----- Original Message -----
From: Haighleagh Winslade <[log in to unmask]>
To: Leslie Harris <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 12:43 AM
Subject: Re: _King Gimp_
> With regard to the Oscars and actors who are physically challenged or
> differentially orientated it is important to realise that Hollywood i.e.
The
> American film Industry based in LA / Southern California is changing in
its
> attitudes towards such performers. 10 years ago or so it was only
acceptable
> for abled bodied actors to perform in roles and screenplays about
physically
> challenged or differentially orientated such as Daniel Day Lewis - "My
Left
> Foot", Tom Cruise "Born on the fourth of July" or Dustin Hoffman
"Rainman".
> However, since these films were made several things have happened. Two
high
> profile Hollywood stars have developed disabilities: Christopher Reeve
> became paraplegic as a result of a riding accident in 1994 and more
recently
> Michael J. Fox of the "Back to the future" films has announced that he
has
> Parkinson's disease. It is important to realise that when talking about
> Hollywood it is in reference to the industry and not the place and its
> attitudes. Until such major development albeit of a "tragic" nature being
an
> actor in Hollywood meant being physically perfect and beautiful.Such
events
> have made the industry realise that it is not isolated from events that
can
> happen to ordinary everyday people. Consequently disability is no longer
the
> taboo issue that it was. Hollywood has also taken a battering over the
> beauty aspect in the form of the criticisms leveled at Michael Jackson's
> plastic surgeon it is now hip to have a scar.
>
> Having seen inside of Hollywood myself I can say that in reality a lot of
> the hype is just hype many actors are hard working. The breadth of
> stereotype of actor and what they should look like is widening. In the
> '90's the Southern Californian culture supported a theater company in the
> form of the Access Theater Company of Santa Barbara which had the actor
> Anthony Edward's as its patron ( he himself made a documentary about the
> company ). With attitudes changing it is only a mater of time before
actors
> who are physically challenged or differentially orientated work in
> mainstream movie production. In many ways this is already happening with
> Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox.
>
> Furthermore the AMPAS not only awards Oscar's for motion pictures. The
award
> ceremony is rather like the way that BAFTA operated with one award
ceremony
> a year for both motion pictures and tv programmes until it split them a
> couple of years ago. This is why there is an oscar for best documentary
> along with ones for best picture , actor and actress etc.
>
> Haighleagh Winslade
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Leslie Harris <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 12:37 AM
> Subject: Re: _King Gimp_
>
>
> > I cannot comment specifically on the Oscars and whether or not the
person
> > should have been on the stage.
> >
> > However, from what I have heard, the organisers of awards ceremonies do
> > make their stages fully accessible. A couple of years ago a paraplegic
> > actor mentioned that he had no difficulty at all getting onto the stage
to
> > receive an award. Unfortunately I don't remember whether he received a
> > Golden Globe or an Emmy...
> >
> > Les
> >
> >
>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|