Children of a Lesser God (1986)

A different way of telling a story

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

"Children of lesser god" is an unique movie. It was the first film directed by a woman (Randa Haines) to be Oscar nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Marlee Matlin is the youngest ever winner of a Best Actress Oscar. Matlin is also one of only four actresses to win the Best Actress Oscar for a debut film performance. The movie is one if the few movies about people with hearing problems and deafness. The film was the first major motion picture since the 1926 silent film You'd Be Surprised to cast a deaf / hearing impaired actor in a major role. Marlee Matlin has only one spoken line in English during the entire film. The rest of her performance is in American Sign Language.The movie is based on critically acclaimed Broadway stage play that was very popular. The playwright Mark Medoff also wrote the screenplay for this movie. The film and source play's "Children of a Lesser God" title is derived from the twelfth chapter of Alfred Lord Tennysons "Idylls of the King" cycle of twelve narrative poems.The screenplay is both simple and complex. Hollywood is full of love stories where there isn't really no humor and the drama feels forced. Here it all feels real. It feels like real life. The characters are well written and the conflicts the face are completely natural and believable. It's interesting that the movie starts like one of those movies about inspiring teacher , but slowly turns into wonderful melodrama. There are many scenes involving Hurt's work with the deaf children and they are good , but it's the love story that counts the most. The screenplay rightfully deserved the Oscar nominee.The chemistry between Hurt and Matlin is brilliant. It's not strange , because they really felt in love with each other while making "COLG". They even lived together for few months after movie was finished and it's a sad thing that it didn't last. When you watch the movie you can see perhaps the most authentic romance I've ever seen in cinema.Marlee Matlin is spectacular in here. You could say it's a kind of cheat for deaf person to play def person. It doesn't change the fact that she is wonderful . I've never thought that a sound of hand clapping other hand might be chilling (watch the movie – you will know what scene I'm talking about). Matlin is able to say so much with her hands or face . The only time she speaks it's truly heartbreaking.William Hurt is in the shadow of Matlin , since he got the less interesting role. Still , he is great. He always was a master of subtlety and this movie is no exception. His character also changes and suffers during the movie. His also one of the best inspirational teachers in history of cinema.Piper Laurie has not too much screen time , but beautifully makes a complex character of Sarah's mother. In hands of less skilled actress it would be a cliché character and trivial performance . Laurie gives the audience a character who isn't black or white and quite possible the one they could relate to the most.The movie is very well directed by Randa Haines , which is surprising since it's her movie debut. Yet she never allows the movie to be too sentimental or manipulative with the viewer's emotions. The mix of humor and drama is perfect. The movie is also quite well photographed, the beauty of New Brunswick coast makes you wanna go there.Some people are complaining that the movie is too noisy for a film about deafness , that there aren't any scenes that use silence. I don't really see a need for that. The use of sign language feels natural here. The subtitles would be distracting in my opinion. The movie does justice to deaf people portraying them as real people with ambitions , passions and desires , not like poor cripples.This is a beautiful movie about acceptance , finding yourself and emotional growth. This is what love should be. Find out if the world of sound and world of silence can meet. I give it 9/10.

