography 1955  - B/W. Biography of American admiral John M. Hoskins who lost a leg during WWII and continued to serve at sea.

Follow Your Heart a.k.a. Walk Me to the Distance - Road movie 1990 - Cassidy is a neer-do-well who makes good thanks to his one-legged landlady, her son who has learning difficulties

Horse Whisperer, The - Drama 1998  - A simple accident as a horse's hoof slips on an icy road leads to the death of one girl and her horse and severe injury to a second girl and her horse.

Inside Moves - Drama 1980 - Centres on a young man who has attempted suicide which has left him disabled and who ,in a bar, meets a number of 'fellow suffers' who give him back the will to live.

Johnny Got His Gun - War 1971 - A young man returns from WWI seriously injured. He has lost his arms, his legs, and much of his face.

Le Secret de Jerome a.k.a. Jerome's Secret - Drama Canada 1994 - When a young man with no legs is washed up on the beach he is adopted by a couple.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - Sea drama 1935 - Capt. Bligh faces mutiny on the high seas. Laughton is superbly sadistic, and probably mad. Bachus, the alcoholic surgeon, has only one leg and has a variety of tales about how he lost it.

My Kidnapper My Love (TV Film) - Crime drama 1980 - Kidnap victim falls in love with disabled kidnapper.

Promises in the Dark - Drama 1979 - Young girl dying of cancer, she loses part of one leg.

Proud Rebel, The - Western 1958 - While Ladd is fighting a one armed sheep rancher he's also helping his speaking impaired son.

Reach for the Sky - War UK 1956 - B/W. 'Brave' tale of Douglas Bader who lost both legs in an air accident in 1931. He learned to walk on artificial legs and flew in WWII.

Santa Sangre - Thriller Italy/Mexico1989 - He becomes her arms i.e. she sits at a piano, he behind with his arms through her sleeves plays the piano. He has a girlfriend who is a deaf and speaking impaired. But not everything is as it seems.

Serpent, The - Thriller 1991 - The woman finds his son who has lost an arm and is paralysed and marries him. Then she makes love to the father knowing the son is about to enter the room.

Stratton Story, The - Sport True story 1949 - B/W. Baseball player, Monty Stratton, continues his career even after losing one leg.

Ted Kennedy Jnr. Story The (TV Film) - Biography 1986 - The young Kennedy (12 years old) loses leg because of cancer.

Terry Fox Story The (TV Film) - Biography Canada 1983 - Canadian athlete runs across Canada despite having only one leg as a result of cancer. The actor who plays Fox also has only one leg.

Till the End of Time - War 1946 - B/W. Story of three WWII veterans. One has a plate in his head, one has lost both legs, and one has returned unscathed.

Unknown, The (1927) - Circus 1927 - B/W. Silent Lon Chaney plays the "Armless wonder" (Alonzo the Armless) a freakshow act though he is a fake. Then he falls in love with a girl who can't stand the touch of a man's hand and he has his arms amputated. Interesting if only for its attitude to the 'freaks'.

Winner Never Quits A (TV Film) - Sport 1986 - During WWII a baseball player (Pete Gray, outfielder for St. Louis Browns) with only one arm lost as a child becomes inspiration for a young boy also with one arm.

Wrongfully Accused - Comedy 1998  - Nielsen vehicle which is spoof of "The Fugitive" except he's missing a leg and an eye as well an arm.

Zed and Two Noughts A - Drama UK/Netherlands 1985  - lost a leg in the accident.

Autism

Boy Who Could Fly The - Romance 1986  - An autistic teenage boy finds romance with a teenage girl whose father suffering from cancer committed suicide.

Boys Next Door, The (TV Film) - 1996  - Nothing known about this film at present.

David's Mother (TV Film) - Drama 1994 - The film is called 'David's Mother' because it concentrates on the situation of the mother of a boy with autism. The centre of the film from which the other themes spin off is the mother's refusal to put her son in care/special schooling. The issues are dealt with honestly, in some detail, and head on.

