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Deaf Major 
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ALT__TITLE |
1. Crash of
Silence 2. The Story of Mandy |
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DISABILITY |
Deaf
Speaking Impaired |
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DIRECTOR |
Alexander
Mackendrick
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A mother
debates whether to send her deaf and speaking |
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impaired
daughter to a special school or keep her at home. In |
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the end they
send her to the school where she eventually |
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learns to
speak though she remains hearing impaired. Mandy |
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Miller (7
years old ) who plays Mandy wasn't deaf. But the |
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school
scenes were filmed at The Royal Residential School |
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for the Deaf
in Manchester, England. |
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Interesting
that the subject was being tackled in film in 1953. |
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From the
novel This Day is Ours by Hilda Lewis. |
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All children
(part from the kids in the street) in the film are |
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deaf.
Incidentally, these children were starred in Lindsay |
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Anderson's
documentary
"Thursday's Children" - which encourages oralism (as
enforced by the school's trustees - the Ewings, or better known
as the Evils). Ironically, almost all children featured -
as adults - chose sign language as their main communication method. Only one steadfastingly remains as an oralist.
Quite recently all were reunioned for C4's recent factual
series - Deaf Century. In Mandy, there is a scene of a little
dark-haired boy, Michael, the one who mispronounced his name, was
interviewed in Deaf Century (Part Two). Many Miller (as
Mandy) is hearing in real life. |
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Notes
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