Physical Disabilities and Dysfunctions in the Movies

Aaltra: A Road Movie (2004)

Directed by Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine. Cast: Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern, Jan Bucquoy, Pierre Carl, Michel de Houx, Isabelle Delepine, Jason Flemying, Noel Godin, Christine Grulois, Aki Kauresmaki, Bouli Lanners, Vincent Patar, Benoit Poelvoorde, Chrisophe Salengro, Vincent Tavier. In this hilarious comedy two rural neighbors who hate each other, end up paralyzed after they get tangled in a tractor during a fight. Full of spite they decide to roll across Europe to exact revenge from the tractor's manufacturer. 90 min. DVD 6304

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Assisted Living (2002)

Directed by Elliot Greenebaum. Cast: Michael Bonsignore, Maggie Wise Riley, Gail Benedict, Nanci Jo Boone, Clint Vaught, Jose Albovias, Elsie Albright, Malorie Boone. Todd is a pot-smoking janitor at a nursing home who takes pleasure in toying with the senile residents. But when one of the residents mistakes him for her son, he finds himself becoming emotionally attached to his work for the first time. Shot in an actual nursing home, using real residents as many of the actors with mixed footage from a documentary that was made at the facility, lends the film a realistic fly-on-the-wall quality. 75 min. DVD 5127

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""Movie tells us 'assisted living' really means 'don't get old'." " Modern Healthcare 34.48 (Nov 29, 2004): 40. UC users only

Be With Me (Singapore, 2005)

Directed by Eric Khoo. Cast: Theresa Chan, Ezanne Lee, Samantha Tan, Seet Keng Yew, Chiew Sung Ching, Lawrence Yong, Lynn Poh. A tapestry of stories woven around the themes of love, hope and destiny. The characters lead separate lives but are bound by one common desire - to be with their loved one. The protagonists in the movie are fictitious bar one - Theresa Chan, a courageous deaf and blind woman whose life story inspired the film. 93 min. DVD 6135

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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Directed by William Wyler. Cast: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Hoagy Carmichael, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell. Three returning WWII veterans face problems as they attempt to pick up the threads of their previous lives. One of the central characters in the film is played by Harold Russell, a vet who had lost both arms in the war. 170 min. DVD 2865; vhs 999:114

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Better or Worse? (UK, 2000)

Directed by Jocelyn Cammack. Cast: Finn Atkins, John Langford, Ann Farrar, Luke Gell, Keiran Francis. Eight-year-old Rachel embarks upon a series of experiments attempting to make sense of her defective eyesight. The film contrasts ideas of perspective, both real and imagined, through the recurring motif of a diving board -- limiting and precarious. 9 min. DVD 6326

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A Bit of Luck (Tipat mazal) (Israel, 1992)

Directed by Ze'ev Revach. Cast: Ya'ackov Ben-Sira, Zehava Ben, Jacques Cohen, Chen Gueta, Yossi Keinan. Tells the story of a blind father and his singer daughter immigrating together to Israel. 90 min. DVD 4526

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Blind Man's Bluff (A Caixa)(Portugal / France, 1994)

Directed by Manoel de Oliveira. Cast: Luis Miguel Cintra, Glicinia Quartin, Ruy de Carvalho, Beatriz Batarda, Diogo Dria. Everyday an old blind man sits in a doorway begging for money, while his daughter spends her days ironing and complaining. Their neighborhood is not wealthy, and many a passerby is envious of the old beggar's box of accumulating coins. It has been stolen before so the man and the daughter's boyfriend keep an eye on it, but eventually tragedy ensues when the box disappears again. 92 min. DVD 5276

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Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Tom Cruise. Follows the young Ron Kovic from his days as a zealous teen who eagerly joins up for the Vietnam War, to his return from the war as an embittered veteran, paralyzed from mid-chest down. Chronicles his disillusionment with the country's continued involvement in Vietnam, his physical struggle and his emergence as a brave new voice for thousands of disenchanted vets. 145 min. DVD 769; vhs 999:740

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Breaking the Waves (Denmark / Sweden / France / Netherlands / Norway / Iceland, 1996)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Featuring Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier. Bess, a pious young Scottish woman, prays to God to send her husband, Jan, home from his job on an offshore oil rig. When an accident sends him home paralyzed, she's filled with guilt and submits to his wish that she take on other lovers, convinced that this will aid in his recovery. 152 min. 999:2696

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Cairo Station (Bab al-Hadid) (Egypt, 1958)

Directed by Youssef Chahine. A smoldering tale of life among the poor who live in Cairo's railroad station. A crippled newspaper vendor falls in love with a beautiful lemonade seller who does not return his affections. Unable to accept her indifference, he kidnaps the woman, leading to violence and tragedy. 999:2834

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Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Directed by Randa Haines. Cast: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco. A love story about John Leeds, an idealistic special education teacher, and a headstrong deaf girl named Sarah. At first, Leeds sees Sarah as a teaching challenge. But soon their relationship blossoms into a love so passionate it shatters the barrier of silence that keeps them apart. 118 min. DVD 427

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Chinesisches Roulette (Chinese Roulette) (Germany, 1976)

Director, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Cast: Anna Karina, Ulli Lommel, Macha Meril, Margit Carstensen, Brigitte Mira, Alexander Allerson, Volker Spengler, Andrea Schober. A German businessman pretending to go on a business trip heads for his country estate with his French mistress where he runs into his wife and her own lover. When their teenage daughter, a young teen who walks with crutches, arrives she angrily confronts them with their hypocrisy and compels everyone to rigorous truth-telling, revealing the latent hatreds within the family, culminating in a shocking climax. 96 min. DVD 1653; vhs 999:2912

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Christmas Carol

Featuring the saintly, crippled Tiny Tim. (See MRC's Literary Adaptations videography for various versions held by the Center)

Norden, Martin F. "Tiny Tim on Screen: A Disability Studies Perspective." In: Dickens on screen / edited by John Glavin. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2003.(Main Stack PR4575.D53 2003; PFA PR4575.D53 2003)

City Lights (1931)

Written, directed, and scored by Charles Chaplin. Cast: Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers. Considered by many to be his masterpiece, City lights presents the perfect balance of comedy and pathos that is Charlie Chaplin's trademark. The Little Tramp befriends a blind flower girl and tries to restore her sight. Includes Chaplin's own score, featuring recorded digitally; Interview with composer-conductor Carl Davis; story notes and production data. 86 min. DVD 217; VHS 999:121

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The Color of Paradise (Rang-e khoda) (Iran, 1999)

Director, Majid Majidi. Mohammad joyfully returns to his tiny village on summer vacation from the Institute for the Blind in Tehran, unaware of his father's intentions to disown him. Engaged to be married, the widowed man has keptMohammad a secret from his fiancee, certain the boy'sdisability will destroy his only chance for happiness. With the wedding swiftly approaching Mohammad's future hangs precariously in the balance as his fatherstruggles against his destiny, unable to see the wonder of life and love that's so clear to his son. 90 min. DVD 2060

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Coma (1978)

Directed by Michael Crichton. Cast: Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Rip Torn, Richard Widmark. Young doctor at Boston hospital finds that patients suffer irreparable brain damage when supposed minor operations are performed. Determined to find the cause of these mysterious events, she turns to her boyfriend and a senior physician for help. But as her investigation unfolds, Susan uncovers a horrific conspiracy and suddenly finds herself marked for death. 114 min. 999:2183

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Coming Home (1978)

Directed by Hal Ashby. Cast: Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern. A sad, poignant love story set against the social upheaval of the Vietnam war. Set in 1968, the story concerns a woman who, while her husband is serving in Vietnam, falls in love with a paraplegic while performing volunteer work at a San Diego veterans hospital. And when, wounded and disillusioned, her husband returns home, they must each grapple with the full impact of a brutal, distant war that has changed their lives forever. 130 min. DVD 8553; vhs 999:1833

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Cousin(Australia, 1998)

Directed by Adam Elliot. An award winning animated film about the childhood remembrances of a little boy born with cerebral palsy. 4 min. DVD 7473

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Cutter's Way (1981)

Directed by Ivan Passer. Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, Stephen Elliott. Suspectd of murdering a teenage girl, Richard Bone, a laidback Santa Barbara boat salesman and gigolo, turns to his best friend, Alex Cutter, a disabled Vietnam veteran, for help in finding the real killer. But Bone gets more than he bargained for when Cutter instead of contacting the police, tries to blackmail their suspect who violently turns the tables on them. 109 min. DVD 1452

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Gery, John. "Cutter's Way and the American Way: Heroic Alienations." Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 58-64, 1988.