Family Pictures (TV Film) - Drama 1993 -  Huston plays a mother raising an autistic child. After novel by Sue Miller.

George - Documentary 1996 - Nothing known about this film at present.

House of Cards- Drama 1993 -  About a young girl with autism.

Innocent, The (TV Film) - Thriller 1994  - When a store owner is killed by a robbers the only witness to see one of them without his mask is a five year old autistic boy.

Mercury Rising - Thriller 1998  - A nine year old autistic boy cracks a government super code.

Nell - Drama 1994  - A woman who has been brought up by her mother who had suffered a stroke in the deep backwoods. She is found by a doctor (Liam Neeson) after her mother has died but she is unable to speak except in a language known only to her mother.

Rain Man- Road movie 1988 - Cruise exploits his autistic brother (Hoffman).

Real Rainman A portrait of an Autistic savant- Documentary -  This is an educational film and possibly a suitable antidote to Hoffman's Rainman, as the title implies.

Relative Fear - Mystery Canada 1994 - Three people die suspiciously in a family's home and the couple who have an autistic four year old son who is bullied begin to suspect he's involved.

Run Wild Run Free -  Drama UK 1969 -A ten year old boy living in the north of England has been speaking impaired since he was three.

Silence a.k.a. Crazy Jack and the Boy- Adventure 1974  -  Story of autistic boy lost in the wilderness.

Silent Fall - Thriller 1994  - A thriller whose twist is to have an autistic boy as witness to a murder. Dreyfuss is the psychiatrist whose job is to explain the boy to us and the

            court but is let down by the script.

Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love (TV Film) - Drama 1979  -  A young boy is autistic.

Spoonface Steinberg - Drama UK 1998  - A young girl who was dying, I think, from cancer. Her story is not simply about herself but of those around her, and even includes her reflections on the holocaust.

Touch of Truth (TV film) - Drama 1994  -  A mother unable to control her autistic son admits him to a special school. There follows a battle between her and the dedicated teacher.

Touched by Love - Drama 1980 - To Elvis with Love Girl with cerebral palsy (and slightly autistic) has pen-pal relationship with Elvis Presley. Here a nurse (the film is based on the nurse's memoir) goes to work at a home for disabled children.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape-Drama 1993  - Gilbert (Depp) looks after his 17 year old brother, Arnie who has learning difficulties.

Blind

23 Paces to Baker Street - Thriller 1956 - Blind playwright overhears criminals plotting and decides to stop them.

Afraid of the Dark - Thriller UK/France 1992 - Pyscho thriller in which victims are blind women seen from point of view of eleven year old boy whose mother is blind.

Alligator Eyes - Horror 1990  - Psycho thriller set in N.Carolina. Two men and a girl friend on vacation meet young (beautiful) blind woman.

Amants du Pont-Neuf Les -Drama France 1991 - The Lovers of Pont-Neuf A simple love story? Not likely. First we see a young man (Alex) staggering down the street at night. he falls and one ankle is run over by a car. His ankle is broken and he limps from then on. After staying in a hostel for the homeless while recovering Alex returns to his stone bench on the Pont Neuf bridge where he lives.

At First Sight - Drama 1997  - Mira Sorvino plays Amy, an architect, who works her butt off in N.Y.C. but eventually takes a holiday in in the mountains of New York State. There she meets and falls in love with Virgil the masseur (Kilmer). Virgil is blind and this causes no problems except from her sister (Kelly McGillis).

Bian Zou Bian Chang a.k.a. Life on a String- Costume drama Ch/Ger/UK1991  - A blind musician believes his sight will be restored when he breaks his bango string.

Blind - Documentary 1986- With almost no intervention Wiseman films blind people doing their thing and talking about their lives.

Blind Rage- Thriller Philippine 1978  -  Five blind men try to rob a bank.

