Sorry, my first time posting & it didn't come out like I
thought it would. The following was my comment:
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?
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Sullivan [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 8:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: King Gimp
-----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".
Haighleagh Winslade
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