Norden, Martin F. "Portrait of a Disabled Vietnam Veteran: Alex Cutter of Cutter's Way." In: From Hanoi to Hollywood : the Vietnam War in American film / edited by Linda Dittmar and Gene Michaud. New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, c1990. (Main Stack DS557.73.F76 1990; Moffitt DS557.73.F76 1990)

Dancer in the Dark (Denmark / Germany / Netherlands / USA / UK / France / Sweden / Finland / Iceland / Norway, 2000)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Jean-Marc Barr, Joel Grey. Selma, a factory worker in rural America and single mother, is losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. Determined to protect her 10-year-old son from the same fate, Selma is saving her money to get him an operation. In the evenings, Selma escapes by rehearsing for a production of The sound of music with her best friend. When a neighbor betrays her trust, Selma's life spirals out of control and the lines between reality and fantasy blur until she begins to believe that her life has actually become a Hollywood musical. 141 min. DVD 1087

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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Cast: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Tracy Reed. Feaures wheelchair-bound Strangelove (Peter Sellers), the quintessential evil-genius (preportedly based on Henry Kissinger). Strangelove possesses a bionic arm with a vicious life of it's own. 93 min. DVD 61; vhs 999:43

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Dolls (Japan, 2002)

director, Takeshi Kitano.Cast: Kanno Miho, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyoko Fukada. Three stories of undying love, including tale of a disfigured pop star confronts the phenomenal devotion of her biggest fan. DVD 5994

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Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Directed by Tim Burton. Cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, Alan Arkin, Robert Oliveri, Conchata Ferrell, Caroline Aaron, Dick Anthony Williams, O-Lan Jones. As the result of an inventor's sudden death, his creation Edward (Johnny Depp) is left with long, sharp scissors instead of hands. Edward is brought from his lonely castle to a stylized, pastel suburb by a kindly Avon lady, who tries to make a home for him with her family and neighbors, with alarming, darkly comic results. 105 min. 999:2023

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The Elephant Man (UK / USA, 1980)

Directed by David Lynch. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller. Based on a true story in 19th century England, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick, afflicted with neurofibromastosis and known as the "Elephant Man." He is discovered and rescued by a dedicated surgeon from his life as a circus freak, and is given a chance to live his last years with comfort, respect, and dignity. 123 min. DVD 1060

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Even Dwarfs Started Small (Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen)(West Germany, 1969)

Directed by Werner Herzog. Cast: Helmut Doring, Gerd Gickel, Paul Glauer, Erna Gschwendtner, Gisela Hertwig, Gerhard Marz, Hertel Minkner, Alfredo PPiccini, Gertraud Piccini, Brigitte Saar, Marianne Saar, Erna Smolarz, Lajos Zsarnoczay. The inmates have taken over an institution in a bleak and savage world in which everyone's a dwarf in this brutal allegorical film about the consequences of imprisonment and rebellion. In this land of reversed proportions, as one of the institution's directors holds a rebel hostage while issuing orders for calm, the other inmates run amok, smashing equipment, setting fires, fighting for power and tormenting two blind prisoners. DVD 977

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Church, David. "Examining the Role of Disability in Herzog's Even Dwarves Started Small." Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. [no pagination], Fall 2005

The Eye (Jian Gui) (Hong Kong / UK / Singapore, 2002)

Directed by Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang. Cast: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon, Yut Lai So. In this Chinese horror film, a blind girl gets a cornea transplant after 18 years of blindness but the face she sees in the mirror is not her own and she begins to realize she is seeing ghosts. So she sets out of find the origins of her cornea and the history of the previous dead owner. 95 min. DVD 1777

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Eyes Without A Face (Les Yeux sans visage) (Frace, 1959)

Directed by Georges Franju. Cast: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Edith Scob. A distinguished surgeon kidnaps young women intending to graft their features onto his daughter's disfigured face. Based on the novel: Les yeux sans visage / by Jean Redon. 88 min. DVD 3065; vhs 999:477

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Face of Another (Tanin no kao) (Japan, 1966)

Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara. Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyo, Mikijiro Hira, Kyoko Kishida, Miki Irie, Eiji Okada, Minoru Chiaki, Hideo Kanze, Kunie Tanaka, Bibari Maeda, Etsuko Ichihara, Yoshie Minami. Okuyama, after being burned and disfigured in an industrial accident and estranged from his family and friends, agrees to his psychiatrist's radical experiment: a face transplant, created from the mold of a stranger. As Okuyama is thus further alienated from the world around him, he finds himself giving in to his darker temptations. 124 min. DVD 9081

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Fists in the Pocket (I Pugni in Tasca) (Italy, 1965)

Directed by Marco Bellocchio. Cast: Lou Castel, Paola Pitagora, Marino Mase, Liliana Gerace, Pier Luigi Troglio. Story about a blind widow and her four children. Three are afflicted with epilepsy, and the fourth, Augusto, has to support the family. Alessandro (Sandro) wants to free his brother from this burden and sees killing the rest of the family as the only way. 108 min. DVD 5494

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Freaks (1932)

Directed by Tod Browning. The side-show freaks have created their own unified community within the carnival. When the beautiful trapeze artist marries one of the freaks for his money, and then plots to kill him, the enraged freaks defend their friend and take gruesome revenge on their betrayers, transforming the aerialist into the most hideous side-show attraction of all. 66 min. DVD 2830; vhs 999:80

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The Fugitive(Twilight Zone, TV series, 1962 )

J. Pat O'Malley, Susan Gordon, Nancy Kulp. "One of Charles Beaumont's most charming Twilight Zone scripts, this episode stars the ubiqitious J. Pat O'Malley as Old Ben, the only ray of sunshine in the life of crippled eight-year-old Jenny (Susan Gordon). Out of earshot of Jenny's harridan guardian Mrs. Gann (Nancy Kulp), Old Ben confesses that he is a fugitive from a distant planet, an assertion that seems to be verified when he miraculously heals Jenny's leg. The arrival of two mysterious strangers leads to an even more startling revelation -- albeit one with happy results. Keep an eye on that photograph in the final scene. "The Fugitive" first aired March 9, 1962." [Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide] DVD 2604

The Gift

Filmmaking debut of actress and playwright Tanya Boyd, known for her role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. The film is based on a true story about a blind sculptor who is offered surgery that might restore his vision. (Short film in the anthology Afrocentricity) DVD 267

Glass Menagerie (1987)

Directed by Paul Newman. Cast: Joanne Woodward, John Malkovich, Karen Allen, James Naughton. A strong willed woman attempts to impose her shattered dreams into the life and personality of her shy, disabled daughter. Based on the play by Tennessee Williams. 134 min. Video/C 1332

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The Hands of Orlac (Olac's hände) (Germany / Austria, 1925)

Directed by Robert Wiene. Cast: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Kortner, Carmen Cartellieri. A noted concert pianist's hands are severed in a train wreck. A surgeon grafts the hands of an executed strangler onto Orlac's wrists and he begins to believe he is possessed with the mind of the strangler. 98 min. 999:3706

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Olney, Ian. "The Problem Body Politic, or 'These Hands Have a Mind All Their Own!': Figuring Disability in the Horror Film Adaptations of Renard's Les Mains d'Orlac." Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 294-302, 2006

The Hero (O herói)(Angola, 2004)

Directed by Zézé Gamboa. Vitorio has just been discharged after almost 20 years of fighting in the war. During his last military assignment he stepped on a land mine and lost a leg. After recuperating, he finds himself alone, unemployed and homeless. He, along with the people that he encounters, attempt to build new lives at the same time as their country reconstructs in the postwar era. 97 min. DVD 5305

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Home of the Brave (1949)

Directed by Mark Robson. Cast: Lloyd Bridges, James Edwards, Frank Lovejoy, Douglas Dick, Steve Brodie, Jeff Corey. For black GI, Peter Moss, the war never ends. Paralyzed from the waist down, he wages a battle against horrifying memories of the treacherous undergrowth of South Pacific jungles, of Japanese snipers, and the virulent racism of his soldier comrades. 86 min. 999:3670

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Home of the Brave (USA / Morocco, 2006)

Directed by Irwin Winkler. Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Brian Presley, Curtis Jackson, Chad Michael Murray. Shortly after receiving the news that they will soon be reunited with their families back in the United States, a unit serving in Iraq is deployed on one last humanitarian mission. Their objective is to deliver medical supplies to a remote Iraqi village. Upon arriving in the village, the unit is viciously ambushed and many lives are lost. Now, as the four surviving members of the battalion return home and attempt to readjust to civilian life, the physical injuries and psychological scars sustained during that tragic event continue to take a heavy emotional toll on the war-torn soldiers. 106 min. DVD 8680

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Hunchback of Notre Dame

See MRC's Literary Adaptations videography for various versions held by the Center.

Jiyan (Iraq/USA, 2002)

Directed by Jano Rosebiani. Cast: Kurdo Galali, Enwer Shexani, Coman Hawrami, Derya Qadir, Ehmed Salar, Nasir Hesen, Pisheng Berzinci. Five years following the infamous chemical and biological bombing of Halabja, Diyari, a Kurdish/ American good Samaritan, returns to his homeland to build an orphanage in what is left of Halabja. He meets Jiyan, a ten-year old orphan and survivor of the chemical attack doomed to live with a burn scar covering most of her right cheek. A strong bond between the two ensues and later he names his orphanage after her. 93 min. DVD 6610

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Johnny Belinda (1948)

Directed by Jean Negulesco. Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, Jan Sterling. Because of her disability, a deaf mute living in a village in Nova Scotia is known as "the dummy," but a compassionate doctor recognizes her innate intelligence and teaches her sign language and lip-reading. 103 min. DVD 7555; vhs 999:3436

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Johnny Got His Gun (1971)

Directed by Dalton Trumbo. Cast: Tomothy Bottoms, Kathy Fields, Marsha Hunt, Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland, Diane Varsi. In 1918 a soldier is badly wounded and has both his arms and legs amputated. Plunged into a chilling nightmare, we hear the young war victim's thoughts. Based on a novel by Dalton Trumbo. 106 min. DVD 7331

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Blackmore, Tim. "Lazarus Machine: Body Politics in Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun." Mosaic 33.4 (Dec 2000): 1. UC users only