Blind Swordsman and the Chess Expert, The- Costume drama Japan 1965  - Apparently there is a series of films starring Zatoichi, the blind swordsman. In this film he meets Jumonji who is a samurai and a good chess player.

Blink - Thriller 1994 - Stowe is a blind violin player who after corneal transplants can see again though with fitful results.

Blues for Lovers a.ka. Ballad in Blue-Biography UK 1966 - B/W. Charles plays himself, none too well, in his own story.  

Bright Victory - Drama 1951  - A soldier who has been blinded in WWII returns to city street.

Butterflies Are Free- Romance 1972 -  Another film in which someone who is disabled is romantically matched with someone who is able bodied but considered different. Here a blind boy finds romance with his next door neighbour who happens to be Goldie Hawn.

Cactus - Drama Australia 1986 - French woman on holiday in Australia loses eye in a car accident and possibility of losing the other. She falls in love with a blind man.

Can You Feel Me Dancing :TV Film- Biography 1986  -  From the true story of Cheryl McMannis and Joe Nasser. A teenage blind woman seeks independence from her family.

City for Conquest - Drama 1940  - It's downhill for Cagney as he swaps truck driving for boxing. First he's blinded by acid soaked gloves then disabled further seeking revenge.

City Lights - Drama 1931  - B/W., Silent The tramp falls in love with blind flower-girl who regains her sight.

Cutter's Way -Drama War 1981  - Interesting study of a Vietnam vet woven with an over complex murder mystery. Jeff Bridges is the easy living yacht salesman, John Heard is the one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged embittered vet driving his wife to despair.

Dark Angel The 1925 - War 1925  - A couple are about to marry when he is called away to fight. In the war he is blinded and taken prisoner. His financee thinks he is dead and plans to marry his best friend.

Day of the Triffids The -Horror UK 1963   - A shower of meteorites results in 99% of population becoming blind.

Dead Man's Eyes - Thriller 1944  - B/W. Chaney plays a blind man accused of murdering his girlfriend's father who had said he would donate his eyes (after death) to Chaney.

Deliverance (1919) - Biography 1919  -B/W., Silent Biography of Helen Keller in which she plays herself in the third part.

Enchanted Cottage The (1945) - War 1945 -  A couple rent a cottage for their honeymoon but then he is called away to war (WWI) before they can be married. He returns to the cottage with a scarred face and the loss of use in his right arm.

Eye on the Sparrow (TV Film) -True story 1987   - Faction drama about blind couple         trying to adopt a child.

Eyes in the Night - Thriller 1942  - B/W. Mystery story in which detective is blind.

Eyes of a Stranger - Drama 1981  -Involves deaf, speaking impaired and blind woman.

Fists in the Pocket - Drama Italy 1966  - Fatherless family live on outskirts of provincial town. All are epilectics though only two of brothers have fits. One has learning difficulties, the mother is blind.

Fome de Amor a.k.a. Hunger For Love - Drama Brazil 1968  - Wife swapping with a difference and on an isolated island. One of the wives is a Maoist revolutionary and her new partner is a former revolutionary. He is blind, deaf and speaking impaired yet she communicates with him and he inspires her to fight the good cause.

Good Luck - Road movie  - Two men, one of whom is blind, the other in a wheelchair travel from Seattle to Oregon to compete in a raft race.

Green Scarf The-Thriller UK 1955   - B/W. A blind man is accused of murder.

Hanging Tree The - Western 1959  - Maria Schell is blind and looked after by doctor Gary Cooper.

Hidden Eye The - Mystery 1945  - B/W. See 'Eyes in the Night' in which Arnold first appeared as blind detective.

Homere - Drama France / Italy / Swiss 1997  - Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man A blind poet suspects his wife of being unfaithfull and considers suicide.

How Awful About Allan (TV Film) - Drama 1970  - Blind man who has been in mental hospital seeks cure outside.

