Review of "Cinemability" in Los Angeles Times
From
The LA Times:
When "The Celluloid Closet" debuted in 1996, it became an instant
landmark in the fight for gay equality. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey
Friedman's documentary presented a mostly dispiriting history of
homosexuals on the big screen and concluded that, given the power of
cinema in shaping psyches and societies, fairer representations of the
gay community were urgently needed.
In "CinemAbility,"
filmmaker Jenni Gold adopts a similar message and tack on behalf of the
physically disabled. Narrated by actress Jane Seymour and packed with
A-list interviewees, this exhaustive and eye-opening documentary
explores images of the physically disabled on TV and in the movies.
Because cinema's earliest
stories about disability now strike us as patently offensive — popular
tropes included supposedly handicapped beggars who faked their
infirmities and blind girls who miraculously regained their eyesight as a
reward for virginal behavior — the film's overall narrative is one of
rocky but steady progress.
The film's most interesting segment arrives halfway through, when the
talking heads weigh in on the appropriateness of able-bodied actors
playing disabled roles. Producer Janis Hirsch compares it to blackface,
while director Garry Marshall insists that "it's really about talent and
magic" — not accurate representation. The discussion ends without
resolution, a sign that the disabled community is quite diverse — and
they have a lot of opinions about how they're being portrayed by
Hollywood.
"CinemAbility." MPAA rating: PG-13 for some thematic elements and
language. Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. At Laemmle Town Center 5,
Encino.