Hanson, Peter Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood rebel : a critical survey and filmography / by Peter Hanson. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, c2001. (Main Stack PS3539.R928.Z69 2001)

Macnab, Geoffrey. "Johnny Got His Gun. Sight & Sound, Sep2004, Vol. 14 Issue 9, p96-97, 2p;

Norden, Martin F. "Johnny Got His Gun: Evolution of an Antiwar Statement." In: Hollywood's World War I : motion picture images / edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. OConnor. Place/Publisher Bowling Green, OH : Bowling Green State University Popular Press, [1997] (Main Stack D522.23.H65 1997; Moffitt D522.23.H65 1997)

Johnny Handsome (1989)

Director, Walter Hill. Cast: Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman, Scott Wilson, Forest Whitaker. A man, born severely deformed, makes his living as a small-time criminal. During a robbery he and his best friend are double-crossed by their partners and he ends up in prison. There he meets a sympathetic surgeon who gives him a new face. When he is released he sets in motion a plan to get revenge on the couple who double-crossed him. 96 min. DVD 2077

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The Keys to the House (Le chiavi di Casa) (Italy / France / Germany, 2004)

Director, Gianni Amelio. Cast: Kim Rossi Stuart, Charlotte Rampling, Andrea Rossi, Anita Bardeleben, Thorsten Schwarz, Bernd Weikert, Ingrid Appenrodth, Manuel Katzy, Dimitri Susin, Alla Faerovich. Gianni is reunited with Paolo, the 15-year-old physically handicapped son he has never seen, a son he abandoned at birth. The reunion is not Gianni's idea, but that of Paolo's doctor who hopes the connection will benefit the troubled boy. Gianni experiences a Pandora's box in Paolo, full of shocks and wonders, but eventually comes to appreciate the responsibilities and rewards of caring for a handicapped child. 107 min. DVD 5311

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Kingsize (Kingsajz) (Poland, 1987)

Directed by Juliusz Machulski. Cast: Jacek Chmielnik, Jerzy Stuhr, Katarzyna Figura, Grzegorz Herominski, Joachim Lamza, Maciej Kozowski, Jan Machulski, Leonard Pietraszak, Witold Pyrkosz, Liza Machulska. The story follows a young scientist in the contemporary world, who actually came from the world of dwarves, thanks to a magic potion, held by the Big Eater, ruler of the dwarves. 104 min. DVD 6249

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Life on a String (Bian zou bian chang) (China, 1991)

Director, Chen Kaige. Cast: Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei, Xu Qing. Story of a saintly blind man who as a boy was promised the restoration of his sight if he devoted his life to music. He and a young blind disciple travel the countryside seeking enlightenment and inspiring people with their singing and banjo playing. 107 min. DVD 4946

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The Light Ahead (Fishke der krumer) (USA, 1939)

Director, Edgar G. Ulmer. Cast: Isidore Cashier, Helen Beverley, David Opatoshu. Story of Fishke, a lame man who is a ward of the Jewish community and his love for the blind woman, Hodl. They are kept from marrying until a traveling bookseller turns the community's fear of the supernatural to the couple's advantage. Adapted from the work of Mendele Mokher Seforim. In Yiddish with English subtitles. 94 min. DVD 5221; vhs 999:3447

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Lili (1953)

Directed by Charles Walters. Cast: Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer, Jean Pierre Aumont. A musical drama in which a shy, young orphan girl is befriended by a crippled puppeteer and his group of carnival puppets. 81 min. 999:1666

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The Little Coach (El Cochecito)(Spain, 1960)

Directed by Marco Ferreri. Cast: Jose Isbert, Jose A. Lepe, Maria Luise Ponte, Pedro Porcel, Jose Luis Lopez Vasquez. A black comedy about an old man who wants a motorized bicycle so he can ride through town with his crippled friends. When his family refuses to buy him a bike as well he methodically poisons his family members one by one, using their tiny legacies to finance his purchase. Strange but true: the audience's sympathy is with the elder gent in this study of aging, loneliness, neglect and rebellion. Based on the novel: El cochecito / Rafael Azcona. 90 min. Video/C 999:2099

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The Little Girl Who Sold The Sun (La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil) (Senegal / France / Switzerland / Germany, 1999)

Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty (Senegal, 1998) A parable which uses the struggles of a young crippled girl in Dakar trying to earn her living in the market place selling newspapers to mirror Africa's role in the international marketplace. 44 min. 999:2224

Description from California Newsreel catalog

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Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)

Directed by Joe Mantello. Cast: John Glover, Stephen Spinella, Stephen Bogardus, John Benjamin Hickey, Justin Kirk, Randy Becker, Jason Alexander. Eight friends leave the city behind for three simple weekends of relaxation in the country. The host is a gay man and so are his seven guests--one of whom is blind, and one who is dying of AIDS. They love and hate, play and wrangle, kiss and carry on, are connubially devoted or brazenly promiscuous in this comic treatment of gay relationships. 120 min. 999:2016

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The Man Who Laughs (1927)

Director, Paul Leni. Cast: Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin, Olga Baclanova, Josephine Crowell, Cesare Gravina. A nobleman's son is kidnapped and then mutilated by a gypsy "surgeon" who carves a permanent smile on the man by order of King James II. He becomes a clown with a circus troupe where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful blind girl, the one person who cannot be repulsed by his appearance. 110 min. DVD 1916

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Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Directed by John Schlesinger. Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Brenda Vaccaro, John McGiver, Ruth White, Sylvia Miles. A Texas "cowboy" takes a bus to New York in search of lonely, rich women who will pay for his sexual services, but instead spends a hard winter looking after a dying, crippled derelict. 113 min. DVD 5254; vhs 999:986

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The Mighty (1998)

Directed by Peter Chelsom. Cast: Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Gillian Anderson. With his loving and supportive mother, 13-year-old Kevin moves in next door to another teen, Max. Though both have problems that label them as outcasts, Kevin and Max discover that by proudly combining their strengths and uniting as one, they can overcome their individual limitations and triumph over any adversity. As the two set out on a series of courageous adventures, they find the mightiest treasure of all: friendship! 100 min. DVD 6409

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Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie. Frankie is a former boxing manager, who initially refuses to train Maggie due to her gender and age. With her talent and his coaching the spirited young fighter rises through the ranks of women's boxing, the pair form a touching bond in the process. "The film has raised a great deal of controversy over a theme that, while a vital part of the film, has been underplayed in its marketing campaign and carefully skirted in reviews. At issue is the film's depiction of assisted suicide. When the fighter portrayed by Swank receives a sucker punch in the ring, she is paralyzed from the neck down. Unwilling to live that way, she begs Eastwood's character to help her die, and finally, after much soul-searching, he does." [Terri Mauro, "Is "Million Dollar Baby" Dangerous?"] 132 min. DVD 4170

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Miracle Worker (1962)

Directed by Arthur Penn. Cast: Anne Bancroft (Annie Sullivan), Patty Duke (Helen Keller), Victor Jory, Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine, Kathleen Comegys. Based on true events this is a dramatization of the struggle of a Boston teacher, Annie Sullivan, to communicate with and teach the deaf, blind, and mute child, Helen Keller. Based on William Gibson's play. 106 min. DVD 627; 999:2929

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Miracle Worker (1979)

Directed by Paul Aaron. Cast: Patty Duke Astin (Annie Sullivan), Melissa Gilbert (Helen Keller), Diana Muldaur, Charles Siebert. A dramatization of the true story of the struggle of a Boston teacher, Annie Sullivan, to communicate with and teach the deaf, blind, and mute child, Helen Keller. Original television drama made in 1979. Based on William Gibson's play. 98 min. 999:957

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Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)

Paramount Pictures. Animated musical version of Dickens' classic featuring the enormously near-sighted Mr. Magoo. 52 min. 999:1515

Moulin Rouge (1952)

Directed by John Huston. Cast: Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Suzanne Flon, Eric Pohlmann, Colette Marchand, Christopher Lee, Michael Balfour. "Toulouse-Lautrec, 19th century French artist who was a 'dwarf', caused by accident when a child. Played in long shots by a dwarf actor. The rest of the time by Ferrer on his knees. The film shows Lautrec's fall when a boy and the operation which is not a success and led to his restricted growth. When young he uses two sticks and later as a man only one." [from Films Involving Disabilities]. Lautrec also shows up as a minor character in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001) [DVD 976] 119 min. 999:3529

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My Left Foot (Ireland / UK, 1989)

Directed by Jim SheridaN. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Cyril Cusack, Fiona Shaw, Hugh O'Conor, Adrian Dunbar, Ruth McCabe, Alison Whelan. Based on Christy Brown's true life story, My Left Foot features Daniel Day-Lewis' Academy Award winning performance as a man who triumphs over impossible odds to achieve greatness. DVD Special features: "The real Christy Brown" featuring biographical details on Brown (5 min.) ; "An inspirational journey : the making of 'My left foot' " with commentaries on the pre-production process (11 min.); stills gallery; "My left foot" reviews from the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and the LA Weekly. 103 min. DVD 9204; vhs 999:2182

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Night is My Future (Morkret ar min framtid; aka Music Is My Future; Musik i mörker) (Sweden, 1947)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Mai Zetterling, Birger Malmsten, Olof Winnerstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Hilda Borgstrom, Douglas Hage. In this poignant love story a young soldier is wounded in the war and loses his eyesight. Back home he develops a platonic relationship with his maid, but they eventually go their separate ways. After many years when they meet again, can friedship become love? 88 min. 999:3188