Ice Castles - Drama 1979  - An ice skater becomes blind after freak accident just as she has become successful.

If You Could See What I Hear- True story Canada 1982  -  Story of writer, composer, athlete, Tom Sullivan, who is blind.

Journey From Darkness - True story 1975  - Based on a true story of a blind student trying to enter medical school.

Journey Into Light - Religious 1951 - B/W. Lindfors plays blind woman who inspires Hayden, a clergyman, to regain his belief in God.

King Lear (1971) - Shakespeare UK 1971  - Both mental breakdown and blindness.

King Lear (1987) - Shakespeare UK 1987 - Both mental breakdown and blindness.

La Symphonie Pastorale- Spiritual France 1946  -  A Swiss Pastor discovers a neglected and uneducated blind girl and teaches her to live a fuller life.

Lady's Morals A - Drama 1930  - Musical Another pairing of a couple who are not individually 'one hundred per cent'. As though two people short of a leg could make a whole person. Here the singer, Jenny Lind, loses her voice. She is loved by a composer who becomes blind.

Life on a String -Historical drama Germany-UK-China 1991   - A blind boy disciple living in feudal China is told by his master that devotion to music will restore his sight.

Light That Failed The-Drama 1939   -  Artist going blind after being hit by spear in the Sudan is determined to finish portrait of a young woman.

