No Country for disAbled Men....and Women
Posted by Larry the Rolling Filmmaker at 2/28/2008 8:15 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
The Oscars were…interesting? Well there were a couple that were more interesting then others and I have to say my favorite part was seeing Jennifer Garner. But that is probably a given since I am a fan and well who would not like seeing Jennifer Garner? There were a couple of funny bits and my favorite was John Travolta’s 707 with its lights on (?) or was it just parked in the wrong spot? I don’t remember but it was funny. John Stewart as a host was okay and maybe because the writers just got back to work and didn’t have time to make anything that spectacular – but to be fair, I’m not a fan of Stewart and there were a lot more choices for a hosting job that have improvisational capabilities which in this case would’ve helped a lot such as Billy Crystal, and the two that were left out of the hosting montage, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg and frankly I like them better anyway!
Still I do want to congratulate all the nominees as I think they were the winners in the 2007 year of movies! I think there were some that got snubbed and should’ve been more recognized such as “3:10 to Yuma” and “Gone Baby Gone” as I thought they were outstanding films and at the top of my list of favorites for 2007. But for the pictures that were nominated for Best Picture, I would’ve chosen either “Atonement” or “Juno” which the latter was a surprise to me when I saw it at the theatres. I know everyone was going goo goo for Ellen Page even before it was released but when I see that kind of falling all over themselves praise – it often turns me off a picture (ie: “Borat”) and I will then usually wait until DVD time – but this was an exception because…Jennifer Garner was a co-star and in my opinion she makes every movie she is in better. It was a good movie and did keep my interests. I did of course identify most with Jason Bateman’s character and loved his portrayal and that might have had something to do with my leaving the theatre rather satisfied.
And speaking of Best Pictures – I did note that during the 79 previous Best Picture winners montage that four of them did have something that featured or co-starred a character with a disAbility. The first being “The Best Years of Our Lives” and the clip they chose to show was with the character – and if I remember correctly the actor – had the prosthetic arm and hand raising that arm to salute. One of the first and only authentic characters. That movie came out in the 1950’s and we had to go all the way to the 80’s for the next one, “Rainman”! Not authentic but also one of the exceptions I talk about when I speak about disAbilities and the ones that cannot be acted by a person with the same or similar disAbility for obvious reasons – and I make that distinction because of what I propose and the fact that
4 out of 79 is a lot better ratio then the amount of films produced each year and those that have a character with a disAbility in them! But still only one of them featured a starring role with a disAbility – “Rainman” unless you acknowledge “Forest Gump” as I do and therefore two of the four. The other two it was a co-starring role in “Best Years of Our Lives” and the lead in “Million Dollar Baby” became paralyzed only in the third act.
Another interesting note is that the two male actors winning Oscar’s – Daniel Day Lewis for a Leading Role and Javier Bardem for Supporting Role both portrayed severely disAbled characters in previous movies – “My Left Foot” and “The Sea Inside” respectively. Daniel winning his first Oscar for that role and Javier did get a lot of International awards for his role in the film that won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of 2005. And I do comment further on the website about “The Sea Inside” and my take on it, if you care to read more! I also want to mention more talk on the Oscar’s and disAbility on Beth Haller’s blog at http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2008/02/disability-moments-at-oscars.html
So what does all of this mean? It just goes to show further evidence of what I have been talking about and what I hope to help change. There really is “No Country (especially in the World of movies) For disAbled Men and Women.” And on the occasions that Hollywood wishes to allow and greenlight a movie about a person with a disAbility - it has to be written, directed and acted by someone who has never been disAbled. Although some might argue that some are partly handicapped!
Seriously, with little to no representation in the movies or television, society as a whole continues to view us as these “very much less than” members of the community, the nation, of society. Because we are not given a fair and equal opportunity to represent ourselves and our voices are repressed there is no validation that we equal human beings and unfortunately that often even flows over into our self image which perpetuates an terrible and endless cycle that includes some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse along with suicides of any minority subgroup in America. Bet you didn’t know that. Of course not because we are represented by anyone but those who have no idea what it is like to live with a disAbility and all of this could be broken with our authentic voices and representation in the single most influential element in our culture – movies and television.
But does
Meanwhile I continue to debate with myself on writing a screenplay – either a brand new one or an adapted or modified from one of my short stories, that expresses the true experiences of a paraplegic in today’s society. Showing the drug and alcohol abuse that is so prevalent among paraplegics, along with the interactions with people in the workplace, in social arenas and especially those of the opposite sex (or same sex depending on your orientation). The discrimination and stereotypes, the way many treat adults like children because our eye level from a wheelchair seems to be an automated response. How it seems if I am not a Super Crip or an Inspirational Gimp then I have no meaning and purpose or place in society according to some whose only experiences with those with a disAbility have been through movies and television. And I could write a screenplay that has many other circumstances and basic challenges a person in a wheelchair has to deal with every single day. A kind of “Crash” meets “The Waterdance” or “Coming Home.” It would certainly have to include characters that are interacting with
Would that voice be more accepted by
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