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Night on Earth (France / UK / Germany / USA / Japan, 1991)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch. A collection of five stories involving cab drivers in five different cities. In one story, a blind girl takes a ride with a cab driver from the Ivory Coast and they talk about life and blindness. 125 min. DVD 8431; vhs 999:2054

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Oasis (Korea, 2002)

Directed by Lee Chang-dong. Cast: Kyung-gu Sol, So-ri Moon, Nae-sang Ahn, Seung-wan Ryoo. A mentally handicapped young man is haunted by a crime that landed him in prison, a hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of an old man. After his release from prison he goes to visit the victim's family, and meets Gong-ju, the man's daughter, who has cerebral palsy. The two begin an unlikely love affair that exposes the callousness and uncomfortable secrets of both of their families. 133 min. DVD 2123

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Of Human Bondage (1934)

Director, John Cromwell. Cast: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale, Reginald Owen. The poignant story of a cripped medical student's love for a crude and vulgar waitress which results in a mutually destructive relationship. 83 min. DVD 1294; 999:1299

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On Dangerous Ground (1951)

Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper. A tough cop falls in love with the blind sister of a mentally defective murderer. 82 min. DVD 5850; vhs 999:140

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Open Hearts (Elsker dig for evigt) (Denmark, 2002)

Directed by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen. Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, Stine Bjerregaard, Birthe Neumann, Niels Olsen, Ulf Pilgaard. A film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident. 109 min. DVD 5412

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Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) (Spain / France / Italy, 1997)

Director, Alejandro Amenábar. Cast: Penelope Cruz, Chete Lera, Fele Martinez, Eduardo Noriega, Najwa Nimri. In this steamy, intriguingly complex, psychological thriller the line between reality and fantasy is hopelessly blurred. Cesar tries to make sense of his life after a car crash leaves his once-handsome face grotesquely disfigured. After he is placed into a psychiatric penitentiary for a murder he doesn't remember committing, Cesar's only hope is to delve into the depths of his subconscious mind where the answer to ending his living nightmare lies in his dreams. 117 min. 999:3507

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Orphans of the Storm (Silent, 1921)

Directed by D.W. Griffith. Cast: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish. Re-creating the aristocratic splendor and devastating poverty of 18th century France, D.W. Griffith created an emotionally-charged drama with political intrigue, spectacle, and his usual degree of social moralizing. The plot concerns two orphaned sisters, the resourceful Henriette and the blind Louise, who arrive in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution. As the Revolution unfolds, they are exploited, misused, separated and finally threatened with the guilliotine before the happy ending. 150 min. DVD 1542; DVD 67; VHS 999:1886

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Passion Fish (1992)

Directed by John Sayles. Cast: Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Leo Burmester, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Nora Dunn. A bitter wisecracking soap opera star returns home to rural Louisiana after an auto accident leaves her paralyzed. Her cruel but hilarious humor and hard drinking drive away a succession of nurses until she meets her match in Chantelle, who has her own problems. Together, they form an unlikely friendship and explore the Louisiana bayou, as well as the murkier waters of men, romance, and family. 135 min. DVD 5034

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Passion of Anna (En Passion)(Sweden, 1969)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson. "A woman widowed and disabled in a car accident travels to an isolated island. While there she calls at a house to use the phone. It belongs to an ex-convict living as a recluse. She leaves her purse behind, he looking for a name reads a letter of hers revealing how unhappy and lonely she is. Later she moves in with him but the escape of a 'lunatic' precipitates discord between them." [from disabilityfilms.co.uk 101 min. DVD 2588; vhs 999:714

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A Patch of Blue (1965)

Directed by Guy Green. Cast: Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Hartman, Wallace Ford. Accidentally blinded as a child, 18-year-old Selina D'Arcey falls in love with a gentle and charming man, Gordon Ralfe, whom she meets in a rare visit to a park. Her racist mother declares that because Gordon is black, their relationship cannot continue, forcing Selina to choose between her family and her heart. Based on "Be ready with bells and drums" by Elizabeth Kata. 105 min. DVD 4535

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The Penalty (1920, silent)

Directed by Wallace Worsley. Cast: Lon Chaney, Ethel Grey Terry, Charles Clary, Clair Adams, Kenneth Harlan. An incompetent doctor amputates the legs of a young boy who grows up to be the embittered Blizzard, a criminal mastermind who orchestrates a bizarre and heinous plot to avenge himself. 93 min. DVD 2214

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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton. Based on the true story of the notorius Hustler publisher who was sued by the Religious Right and paralyzed by a fanatic's bullet who took his case to the Supreme Court in defense of free speech and First Amendment rights. Chronicles Flynt's raunchy business savvy, his wildly unconventional marriage and his infamous courtroom antics. 130 min. DVD 607

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The Personals (Zheng hun qi shi) (Taiwan, 1998)

Directed by Chen Kuo-fu. An attractive and successful ophthalmologist quits her job and places a personal ad in the newspaper. She has a specific purpose in her ad - she is looking for marriage. After a series of blind dates with men who are either lonely, desperate, strange, perverted, or all of the above, what she really wants is her mysterious ex-lover to came back to her. 105 min. DVD 2800

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Peter Pan (1953)

Directors: Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson, et al. Disney. On the villainous Captain Hook, Paul Longmore, associate professor of history and director of the Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, has commented "...there are many villains with disabilities, and that reflects a very old idea that disability causes a loss of moral self-control," Longmore says. This particular type has flourished through popular characters such as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan," Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life" and the formidable Darth Vader in "Star Wars" (who required a mechanical breathing apparatus to survive)." (Quest, vol. 4, no. 4) 76 min. DVD 136; VHS 999:220

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Peter Pan (1924)Directed by Herbert Brenon; featuring Betty Bronson, Ernest Torrence, Anna May Wong, Virginia Browne Faire, Esther Ralston, Mary Brian. DVD 239

Phantom of the Opera (1925, silent)

Directed by Rupert Julian. Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe. A mad and disfigured musician hides out in the dungeons under the Paris Opera where he falls in love with a young singer and lures her to his hiding place. 79 min. DVD 3915; VHS 999:802

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Phantom of the Opera (UK, 1962)

Directed by Terence Fisher. Cast: Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Thorley Walters. A madman called the Phantom terrorizes an opera house. When a singer named Christine is contacted by the specter, her producer tracks him to his underground lair and finds he is a brilliant but disfigured composer demanding revenge. Christine is the Phantom's only weakness and he pays the ultimate price to keep his love for her. 85 min. DVD 4450

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Hammer Films

Phantom of the Opera (1962)

Directed by Arthur Lubin. Cast: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo, J. Edward Bromberg. A melodrama about a strange man who lives in the catacombs below the Paris Opera House and his love affair with an opera starlet whom he tutors. 93 min. DVD 521

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The Piano (Australia / New Zealand / France, 1993)

Directed by Jane Campion. Cast: Holly Hunter Harvey Keitel Sam Neill Anna Paquin Kerry Walker Genevieve Lemon. A young mute woman and her child travel to New Zealand in the 1800's for an arranged marriage to a farmer there. After the marriage she meets another man, and the competition for her love begins. Only one of the men realizes that her affections can only be won through her beloved piano. DVD 1167; vhs 999:1326

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Post Concussion (2000)

Directed by Daniel Yoon. Cast: Daniel Yoon, Jennifer Welch, Michael Hohmeyer, Destry Miller, C. B. Yoon. Based on events in the director's own life, the film tells a brutally funny, yet oddly inspiring portrayal of one man's adventures after a serious head injury. A young San Francisco management consultant is struck by a car and sustains a serious concussion. Terminated by his employer, dumped by his girlfriend, and stalked by New Age healers, he finds a way to rediscover himself, his family and the meaning of true friendship. 82 min. DVD 2576

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Ray (2004)

Directed by Taylor Hackford. Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders. Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven. Inspired by his mother who insisted he make his own way, he found his calling at the keyboard. 'Ray' follows as he overcomes drug addiction while becoming one of America's most beloved performers. 153 min. DVD 4026

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Richard III

The story of Richard of Gloucester, a man twisted both in mind and body, as he schemes for the throne of England. SEE MRC Shakespeare listing for various versions

Romola (1925)

Directed by Henry King. Cast: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, William Powell, Ronald Colman. The story of Romola, daughter of Bardo Bardi, a blind philosopher at a time when the Medici ruled Florence. Adapted from the novel by George Eliot. 117 min. 999:1535

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Rory O'Shea Was Here (aka Inside I'm Dancing) (UK / Ireland / France, 2004)

Directed by Damien O'Donnell. Cast: James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Romola Garai, Gerard McSorley, Tom Hickey, Brenda Fricker. An inspiring story of independence that follows two unlikely friends determined to face the world on their own terms. Young Michael is a patient who is resigned to his quiet life within an institution's safe, predictable boundaries. Then, the rebellious Rory O'Shea bursts onto the scene. Now, with the help of the beautiful young Siobhan, who signs on as the boys' live-in aide, Rory will show Michael what it takes to truly be free. 104 min. DVD 4216

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The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) (Spain / France / Italy, 2004)

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Cast: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Due~nas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura, Joan Dalmau, Alberto Jimenez, Tamar Novas. Based on a true story, Ramon Sampedro wants to end his life because a diving accident 28 years before that turned him into a quadriplegic. For most of those years he made the most of it: writing, developing a close relationships with his family, who all help to care for him. While grateful to his family and friends for their help, Ramon was always an active person. He has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. Gene is a friend who works with a "Right to Die" organization who introduces Ramon to Julia, a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. As Ramon and Julia work together on his case, Ramon finds himself falling in love with his attorney, but Ramon remains convinced that the greatest gift to him would be an end to his life. 125 min. DVD 4052

