Thanks for the tip from Simi. These films are part of the Museum of Modern Art's winter film screenings. Those that have disability content are: "First Steps," "Benjy," "Thursday's Children," "Toward Independence" and an early Tod Browning film, "The Unknown."Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 1:30 p.m.
"The Unknown." 1927. USA. Directed by Tod Browning. With Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry. A wanted man binds his arms and takes on the identity of an armless, knife-throwing carnival freak. After killing the father of the woman he admires in order to protect his secret, and then having his own arms amputated to prove his love for her, he discovers that she is engaged to the carnival's strongman. Silent, French intertitles with simultaneous English translation. Approx. 55 min.
"The Unknown." 1927. USA. Directed by Tod Browning. With Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry. A wanted man binds his arms and takes on the identity of an armless, knife-throwing carnival freak. After killing the father of the woman he admires in order to protect his secret, and then having his own arms amputated to prove his love for her, he discovers that she is engaged to the carnival's strongman. Silent, French intertitles with simultaneous English translation. Approx. 55 min.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
"First Steps." 1947. Canada. Directed by Leo Seltzer. Screenplay by Albert Mozell. Narrated by Albert Wasserman. In this film released by the United Nations Division of Films and Visual Information, caring professionals train handicapped children to become self-sufficient and productive. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from their nitrate print. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 10 min.
"First Steps." 1947. Canada. Directed by Leo Seltzer. Screenplay by Albert Mozell. Narrated by Albert Wasserman. In this film released by the United Nations Division of Films and Visual Information, caring professionals train handicapped children to become self-sufficient and productive. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from their nitrate print. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 10 min.
"Benjy." 1951. USA. Produced by Fred Zinnemann, with the cooperation of Paramount Pictures Corporation for the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. Screenplay by Stewart Stern. Narrated by Peter Fonda. With Neville Brand, Lee Aaker, Adam Williams, Marilee Phelps. Benjy is a disabled boy whose mother does not want to accept his handicap and whose father denies him completely. A young physician tries to convince them to pursue a new course of therapy for the boy. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 31 min.
"Thursday's Children." 1954. Great Britain. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, Guy Brenton. Narrated by Richard Burton. A look at children's speech training at England's Royal School for the Deaf, from the understanding and recognition of words to their use as a means of communication. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 20 min.
Thursday, February 5, 2009, 6:00 p.m.
"Toward Independence." 1948. USA. Directed by George L. George. This dramatized documentary, released by the U.S. Army, shows how modern medical developments help paralyzed veterans become independent, well-adjusted citizens. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from their nitrate print. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 30 min.
"Toward Independence." 1948. USA. Directed by George L. George. This dramatized documentary, released by the U.S. Army, shows how modern medical developments help paralyzed veterans become independent, well-adjusted citizens. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from their nitrate print. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. 30 min.