Longstreet (TV Film) - Police drama 1970  -

Love At First Sight a.k.a. Love is Blind- Romance 1974  -  

Love Is Blind - Documentary 1995  -

Love Leads the Way (TV Film) - Biography 1984  -  

Love Story a.k.a. A Lady Surrenders-War romance Canada 1944   -  

Love! Valour! Compassion! - Drama 1997  -

Love's Dark Ride (TV Film) - Romance 1978  -

Man and the Woman, The - Drama 1908 -

Man Who Laughs, The (1928) - Costume drama 1928  -  

Marianela - Drama Spain 1972  -

Milestones - Drama 1975  -

Minnesota Clay- Western Spain-France-Italy 1965  -  

Miracle Woman The- Religion Drama 1931-  

Miracle Worker The - Drama 1962 -

Miracle Worker The (TV Movie) -Drama 1979   -

Movie, Movie -Drama 1978   -

Mr. Magoo - Comedy 1997  -

Mundo sin luz, Un- Documentary Spain 1970  -  

Musik i Mörker a.k.a. Night Is My Future- Drama Sweden 1947  -  

Night Gallery (TV Film) - Drama 1969 -

Night on Earth -Drama 1991   -

Night Song - Romance1947  -

Night Without Stars - Mystery UK 1951  -

No Road Back - Crime drama UK 1957  -

O Cego Que Gritava Luz - Drama Brazil 1997  -

On Dangerous Ground - Thriller 1951  -

Ordinary Heroes (TV Film) - War 1985  -  

Orphans of the Storm - Costume drama 1921  -

Patch of Blue A - Drama 1965  -

Pity the Blind -Vaudeville 1904   -

Proof -  Drama Australia 1992 -

Quest for Camelot- Animation Fantasy 1998  -  

Road to Mandela, The- Documentary Ireland  -  

Scent of a Woman (Italy) - Comedy Italy 1974   -

Scent of a Woman (USA) - Drama 1992  -

Schlock - Drama 1992  -

Sea Wolf , The (1920) - Comedy 1920-

Sea Wolf , The (1930) - Drama 1930  -

Sea Wolf , The (1993) (TV Film) - Drama 1993  -  

Sea Wolf, The (1926) -Drama 1926   -

Sea Wolf, The 1913 - Drama 1913  -

Sea Wolf, the (1941) - Drama  1941-

Seawolf, The (1974) - Drama 1974  -

Second Sight: A Love Story (TV Film) - Drama 1984  -

See No Evil Hear No Evil - Comedy 1989  -

Seven in Darkness (TV Film) - Adventure 1969  -  

Show, The - Circus 1927  -

Solntse Svetit Vsem-War USSR 1959   -  

Story of Esther Costello The- Drama UK 1957  -  

They (TV Film) - Drama 1993  -

Thunder Below - Drama 1932  -

To Race the Wind (TV Film) -Biography 1980  -  

Tommy - Musical UK 1975  -

Torch Song- Drama 1953 -  

Unconquered, The (Helen Keller in Her Story) - Documentary 1954  -  

Union Station -Thriller 1950   -

Unmasked Part 25 - Horror UK 1988  -

Wait Until Dark -  Horror 1967 -

Whales of August The- Drama 1987  -  

What Love Sees (TV Film) - True story 1996  -  

Why Me? (TV Film) - Drama 1984  -

Wide-Eyed and Legless (TV Film) a.k.a. The Wedding Gift- Drama 1994   -  

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken - Circus 1991  -

Wise Blood - Drama USA / Germany 1979  -

Wolf Larsen - Sea drama 1958  -

Zatoiche Jigokutabi a.k.a. Showdown for Zatoichi- Adventure Japan 1968  -

Deaf

Amy (TV Film) - Drama 1981  -

And Now Tomorrow- Drama 1944  -

And Your Name Is Jonah (TV Film) - Drama 1979  -  

Beethoven - Tage Aus Einem Leben (Days in a Life) - Biography East Germany 1976-

Beyond Silence a.k.a. Jenseits der Stille - Drama Germany 1996   -

Big Little Person - Drama 1919  -

Blue Rodeo (TV Film) - Drama 1996  -  

Bridge to Silence (TV Film) - Drama 1989  -  

Budbringeren a.k.a. Junk Mail - Comedy Norway 1997 -

Children of a Lesser God - Drama 1986 -

Choices - Sport 1981  -

City of Sadness a.k.a. Beiqing chengshi - Drama Taiwan 1989  -

Cop Land - Cop Drama 1997   -

Country of the Deaf a.k.a. Strana Gluchich- Drama 1998  -  

Crash of Silence a.ka. Mandy - Drama UK 1953   -

Crazy Moon a.k.a. Huggers - Drama Canada 1986  -

Dead Silence - Thriller 1997  -

Deliverance (1919) - Biography 1919  -  

Dove siete? Io sono qui (Where Are You? I'm Here) - Drama Italy 1993  -  