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The Silence (Sukut. Sokout. Sokhout) (Iran, 1998)

Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Follows the life of Khorshid, a blind 10-year-old boy who experiences the world through sound and lives with his mother in a small village in Tajikistan where he earns money tuning musical instruments. 75 min. 999:3676

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Simon Birch (1998)

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Cast: Joseph Mazzello, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Ian Michael Smith, Dana Ivey, Ashley Judd. Even though Simon Burch is the smallest kid in town, he is sure that someday he's going to be a hero ... he's just not sure how. 114 min. DVD 6410

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The Singing Detective (Australia / UK, 1988)

Directed by Jon Amiel. Cast: Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, Janet Suzman. The hallucinations of a mystery writer stricken with a crippling skin disorder interweave memories of his past with a plot casting him in the role of a suave sleuth who croons with a big band. DVD 1666; VHS 999:1750

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The Singing Detective (USA, 2003)

Directed by Keith Gordon. Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Robin Wright Penn, Jeremy Northam, Katie Holmes, Carla Gugino, Adrien Brody, Jon Polito, Saul Rubinek.Bedridden with an excruciating case of skin-rotting psoriasis, novelist Dan Dark escapes into his vivid imagination. There, gunmen and private detectives pursue their own unusual agendas, often casting himself as the titular "warbler" whose pain and anger is focused like a laser on his cheating wife and anyone else who's made his real and imaginary worlds unbearable. 108 min. DVD 2415

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South Park. Insults to Injuries (1946)

Contents: It hits the fan -- Cripple fight -- Proper condom use -- Scott Tenorman must die. In "It Hits the Fan" the citizens of South Park use the word "sh*t" 162 times after the word is popularized on a favorite TV show. However a mysterious plague seems to be linked to the use of this word. Only Chef and the boys can stop the plague. In "Cripple Fight" a new handicapped boy steals attention away from Timmy with his stand-up comedy. Timmy's jealousy grows until it explodes in a knock-down, drag out fight with the new boy. In "Proper Condom Use" the parents of South Park refuse to talk about sexual education with their children and force the public school to teach them instead. The incompetent teachers frighten and misinform the children. It's up to the cool-thinking Chef to save the day. In "Scott Tenorman Must Die" Cartman is cheated out of some money by an older boy. After several failed attempts to get his money back, he concocts his master scheme of revenge. Originally broadcast as four episodes of the television series South Park in 2001. 88 min. DVD 3399

South Park. Timmy

Contents: Timmy 2000 -- 4th grade -- Helen Keller, the musical -- The tooth fairy's tats 2000. Timmy 2000: When Timmy is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, it triggers a wave of prescription drug abuse at South Park Elementary. 4th grade: The boys are in the 4th grade but they miss the joys of 3rd grade, so they come up with a daring complicated plan to travel back in time a year, with the help of Timmy and his electric wheelchair. Hellen Keller, the musical: The Thanksgiving play is in trouble and Stan, Klye and Kenny are going to great lengths to make the production a hit while Timmy tries his hardest to show the other kids that his new pet turkey can be the star of their show. Tooth Fairy's tats 2000: When Cartman discovers that the Tooth Fairy is paying a premium price for his lost teeth, he seizes the opportunity to make some cash. Originally broadcast as four episodes of the television series South Park in 2000. 88 min. DVD 3400

Sparsa (Sparsh) (India, 1980)

Directed by Sai Paranjpye. Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Sudha Chopra, Om Puri. Anirund Parma is the blind principal of a school for the blind, but he does not allow this handicap to get in his way. He falls in love with a social worker and plans to marry her, but begins to have reservations about the marriage as he feels that he is being pitied. DVD 3492

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The Spiral Staircase (1946)

Directed by Robert Siodmak. Cast: Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Allgood, Rhys Williams. A terrifying melodrama about a mute servant girl in a gloomy house who is threatened by a mysterious killer. 83 min. DVD 1461

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The Station Agent (2002)

Directed by Tom McCarthy. Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale. A young man born with dwarfism inherits a train station in rural New Jersey and moves there for a life of quiet solitude. He soon finds friendships and a sense of belonging that he never expected, and never thought he wanted. 89 min. DVD 5313

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Stella Maris (silent, 1918)

Directed by Frances Marion. Cast: Mary Pickford. Stella Maris, paralyzed from birth, has been tenderly shielded from all the sordidness and misery of life. Her serene dream world comes to an end, however, when an operation cures her of her paralysis. 94 min. 999:2092

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Stolen Face (UK, 1952)

Directed by Terence Fisher. Cast: Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott, Mary Mackenzie, Andre Morell, John Wood. A plastic surgeon has a brief fling with a concert pianist, who leaves him to return to her previous boyfriend. He finds a horribly scared patient and fashions her face into the image of his former lover and enters into a marriage that is disappointing. 72 min. DVD 6021

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Hammer Films

The Stratton Story (1949)

Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Williams. The true story of Chicago White sox pitcher, Monty Stratton. Stratton suffers a devastating hunting accident which leads to the amputation of one leg. Learning to walk with an artificial limb, he struggles to resume his career. 102 min. DVD 6172

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The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Directed by Atom Egoyan. Cast: Ian Holm, Maury Chaykin, Peter Donaldson, Bruce Greenwood, David Hemblen, Brooke Johnson, Arsinee Khanjian, Tom McCamus, Stephanie Morgenstern, Earl Pastko, Sarah Polley, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson. Following a tragic schoolbus accident, high-profile lawyer Mitchell Stephens descends upon a small town. With promises of retribution and a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving community, Stephens begins his investigation into the details of the crash. But beneath the town's calm, he uncovers a tangled web of lies, deceit and forbidden desires that mirrors his own troubled personal life. Gradually, we learn that Stephens has his own agenda, and that everyone has secrets to keep. 116 min. DVD 727

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May, Vivian M; Ferri, Beth A. ""I'm a Wheelchair Girl Now": Abjection, Intersectionality, and Subjectvity in Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter." Women's Studies Quarterly, 2002, 30, 1-2, summer, 131-150

Talk To Her (Habla con ella) (Spain, 2002)

Directed by Pedro Almódovar. Cast: Javier Camara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores, Mariola Fuentes, Geraldine Chaplin. In a private clinic Barco and Benigno strike up a friendship while caring for comatose women. Benigno is the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student and Marco is there to visit his girlfriend Lydia, a famous matador also in a coma. As the men wage vigil over the women they love, the story unfolds in flashback and flashforward as the lives of the four move toward a surprising conclusion. 114 min. DVD 1669

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Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Director: Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Mitchum, Phyllis Thaxter, Robert Walker, Scott McKay. A classic World War II thriller - the true life story of the first American air raids on Japan. Spencer Tracy plays Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, the tough and inspiring mastermind of the historic crew of the "Ruptured Duck," commanded by Captain Ted Lawson. Lawson's daydreams of the bride he left behind are intertwined with the nightmarish terrors of a tense Pacific crossing, thunderous bombings, and the fate of his men on their painful odyssey through mainland China. 139 min. 999:796

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Norden, Martin F. "Resexualization of the disabled war hero in 'Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.'" Journal of Popular Film and Television v23, n2 (Summer, 1995):50 (6 pages).

Tommy (UK, 1975)

Directed by Ken Russell. Cast: The Who (Music group), Ann Margret, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Robert Powell. The classic rock opera by Pete Townsend about a boy, traumatized by the murder of his father, who becomes deaf, dumb and blind. Growing into manhood he is subjected to bizarre cure attempts by The Acid Queen, the Preacher, and the Specialist. In spite of his handicap, Tommy defeats the Pinball Wizard, attains a devoted following and finally cured, is hailed by his fans as a "Messiah". 108 min. DVD 5708; vhs 999:1483

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The Unknown (1927)

Director, Tod Browning. Cast: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford. Alonzo the Armless (Chaney) throws knives for a living -- with his feet, because he is supposedly armless. Nanon Zanzi (Crawford) is his assistant who, fearful of the touch of any man's hand, fancies him. Perhaps Chaney's most bizarre work. 61 min. DVD 2359

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Vanilla Sky (2001)

Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall, Tilda Swinton, Cameron Diaz. In this steamy, intriguingly complex, psychological thriller the line between reality and fantasy is hopelessly blurred. David tries to make sense of his life after a car crash leaves his once-handsome face grotesquely disfigured. After he is placed into a psychiatric penitentiary for a murder he doesn't remember committing, David's only hope is to delve into the depths of his subconscious mind where the answer to ending his living nightmare lies in his dreams. 135 min. DVD 4073

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Vital (Japan, 2004)

Director, Shinya Tsukamoto. Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Nami Tsukamoto, Kiki, Jun Kunimura, Ittoku Kishibe. After losing his memory due to a car accident, Hiroshi Takagi tries to pick his life back up and enrolls in medical school. There, his memory becomes jarred by a female cadaver; he begins to have visions of a life with this woman, and unlocks the dark memories of his forgotten past. 86 min. DVD 5438

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Wait Until Dark (1967)

Director, Terence Young. Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Jack Weston, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. A photographer unwittingly smuggles a doll stuffed with heroin into New York City. His recently blinded wife, alone in their apartment, is first terrorized by hired crooks, and then by the psychopathic Roat, in search of the doll. 108 min. DVD 836

