-----Original Message-----
From: Haighleagh Winslade [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 9:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: King Gimp
The terms "physically challenged" and "differentially orientated" are terms
sometimes used in Californian culture for physically disabled and learning
disability respectively (learning disability in the US is applied to
disabilities like dyslexia). It is not a Hollywood construction but a
southern Ca. one.
I put the phrase tragic in inverted commas as I was trying to use the phrase
to convey the feeling that many people view such accidents. Christopher
Reeve was an actor who had successfully portrayed a super human being and I
remember at the time of his accident seeing and reading many tv and
published articles that saw this as a great irony. I have followed the
developments in Mr Reeve's life with much interest and admiration towards
his stoicism and determination to get on with life.
Disability in the Hollywood context was taboo in that:
a: Actors had / have to be physically perfect and beautiful.
b: In relation to a: it was only acceptable for an able bodied actor to play
a disabled part. You only have to think of the criticisms over the abled
bodied actor Daniel Day Lewis playing the lead role of Christy Brown in "My
Left Foot".
It would seem to me that one obvious exceptionto this theory is Marlee
Matlin's success as an actress (Deaf woman playing a Deaf character). I
think she won an Oscar for Children of a Lesser God and gave her acceptance
speech in Sign. Am I remembering correctly?
Haighleagh Winslade
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