Dummy (TV film) - True story 1979  -

Eyes of a Stranger - Drama 1981  -

Flesh and Fury - Sport 1952  -

Fome de Amor a.k.a. Hunger For Love- Drama Brazil 1968  -  

For the First Time -Musical 1959   -

Four Weddings and a Funeral- Comedy Romance UK 1994  -  

Fuzz - Thriller 1972  -

Gigot - Drama 1962  -

Girl in a Million A - Drama UK 1946  -

Habla, Mudita a.k.a. Don Ramiro- Drama Spain 1973  -  

Happiness of Us Alone - Drama Japan 1962 -

Haus im Ginster Das - Drama Germany 1992  -

Hear No Evil - Horror 1993  -

Heart is a Lonely Hunter The - Drama 1968  -

In the Company of Men - Drama Canada / USA 1997  -

In the Land of the Deaf - Documentary France 1993  -

Johnny Belinda - Drama 1948  -

Johnny Belinda (TV Film) - Drama 1982  -  

Junk Mail a.k.a. Budbringeren - Crime drama Norway 1997  -

Key, The - Drama 1996  -

Little Noises- Drama 1991  -  

Looking for Mr. Goodbar-  Drama 1977 -  

Love Is Never Silent (TV Film) - Drama 1985  -  

Man Who Played God The a.k.a. The Silent Voice- Drama 1932  -  

Miracle Worker The - Drama 1962  -

Miracle Worker The (TV Movie) -  Drama 1979 -  

Mr. Holland's Opus - Drama 1995 -

Musuko a.k.a. My Sons-  Romance Japan 1991 -  

Namonaku Mazushiku Utsukushiku-  Drama Japan 1961 -  

Nihon No Seishun a.k.a. Hymn to a Tired Man- Drama Japan 1969  -  

No Road Back -Crime drama UK 1957   -

Piano The - Drama Auz/NZ 1993  -

Piccoli orrori a.k.a. Little Horrors- Drama Italy 1994  -  

Picket Fences (TV series) - TV series 1992   -

Proud Rebel, The - Western 1958-

Psych-Out - Drama 1968  -

Reasonable Doubts (TV Series) - TV series 1991 -  

Reckless - Road movie 1995  -

Run Wild Run Free - Drama UK 1969   -

Santa Sangre - Thriller Italy-Mexico 1989  -

See No Evil Hear No Evil- Comedy 1989  -  

See What I Say - Documentary 1981   -

Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story ( TV Film) - True story 1979  -  

Silent Voice, The - Drama 1915   -

Sixth Happiness, The- Historical drama UK 1997  -  

Story of Alexander Graham Bell The- Biography 1939-  

Story of Esther Costello The - Drama UK 1957  -

Strawman a.k.a. Daocaoren - War Taiwan 1987 -

Summer to Remember, A (TV Film) - Drama 1985  -  

Sunny's Ears - Drama UK 1997 -

Suspect - Court drama 1987  -

Tin Man - Drama  1983-

Tommy - Musical UK 1975  -

Trap, The - Adventure UK/Canada 1966  -

Trapped in Silence (TV Film) - Drama  1986-  

Turn Around - Documentary 1987  -

Unconquered, The (Helen Keller in Her Story) - Documentary 1954  -  

Voices - Drama 1979  -

Voices in a Deaf Theater- Documentary 1996  -  

Walker - Adventure 1988 -

What the Deaf Man Heard (TV Film) - Drama 1997-  

Wildflower (TV film) - Drama 1991-

Wrong Move- Road movie? Germany 1975  -

Disfigurement

Birdy - Drama War 1984  -

City of Lost Children, The- Fantasy France 1995 -  

Cyrano de Bergerac - Costume drama French 1990  -

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) - Horror Allegory 1920  -  

Drums of Love - Costume drama 1928  -

Enchanted Cottage The (1924) - War 1924-  

Enchanted Cottage The (1945) - War 1945   -

Esmeralda, La - Historical France 1905  -

Face of Fire - Drama UK / USA 1959  -

Freaks a.k.a. Nature's Mistakes- Circus 1932  -  

Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - Costume drama 1923  -

Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) - Costume drama 1939  -

Hunchback of Notre Dame (1957) - Costume drama 1957  -

Hunchback of Notre Dame The (1982) (TV Film) - Costume drama 1982  -  

Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (1985) - Animation 1985 -

Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (1977) (TV Film) - Costume drama UK 1977  -  