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O'Farrell, Mary Ann. "Blindness and Domestic Terror in Wait Until Dark." Western Humanities Review, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 218-22, Fall 1999

The Waterdance (1991)

Directors, Neal Jimenez, Michael Steinberg. Cast: Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, Helen Hunt, Elizabeth Pena. Paralyzed in a 1984 accident, writer/director Neal Jimenez channeled his own experiences and emotions into this drama about a talented young writer who is permanently paralyzed in a hiking accident. He is placed in a paraplegic ward, peopled by patients of all races and emotional states. Together with his new-found friends, he rebels against the hospital system and his own debilitation. 106 min. DVD 5452

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West of Zanzibar (1928)

Directed by Tod Browning. Featuring Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Warner Baxter, Mary Nolan, Jane Daly, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Roscoe Ward, Kalla Pasha, Curtis Nero. A clown-magician seeks revenge against the man who stole his wife and left him paralyzed. Assuming that his daughter is the daughter of the other man, he has her raised in a brothel. Twenty years pass and all three are in Africa. The clown-magician is now the strongman in an African country where he incites the tribal members to torture the young girl in the presence of her assumed father only to learn that she is actually his own daughter. 70 min. 999:1171

The Wings of Eagles (1957 )

Director, John Ford. Cast: John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond. Tells the true story of Naval Commander Frank "Spig" Wead - from his first solo flight that ends in the admiral's swimming pool to his assignment as commander aboard an aircraft carrier during World War II. After he breaks his neck in an accident and is paralyzed, Wead discovers the power of his pen and becomes a renowned Hollywood screenwriter. 110 min. DVD 5668

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Wit (2001)

Director, Mike Nichols. Cast: Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins, Audra McDonald, Jonathan M. Woodward, Harold Pinter. An English professor, who alienates her students, has always had control over her life. That is until she is diagnosed with a devasting illness. She agrees to undergo a series of procedures that are brutal, extensive and experimental. No longer a teacher, but a subject for others to study, she discovers that the fine line between life and death can only be walked with wit. 99 min. DVD 836

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A Woman's Face (1941)

Directed by George Cukor. Cast: Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, Conrad Veidt, Osa Massen, Reginald Owen, Albert Basserman, Marjorie Main, Donald Meek. Anna Holm, a professional blackmailer, despises herself and the world because of a disfiguring facial scar. When a plastic surgeon performs miraculous surgery and restores her beauty, she has a chance to start anew but her soul remains scarred and she finds herself torn between her destructive past and a desire for a new life. 107 min. 999:3428

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The Young Lovers (1950)

Directed by Ida Lupino. Cast: Sally Forrest, Keefe Brasselle, Hugh O'Brian, Eve Miller, Lawrence Dobkin. Carol, a dancer who has just become engaged to her partner and choreographer and is about to embark on a major career, is devastated to learn that she has contracted polio. Her partner wants to see her through her illness but the embittered Carol prefers to be alone. Eventually she realizes that only by allowing others to share her grief, will she be able to pull herself together and go on with her life. 81 min. 999:3430

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Mental Disability and Psychiatry in the Movies

War Movies (for films featuring characters with post-traumatic stress syndrome)

Alcohol and Drugs in the Movies

301/302 (South Korea, 1995)

Directed by Chul-Soo Park. Cast: Eun-jin Bang and Sin-Hye Hwang. "Two women are neighbors in an apartment building: one is an obsessive professional cook (in room 301), the other an anorexic writer (room 302). A young policeman is investigating the disappearance of the woman from room 302. Through flashbacks, we learn the nature of the two women's relationship: the cook tries to cure her neighbor by preparing fabulous meals for her every night - only to have them left untouched."(from Screen Cuisine) 100 min. 999:3462

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American Psycho. (2000)

Directed by Mary Harron. Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Bill Sage, Chloe Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, Guinevere Turner, Reese Witherspoon. A young, handsome man with a Harvard education, a stunning fiancee and success on Wall Street appears to have everything. But his circle of friends doesn't know his other side of terrible urges that take him in pursuit of women, greed, and murder. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis. 101 min. DVD 3528

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Angel Dust (Enjeru dasuto) (1994)

Director: Sogo Ishii. Cast: Minami Kaho, Toyokawa Etsushi, Takizawa Ryoko. A beautiful Japanese investigator is assigned to a series of brutal murders against young women in the Tokyo subway. Fate reunites her with a former lover, a controversial psychiatrist expelled from his post who is now suspected of the murders. 116 min. DVD 9317

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Antwone Fisher (2002)

Director, Denzel Washington. Cast: Derek Luke, Joy Bryant, Denzel Washington, Salli Richardson, Earl Billings, Kevin Connolly, Viola Davis, Rainoldo Gooding. Guided by a determined Navy psychiatrist, a troubled sailor embarks on a personal, emotionally inspiring journey to confront his past and connect with the family he never knew. Inspired by the true life experiences of Antwone Fisher. Special features: Commentary by director Denzel Washington and producer Todd Black; "Meeting Antwone Fisher" featurette; "The Making of Antwone Fisher" behind-the-scenes featurette; "Hollywood and the Navy" featurette. 120 min. DVD 5627

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Arsenic and Old Lace. (1944)

Directed by Frank Capra. Cast: Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Peter Lorre, Priscilla Lane, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, John Alexander. An easy going drama critic discovers that his kind and gentle aunts, Abby and Martha, have a bizarre habit of poisoning gentlemen callers and burying them in the cellar. From the stage play by Joseph Kesselring. 120 min. DVD 2205; vhs 999:747

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As Good As It Gets. (1997)

Directed by James L. Brooks. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Shirley Knight. Melvin Udall is an obsessive-compulsive novelist with Manhattan's meanest mouth. But when his gay neighbor Simon is hospitalized, Melvin is forced to babysit Simon's dog. And that unexpected act of kindness-- along with waitress Carol Connelly-- helps put Melvin back in the human race. 139 min. DVD 7919

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Autumn Leaves (1956)

Directed by Robert Aldrich. Cast: Joan Crawford, Cliff Robertson, Vera Miles, Lorne Greene. A lonely spinster marries young Burt Hanson. Afterwards she discovers he has an ex-wife whom he never mentioned and a "dead" father who is very much alive. When Milly confronts Burt, he explains that the reasons for his deception stem from a traumatic experience in his previous marriage. Soon Milly's domestic bliss turns into a nightmare of suspicion and terror as Burt enters a world of increasing unreality. In trying to help her mentally unbalanced husband, Milly uncovers the shattering secret which threatens her life. 107 min. 999:3713

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The Aviator (2004)

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Gwen Stefani, Jude Law, Adam Scott, Matt Ross, Kelli Garner, Frances Conroy, Brent Spiner, Stanley DeSantis, Edward Herrmann, Willem Dafoe. Follows the life of Howard Hughes as the twentysomething millionaire, having already made a fortune improving the design of oil-drilling bits, who comes to Hollywood with an interest in getting into the picture business. Hughes suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and "The Aviator" shows him exhibiting some symptoms of that neuropsychiatric condition. Disc 2 of the DVD set contains bonus materials, including a 14-minute documentary entitled "The Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." 170 min. DVD 3996

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Awakenings (1990)

Directed by Penny Marshall. Cast: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, John Heard, Julie Kavner, Penelope Ann Miller, Max Von Sydow. Based on a true story, Robin Williams plays a research physician who uses an experimental drugo (Dopa) to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Based on the book: Awakenings by Oliver Sacks. 120 min. DVD 7927

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The Bad Seed (1965)

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Patty McCormack, Nancy Kelly, Henry Jones, Eileen Heckart, Evelyn Varden. Rhoda Penmark is an 8 year old well-mannered, sunny-faced perfect little lady. She is also a efficient, unfeeling killer. Her mother who has long been troubled by Rhoda's icy demeanor, discovers that her girl has killed and will kill again, and now must make a harrowing decision. Based upon the play by Maxwell Anderson and the novel by William March. 129 min. 999:3464

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Balu Mahendra's Sadma (India, 1995)

Directed by Balu Mahendra. Cast: Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Gulshan Grover, Silk Smitha, Leela Mishra, Paintal. A young woman receives a head injury in an automobile accident and becomes like a six-year-old. She leaves the hospital unattended and ends up in a brothel where she is rescued by a young man who takes her to his home in the mountains. In Hindi with English subtitles. 141 min. DVD 2497

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A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Directed by Ron Howard. Cast: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer. Based on true events this is the dramatic biography of John Nash, a mathematical genius, who made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his schizophrenia, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize. 135 min. DVD 1230

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Bedlam (1946)

Directed by Mark Robson. Cast: Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser. Karloff plays the doomed overseer of an insane asylum, St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum in 1761 London. 79 min. DVD 4474

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Behind Locked Doors (1948)

Directed by Oscar Boetticher. Cast: Richard Carlson, Lucille Bremer, Dickie Moore, Thomas Browne Henry, Tor Johnson, Douglas Fowley. Private dectective Ross Stewart checks himself into a mental hospital in an attempt to locate a corrupt judge hiding from justice. But before Stewart can reveal the truth, his true identity is discovered. With the help of a deranged ex-prizefighter the doctors at the sanitarium concoct a plan to make Stewart a permanent resident and the only person who can rescue him is the scheming woman who sent him there. Based on the story by Malvin Wald. 62 min. c2000. 999:2696

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Behind the Lines (Regeneration) (1997)

Directed by by Gillies Mackinnon. Cast: Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, Jonny Lee Miller, Stuart Bunce, Tanya Allen. As a psychiatrist at a respected Scottish asylum, Dr. Rivers heals shellshocked soldiers so they can be sent back into the trenches. Then he encounters a different kind of patient--a war hero sent to the asylum for publishing an outspoken anti-war pamphlet. As each struggles to cope with the war, the line between patient and doctor begins to blur. Taken from Pat Barker's 1991 novel "Regeneration" and based on true events. 95 min. DVD 4936

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Being There (1979)

Directed by Hal Ashby. Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden, Melvyn Douglas, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart. Circumstances propel a feeble-minded gardener, whose entire knowledge of life comes from watching television, into becoming adviser to a powerful but dying tycoon. Based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski. 130 min. 999:2524

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James, Nick. "Being There." Sight and Sound, vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 6-9, Fall 1997.

