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Blind Major 
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TITLE |
At
First Sight (1997) |
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NOTES |
Mira Sorvino
plays Amy, an architect, who works her butt off |
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in N.Y.C.
but eventually takes a holiday in the mountains of |
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New York
State. There she meets and falls in love with Virgil |
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the masseur
(Kilmer). Virgil is blind and this causes no |
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problems
except from her sister (Kelly McGillis). But in the |
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midst of a
wonderful romance Amy looks into what causes |
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Virgil's
blindness and finds out that there is an operation which could bring
back his sight (he lost it as a young boy, not at birth). |
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At this
point anyone clued into disability realises that this is a
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film not
about blindness but seeing. Of course the title is |
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Virgil of
course has the operation and is able to see. The film |
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then
concentrates on that adjustment and less on the |
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romance.
Generally reviewers have found this disappointing |
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and would
rather the film got away from the strictures of |
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following
the factual story that this is. |
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Thanks to
Yvonne who has send the following review: |
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This story
is based on a true story chronicled by Dr Oliver |
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Sacks in his
Book " An Anthropologist on Mars". |
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Val Kilmer
stars as Virgil, a masseur working in an upstate |
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resort who
has been blind since early childhood. |
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He lives an
independent and fulfilling, though somewhat |
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sheltered
life, in a small community with an overprotective |
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sister
played by Kelly McGinnis. |
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Mira Sorvino
co-stars as Amy, a New York City architect who |
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goes to the
resort to de-stress. |
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Here she
meets Virgil and they start a relationship. |
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Amy finds
out about a new treatment that may restore Virgil's |
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sight.
Initially,
Virgil is against the idea because he does not consider his disability
to be a problem. He also has a painful
history when his father couldn't accept his blindness and tried
every treatment on him.
Eventually he comes round to the idea, perhaps because he
wants to fit into Amy's world more.
When his sight is restored there are major problems of visual
agnosia (inability to process visual information in the brain)
and the relationship becomes strained. He seeks advice from
Phil, an unorthodox visual therapist played by Nathan Lane.
As Virgil slowly adapts, to sight his relationship with Amy
flourishes.
When his sight starts to fail again, he leaves Amy and returns
home, making the most of his last moments of sight and
changing the dynamic of his relationship with his sister.
The movie finishes with him, blind once more, having moved
to New York to work in Phil's centre. Amy and he meet, they
acknowledge the journey, learning and growing they have both
done during their recent experiences.
Comments
This films strength is its informed portrayal of blindness. Val
kilmer researched and plays the role well and shows Virgil to
be a fully-rounded and happy person before the operation.
He has a job, hobbies, a home and friends. This is a
refreshing change from the stereotypical depiction of some
poor helpless misfit who spends his time in lonely despair.
Kilmer gives a more accurate study of a blind man with a
welcome movement away from the usual blank eyed, rigid
headed portrayal with no facial gestures. Virgil is shown to be
a smiling, humorous man with eye and head movements
more in keeping with a person with long term blindness. I was
also pleased to see a more accurately portrayed use of a guide dog
than is shown in some other films.
It is the restoration of his sight that causes the problems. This
raises important questions about able-bodied attitudes, perception and
understanding of disability. The visual agnosia is demonstrated to the
audience in an accessible way and brings attention to the important
difference between blindness and perception.
The film does have some weaknesses, one of which is the lack of
chemistry between the two co-stars.
Also it is common sense and medically well documented, that restoring
eye function to a man who has never had sight, is not going to make
him sighted. The visual agnosia is unexpected by everyone including
the doctor and this is a major flaw.
There are also some pretty stilted dialogue and metaphors about love,
sight and relationship that are unnecessarily symbolic and leaden.
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Notes
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