When I read the title in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I assumed it was going to be some sort of foreign film, I had no idea it was going to involve what I actually watched, but thank goodness I chose to watch it. Basically James Leeds (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated William Hurt) is the new speech teacher at a New England school for the deaf, and he has an energetic approach during his lessons, and has somewhat unusual skills to teach his new students to communicate, especially verbally despite lack of hearing. Soon enough he sees the woman who seems out of reach to anyone, school cleaner Sarah Norman (Oscar and Golden Globe winning Marlee Matlin) who is completely deaf, she does not like to communicate or spend time with anyone, and he is no exception as she shuns him, refusing to read his lips or signs. Eventually though she does pay some attention to James, communicates with sign language, and even accepts an invitation to dinner, and that is when the romantic feelings develop between the two of them, until they soon move in together. As they spend more time together however it is obvious that their communication is very limited because Sarah is stubborn not to try and learn better skills. James does try to get used to the fact that Sarah will not speak, and he succeeds in a stage performance with his deaf class students who dance and mime in time with some music, but he finds his home life very hard. They have a big argument and their relationship goes to breaking point when he demands she try to speak, so she leaves him to spend time with the only person she can, her mother Mrs. Norman (Oscar nominated Piper Laurie). In this time Sarah and her mother reconcile their own relationship, and thankfully in the end James resolves the love he has for her when they happen to meet each other again, and he agrees that they should maintain their love in whatever communication suits her. Also starring Philip Bosco as Dr. Curtis Franklin, Allison Gompf as Lydia, John F. Cleary as Johnny, Philip Holmes as Glen, Georgia Ann Cline as Cheryl, William D. Byrd as Danny, Frank Carter Jr. as Tony, John Limnidis as William and Bob Hiltermann as Orin. Hurt gives a great performance as the likable teacher with interesting methods to teach and a good heart despite his pressures, but Matlin obviously steals the show because she is completely natural, being deaf in real life she makes her character very sympathetic and emotional, her powerful performance beat Sigourney Weaver in Aliens to the Oscar, and she is a deserved winner. The story works both as a love story with a great poignancy and many emotional moments, and as a wonderful articulation of how any condition cannot stop people finding love, there are funny moments, happy moments, and many sad moments, all sorts of moments to get all emotions going, and all adds up to a must see romantic drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Very good!

Directed by Randa Haines,Children Of A Lesser God is based on the stage play by Mark Medoff.Medoff along with Hesper Anderson wrote the screenplay resulting in one of the most beautiful films of the 1980's.It deals frankly with the complexities and frustrations associated with deafness and looks at how some deaf people are happy as they are and don't want to use their voices to speak.Sign language teacher James Leeds(William Hurt)travels to a fishing town in America,to take up a teaching position at their school for deaf youngsters.He encounters opposition with some students,because he encourages them to use their voices as well as just signing.He meets the school cleaner,Sarah Norman(Marlee Matlin who is hearing impaired herself)who used to be one of the schools brightest and most promising students.Trying to figure out why she didn't go on to better things,James realises he is falling in love with her.At first resistant and hostile towards him,Sarah soon shares his feelings.So begins an emotional journey,as they try to find a way to live together unhindered by both speech and deafness.Highlights include James teaching his students to speak and sing(they eventually put on a musical show),James and Sarah dancing in a restaurant and the famous swimming pool scene,which allows James to get a feel of what the world is like for Sarah on a daily basis.Marlee won(and completely deserved it)the best actress Oscar for her breathtaking performance as Sarah.At times Hurts translation of her ferocious signing is not needed,because we clearly understand her meaning as it's conveyed with so much emotion in her face.Hurt who I find to be a very subtle actor,is simply brilliant.His love and desperation conveyed perfectly without ever going over the top.There's also fine support from Philip Bosco as Sarah's former teacher and Piper Laurie as Sarah's mother.An uplifting and beautiful love story with a highly spirited main character who is unforgettable.Powerful performances and a haunting score by Michael Convertino all add to the power of the film.This is an experience that can't be easily explained,it's a film you have to see for yourself and become wrapped up in,you won't be disappointed.

Children of a Lesser God is a sensitive love story about James, a speech teacher who moves to a new deaf school and falls for introverted Sarah, a former student who decided to stay in the school because she can't relate with people.This movie is basically a story about overcoming the difficulties of communication between two people, but it's never that simple since Sarah has one of the strongest and most defensive personalities ever seen in a movie.As a deaf person, Sarah decided to rely on sex to gain men's affections and so can't commit to a meaningful relationship. She also fears James will treat her like everyone else always has. It's up to him to prove her wrong.William Hurt and Marlee Matlin are both perfect in this movie. The '80s were a great decade for Hurt, and he was already riding on the success of his previous Oscar victory. One could only expect a great performance from him. It's Matlin who's the revelation here, conveying her personality through body language and sign language. She proved that acting has nothing to do with words and deserve the Oscar for this performance.This movie is slow, sometimes dull, but for those with patience, it'll be quite rewarding on an emotional level.