Lupack, Barbara Tepa. "Chance Encounters: Bringing Being There to the Screen." In: Critical essays on Jerzy Kosinski / edited by Barbara Tepa Lupack. New York : G.K. Hall ; London : Prentice Hall International, c1998. (Main Stack PS3561.O8.Z62 1998)

Lupack, Barbara Tepa. "Hit or Myth: Jerzy Kosinski's Being There." New Orleans Review, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 58-68, Summer 1986.

Willson, Robert F., Jr."Being There at the End." Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 59-65, 1981.

Benny & Joon (1993)

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. Cast: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Julianne Moore, Oliver Platt, C.C.H. Pounder, Dan Hedaya, Joe Grifasi, William H. Macy. A mentally ill young woman who lives with her older brother finds her love in an eccentric young man who models himself after Buster Keaton. Now if they can only find the perfect mate for her overprotective brother... 98 min. DVD 7921

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Beyond Therapy (1986)

Directed by Robert Altman. Cast: Julie Hagerty, Jeff Goldblum, Glenda Jackson, Tom Conti, Christopher Guest, Genevieve Page, Cris Campion, Sandrine Dumas, Nicole Evans. A satire on modern psychotherapy about a confused, crazily neurotic couple and their not any saner analyst. Prudence is a conservative and slightly mixed-up young woman who thinks Bruce is crazy. Bruce is a bi-sexual who lives with his male lover and is crazy about Prudence. Based on the play by Christopher Durang. 93 min. DVD 2623

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Birdy (1984)

Directed by Alan Parker. Cast: Matthew Modine ; Nicholas Cage, John Harkins, Sandy Baron, Karen Young. Birdy, a Vietnam veteran, sits in an almost catatonic state in an Army hospital, where he has come to believe he is one of the feathered creatures of his boyhood dreams. In an effort to break Birdy's silence, his psychiatrist brings in Al Columbato, Birdy's best friend of his youth. Al tries to reach the disturbed Birdy and bring him back to reality. The answer may lie in their youth, where Birdy first donned wings and Al helped him to fly. 120 min. DVD 5544

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The Brood (1979)

Directed by David Cronenberg. Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Nuala Fitzgerald, Henry Beckman, Susan Hogan, Cindy Hinds. Frank Carveth finds himself faced with a terrible predicament. His wife is in an institution suffering from mental illness, yet her therapy does not seem to be working. The institute's director refuses to reveal the nature of the therapy he is using to treat her. Before Frank can learn more, a series of bizarre murders rock the city-- victims of vengeful, murderous creatures that destroy anything that gets in their way. 92 min. DVD 4623

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Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari) (Germany, 1919)

Directed by Rober Wiene. Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover. Genuine: Fern Andra. A somnambulist commits murders under a hypnotist's influence in this German expressionist horror classic. Also featured is a lengthy excerpt of "Genuine: a tale of a vampire," a 1920 release which reunited "Caligaris" creative team. DVD 1383 (75 min.); DVD 232 (51 min.); DVD 5 (72 min.); VHS 999:39

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Carefree (1938)

Directed by Mark Sandrich. Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, Luella Gear, Jack Carson, Clarence Kolb, Franklin Pangborn. Dr. Tony Flagg's friend, Steven, has problems in the relationship with his fiancee, Amanda, so he persuades her to visit Dr. Flagg. After some minor misunderstandings, she falls in love with Dr. Flagg. When he tries to use hypnosis to strengthen her feelings for Steven, things get complicated. Special features: Vintage musical short "Public jitterbug no. 1"; Classic cartoon "September in the rain." 83 min. DVD 6744

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Chattahoochee (1990)

Directed by Mick Jackson. Cast: Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Frances McDormand, Pamela Reed, Ned Beatty, M. Emmet Walsh. Based on a true story, decorated Korean War veteran Emmet Foley attempts suicide because of difficulties adjusting to civilian life. As a result, he is institutionalized at the Chattahoochee State Mental Hospital in Florida where he witnesses abuse of other inmates by guards and extreme filthy conditions. Foley regains respect for humanity and mounts a campaign to correct the hospital's vile practices and to restore his own reputation. 98 min. DVD 1891

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Choose Me (1984)

Directed by Alan Rudolph. Cast: Genevieve Bujold, Keith Carradine, Lesley Ann Warren. An insecure talk-radio psychologist who specializes vicariously in sex therapy confronts life first-hand when she becomes involved in the affairs of two of her clients. 106 min. DVD 1813

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Clean, Shaven (1993)

Directed by Lodge Kerrigan. Cast: Peter Greene, Robert Albert, Jennifer MacDonald, Megan Owen, Molly Castelloe. A harrowing story of a schizophrenic man's desperate search for his young daughter. Peter Winter, recently released from an institution, returns home only to find out that his daughter has been put up for adoption. Hampering his search is Detective McNally who believes Peter to be a child serial killer. 80 min. DVD 2299

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Crack-Up (1946)

Directed by Irving Reis. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Claire Trevor, Herbert Marshall. A respected art critic and historian believes that priceless works of art are being stolen, but everyone else thinks that he's insane. From beginning to end the suspense and action never let up in this fast-paced, thrilling mystery. 93 min. 999:3748

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The Crooked Way (1949)

Directed by Robert Florey. Cast: John Payne, Sonny Tufts, Ellen Drew, Rhys Williams, Percy Helton. John Payne plays a wounded WWII veteran who has lost his memory. As he heads to Los Angeles to try and figure out his identity, two police detectives arrest him. When he is framed for a murder he must find the real killer and clear his name by navigating through the crooked underbelly of Los Angeles. 86 min. DVD 4961

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Dark Waters (1944)

Directed by Andre De Toth. Cast: Merle Oberon, Franchot Tone, Thomas Mitchell, Fay Bainter. In this psychological thriller set in the Louisiana bayous, a nervous young heiress is driven to attempt suicide by a fake aunt and uncle who want to collect her estate. Aided by the oppressive vegetation and stifling heat, the would-be killers methodically implement a series of terrifying ploys to suffocate the young girl in her own madness. 90 min. DVD 3796; vhs 999:3432

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David and Lisa (1962)

Directed by Frank Perry. Cast: Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin, Howard Da Silva, Neva Patterson, Clifton James. Painfully shy Lisa can communicate only through rhyme, and David cannot bear being touched. They meet in a mental institution and are strongly attracted to each other. They develop a deep bond that changes both of their lives. Based on a book by Theodore Isaac Rubin. 93 min. DVD 8115

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Dogura Magura (Japan, 1988)

Director: Toshio Matsumoto. A man is confined to a mental institution after trying to murder his fiancee. Two doctors relate his problem to an Asian philosophy that states that mental defects are transmitted from generation to generation. But is the whole thing merely a game concocted by the two physicians, who may even have driven themselves mad?. 109 min. DVD 3517

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Dolls (Doruzu) (Japan, 2002)

Director, Takeshi Kitano. Cast: Kanno Miho, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyoko Fukada. Three stories of undying love. Bound by a long red cord, a young couple wanders in search of something they have forgotten. An aging yakuza returns to the park where he used to meet his long-lost girlfriend. A disfigured pop star confronts the phenomenal devotion of her biggest fan. 113 min. DVD 5994

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Don't Bother To Knock (1952)

Directed by Roy Baker. Cast: Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft, Jeanne Cagney, Elisha Cook Jr., Jim Backus. Marilyn Monroe stars in her first dramatic performance as a psychotic baby-sitter who begins an affair with one of the guests in the hotel where she works. When the child she is caring for interrupts their lovemaking, Monroe becomes a dangerous madwoman. 76 min. DVD 3177

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Dressed to Kill (1980)

Directed by Brian De Palma. Cast: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Dennis Franz. In this edge-of-the-seat chiller a psychiatrist is faced with the murderous puzzle of the sudden, hideous slaying of one of his patients who is killed with a razor stolen from his office. 105 min. 999:3867

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Equus (USA / UK, 1977)

Director Sidney Lumet. Cast: Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews, Eileen Atkins. A middle-aged psychiatrist tries to find out why an adolescent stable boy has blinded six horses entrusted to his care. 137 min. DVD 2385

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Every Man For Himself, God Against All (The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) (Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle) (West Germany, 1974)

Directed by Werner Herzog. Cast: Bruno S., Walter Ladengast, Brigitte Mira. Based on a real historical event, this is the story of Kaspar Hauser, a young man who appeared in a small German town in 1820 after having lived in total isolation from humans since birth. He is taught to speak, read, and write by the townspeople, but is then mysteriously murdered. 109 min. DVD 988; vhs 999:326