Hunchback, The (TV Film) - Drama 1997  -

Il Gobbo a.k.a. The Hunchback of Rome- War France / Italy 1960  -  

In a Shallow Grave - War 1988  -

Johnny Got His Gun - War 1971 -

Johnny Handsome - Crime drama 1989  -

Les Creatures - Drama France / Sweden 1969  -

Man Who Laughs, The (1928) - Costume drama 1928-  

Man Without a Face The - Drama 1993  -

Marianela - Drama Spain 1972 -

Mary Reilly - Horror 1996 -

Mask - Drama 1985  -

Przypadek Pekosinsikiego a.k.a. Case Pekosinski - Drama Poland 1993  -

Rigoletto - Drama 1995  -

Roxanne - Comedy 1987   -

Sea Urchin, the 1913 - Drama1913  -

Seconds - Drama 1966-

Simple-Minded Murder, The- Drama Sweden 1982   -  

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon- Drama 1970  -  

Tomorrow Is Forever - War 1946  -

Why Me? (TV Film) - Drama 1984  -

Woman's Face A - Thriller 1941   -

Woman's Face, A a.k.a. En Kvinnas Ansikte- Thriller Sweden 1938   -

Learning Difficulties

All the Little Animals - Drama UK 1998  -

American Gothic - Horror 1988  -

Andy - Drama 1965  -

Antonia's Line -Drama Bel-NL-UK 1995   -

Because He's My Friend (TV film) - Drama Australia 1978  -

Being There - Comedy Satire 1979  -

Bill :TV Film -  True drama 1981 -

Bill : On His Own- True drama 1983  -  

Bonds of Love (TV Film) - Drama 1992 -

Bustin' Loose - Drama 1981  -

Charly - Sci-Fi 1968  -

Child is Waiting A - Drama 1963  -

Clickety-Clack a.k.a. Dodes'ka-den- Drama Japan 1970  -  

Crazy Moon a.k.a. Huggers -Drama Canada 1986   -

Dangerous Woman A - Drama 1993  -

Day in the Death of Joe Egg A -Drama UK 1971   -

Digging To China - Drama 1998  -

Dominick and Eugene a.k.a. Nicky and Gino- Drama 1988  -  

End of the Golden Weather, The - Drama New Zealand 1992  -

Extraño viaje, El - Drama Spain  1967-

Fists in the Pocket - Drama Italy 1966  -

Follow Your Heart a.k.a. Walk Me to the Distance- Road movie 1990 -  

Forrest Gump - Drama 1988  -

Full Moon in Blue Water- Drama 1998  -  

Gideon's Webb - Drama 1998-

Grötbögen (TV Film) - Sweden 1997  -  

Hard Travelling - Crime drama 1985  -

Heart is a Lonely Hunter The-Drama 1968-  

Henry and Verlin - Historical Canada 1994 -

Hewitt's Just Different (TV Film) -Sport 1977-  

High Country The a.k.a. First Hello - Drama Canada 1981  -

Home of Their Own, A - Documentary Canada 1958  -

Idiots, The -Agit-prop ? Denmark 1998   -

Left Luggage - Drama Belgium / Holland / USA 1998  -

Let Him Have It - Crime drama UK  1991-

Light in the Piazza -  Drama UK 1962 -

Like Normal People -  Romance 1979 -

Lucky Day (TV Film) - Drama 1991-

Mary and Tim - Romance 1996  -

Mighty, The - Drama 1997  -

No Other Love (TV Film) - Drama 1979 -  

Nobody's Perfect - Documentary  -

Nunzio - Drama 1978-

October Moth- Drama UK 1959  -  

Of Mice and Men (1939) -Drama 1939   -  

Of Mice and Men (1981) (TV Movie) - Drama 1981 -  

Of Mice and Men (1992) - Drama 1992  -

On Dangerous Ground - Thriller 1951  -

One Special Victory (TV Film) - Sport 1991-

Paradise Lost - Documentary 1996-

Phenomenon - Fantasy 1996  -

Simple-Minded Murder, The- Drama Sweden 1982  -  

Sling Blade a.k.a. Reckoning -  Drama 1996 -

Special Olympics (TV Film ) - Drama 1978  -

Special People: Based on a True Story (TV Film) -  True story Canada / USA 1984 -  

Square Dance a.k.a. Home is Where the Heart Is - Drama 1987  -

Sterilization of Leilani Muir, The - Documentary Canada 1996  -

Struck by Lightning - Drama Australia/Poland 1990 -

Teacher, Teacher (TV Film) - Drama 1969  -  

Tim - Drama Australia 1979  -

Two of a Kind (TV Film) -  Drama 1982 -  

Walter (TV Film) - Drama UK 1986  -

What's Eating Gilbert Grape- Drama 1993  -  

Woman Who Willed a Miracle The (TV Film) - Drama 1983  -  

Yarn Princess, The (TV Film) -  Drama 1994-

Motivational Speaking

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