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Learning
Difficulties Major 
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TITLE |
Day
in the Death of Joe Egg, A (1971) |
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DISABILITY |
Learning
Difficulty Limb Cerebral Palsy |
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NOTES |
Excellent,
well-acted black comedy/drama about a young girl |
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who has
cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. (She's called |
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spastic in
the film). Her parents eventually consider |
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euthanasia.
Not easy viewing. Shows its origins as a stage |
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play but
remains one of the most detailed portrayals of what it |
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means to
bring up a severely disabled child. Seen wholly |
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from the
perspective of the parents. |
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The film
begins with Bri (Bateman) who is a teacher having |
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sexual
fantasies about his wife, Sheila (Suzman) while |
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teaching.
Then the film settles down to more or less one |
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room. Nudity
is used somewhat gratutitously. There is a |
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flashback to
the time of their child's birth. Sheila went through |
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five days of
labour because of a narrow pelvic opening but |
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she wanted
the baby naturally. Only some time after the baby |
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is born does
the mother notice something is wrong. The |
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doctor calls
it wind but the baby falls into a coma and the |
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parents have
to take the baby to hospital by bus. The doctor |
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pronouces
"she's a vegetable." To which Sheila responds |
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"When people
says which kind of cripple is she, must I says |
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she's a
vegetable?" Sheila is "always on the lookout for some sign of
improvement." |
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Jo the child
is little more than part of the scenery, one which |
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very
occasionally has fits. |
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The film is
little more than a filmed play and lacks the tension |
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a live
performance would have. But it does deal with a |
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multitude of
issues and practicalities e.g. spasms, |
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constipation. If you can't get to see the film or play get hold of
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a copy of
the play by Peter Nichols. And do look out for the |
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version of
the play with Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton |
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filmed by
the BBC. See below. |
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Notes
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