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Eyes in the Night (1942)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed, Mantan Moreland, John Emery, Horace McNally, Katherine Emery, Reginald Denny, Rosemary De Camp, Stanley Ridges. Blind detective McLain investigates the murder of Miss Lawry's boyfriend with the aid of his seeing-eye dog. The only clue is the odor of violets in the room. From this clue McLain builds a case against Nazi spies headed by someone close to Miss Lawry. 80 min. DVD 7422

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Fame Whore (c2000)

Writer, director, producer, Jon Moritsugu. Three characters are featured in this take on the study of the nature of fame and its warping effect on the famous, the would-be-famous and the won't-ever-be famous. 71 min. Video/C 8353

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Directed by Adrian Lyne. Cast: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer. A tension-packed thriller about a New York attorney who has a romantic fling while his wife is out of town, and then shrugs it off. But the woman involved with him won't be ignored, even if it means destroying his family to keep him. Special DVD features: Exclusive cast & crew interviews featuring director Adrian Lyne, actors Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer, producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing, and writers Nicholas Meyer and James Dearden; featurette on the cultural phenomenon of "fatal attraction"; behind-the-scenes production featurette; alternate ending with introduction by Adrian Lyne; rehearsal footage; commentary by Adrian Lyne; theatrical trailer. 120 min. DVD 8337; vhs 999:2279

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Fear in the Night(1972)

Directed by Jimmy Sangster. Cast: Judy Geeson, Joan Collins, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing, James Cossins, Gillian Lind. A young woman recovering from a nervous breakdown moves with her new teacher-husband to a remote country boarding school where further terrors await her. 94 min. DVD 2170

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Final Analysis(1992)

Directed by Phil Joanou. Cast: Richard Gere, Kim Basinger, Uma Thurman, Eric Roberts. Psychiatrist Isaac Barr breaches professional ethics by romancing the sister of his troubled client and becomes the fall guy in a devious scheme of murder and inheritance. 125 min. 999:2294

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The Fisher King(1991)

Directed by Terry Gilliam. Cast: Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl, Michael Jeter. A shock radio deejay who finds himself penniless is plucked from disaster by a homeless history professor, who lives in a fantasy world full of castles, Red Knights and damsels in distress. Together they begin a modern quest for redemption and the Holy Grail. 138 min. DVD 989

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Forrest Gump (1994)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field. The story follows the life of low I.Q. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) and his meeting with the love of his life Jenny. The film chronicles his accidental experiences with some of the most important people and events in America from the late 1950's through the 1970's including a meeting with Elvis Presley, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, fighting in Vietnam, etc. Although Forrest doesn't realize the significance of his actions he comes to embody a generation of American youth. 141 min. DVD 1085

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Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Directed by James Mangold. Cast: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea Duvall, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, Jeffrey Tambor, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg. The fascinating true story of a young woman's life-altering stay at a famous American psychiatric hospital in the late 1960's. Questionably diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Susanna rebels against the head nurse and top psychiatrist, choosing instead to befriend the resident "loonies" -- a group of troubled women including the sociopath Lisa. But Susanna quickly learns if she wants her freedom, she'll have to face the person who terrifies her most of all: herself. 127 min. 999:2823

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Guest in the House (1944)

Directed by John Brahm. Cast: Ann Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Warrick, Marie McDonald, Aline MacMahon, Scott McKay, Jerome Cowan, Margaret Hamilton, Percy Kilbride. An emotionally disturbed girl turns an idyllic household into a chaotic nightmare. "Baxter's illness afflicts not so much her heart as her mind. Along with her luggage she unpacks a lovingly tended collection of phobias (the one to birds proves pivotal) and a high-maintenance Borderline Personality Disorder. And, again of course, summer turns into a cold, forbidding fall before any member of the household picks up on the clues and holds her responsible for the dysfunction she has unleashed on the household. But at long last the worms begins to turn...." [Internet Movie Database]120 min. DVD 7597; vhs 999:3385

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Hamlet, or The Bogus Psychiatrists Monty Python's flying circus. Season 4, DVD 885

Hannibal (2001)

Directed by Ridley Scott. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, Francesca Neri, Zeljko Ivanek, Gary Oldman. After escaping from the asylum in Baltimore, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, moves to Florence, Italy where he has become one of the curators of the Palazzo Vecchio. His cover is broken when a cop, for money, turns Dr. Lecter over to his old patient, Mason Verger. FBI agent Clarice Starling finds out about Mason's evil plot to feed Dr. Lecter to a bunch of man-eating hogs and will do anything to make sure that Mason doesn't succeed. 131 min. DVD 4641

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Harvey (1950)

Directed by Henry Koster. Cast: Jimmy Stewart, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White, Victoria Horne, Wallace Ford, Peggy Dow. Comedy about a good-natured fellow whose constant companion is a six-foot tall invisible rabbit. His sister is determined to marry her daughter off and decides to commit her brother to a mental hospital to get him out of the way. Due to a mix-up the sister is committed instead, and it is up to the kindly brother and his imaginary friend to straighten things out! 105 min. DVD 954

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House of Darkness (1913)

Directed by D.W. Griffith. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Claire McDowell, Charles Hill Mailes, Lillian Gish. A potentially violent patient in an insane asylum is calmed when he hears a nurse playing the piano. But shortly afterwards he breaks free, eludes his pursuers, and acquires a gun. He soon comes to a house where a young wife is home alone, and there is a tense confrontation. 17 min. 999:3392

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I Am Sam (1998)

Directed by Jessie Nelson. Cast: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning. Sam Dawson has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He works at a Starbucks, is obsessed with the Beatles and has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them. As the daughter reaches age 7, Sam's limitations start to become a problem. When the authorities take his daughter away, Sam shames a high-priced lawyer into taking his case pro bono. In the process, he teaches her a great deal about love, and whether it's really all you need. 134 min. DVD 2300

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The Idiots (Denmark / Sweden / France / Netherlands / Italy, 1998)

Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Bodil Jorgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby, Nikolaj Lie Kaas. C In this film, made in accordance with the rules of the Dogma '95 Manifesto, which prescribes an excitingly has fashioned a truly original and thought-provoking piece of cinema. Following the exploits of a group of people who release their 'inner idiot,' thus engaging in recklessly outrageous behaviour, this film explores the relationships and motivations of those in the group and the subversive effect that they have on society at large. 110 min. 999:3155

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Julien Donkey-Boy (1999)

Directed by Harmony Korine. Cast: Ewen Bremner, Chloe Sevigny, Werner Herzog. A fascinating journey into the mind of an adolescent schizophrenic! Watch as Julien's internal struggle increases in intensity until the film's shocking and bizarrely transcendent conclusion. 100 min. DVD 2577

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Brooks, Xan. "Julien Donkey-Boy." (Review)_(movie review) Sight and Sound Oct 2000 v10 i10 p47(2)

Fuller, Graham. "Directing on the edge of madness.: (Harmony Korine discusses his new film 'Julien Donkey-Boy') The New York Times Sept 12, 1999 pAR51(N) pAR51(L) col 1 (35 col in)

Leigh, Danny. "The beat-up kid." (Harmony Korine's 'Julien Donkey-Boy')Sight and Sound, Oct 2000 v10 i10 p20(3)

Kaspar Hauser (Germany / Austria / Sweden, 1993)

Director/writer, Peter Sehr. Based on the true story of the Crown Prince of Baden and the elaborate plot to control the lineage of the throne of the Duchy of Baden. The Countess Hochberg conspires to kidnap the rightful heir, Kaspar Hauser and replace him with a changeling. Kaspar is imprisoned for 12 years in a dark cellar until one day in 1828 he appears on the streets of Nuremberg a crippled, disturbed young man. He is assisted by a succession of benefactors who transform him into a gentleman. 137 min. 999:2905

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Perlmutter, Ruth. "Ghosts of Germany: Kaspar Hauser and Woyzeck." Literature/ Film Quarterly, vol. 25 no. 3. 1997. pp: 236-39.

King of Hearts (Le Roi de coeur) (France / Italy, 1966)

Directed by Phillipe DeBroca. Cast: Alan Bates, Pierre Brasseur, Jean-Claude Brialy, Geneviève Bujold, Adolfo Celi, Francoise Christophe, Julien Guiomar, Micheline Presle, Michel Serrault. A Scottish soldier is assigned the task of disarming a bomb in a small French town at the close of World War I. The townspeople have deserted the town leaving behind the inmates of the local insane asylum who embrace the soldier as their king. 102 min. DVD 7393; vhs 999:1000

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Kira's Reason: A Love Story (En Kaerlighedshistorie)(Denmark, 2001)

Directed by Ole Christian Madsen. Cast: Stine Stengade, Lars Mikkelsen, Sven Wollter, Peaches Latrice Petersen, Camila Bendix, Lotte Bergstrom, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Ronnie Hiort Lorenzen. Kira and her husband and two children have a secure and comfortable life until Kira inexplicably develops a psychiatric disorder that eventually commits her to a hospital. On being discharged, Kira tries to return to the normality of her previous life but discovers that her husband has had an affair during her hospitalization. 94 min. DVD 2464

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Durbin, Karen. "Back to normal, and its terrifying." (movie 'Kira's Reason: A Love Story' portrays mental illness) The New York Times Jan 12, 2003 pAR13(N) pAR13(L) col 4 (10 col in)