A Summer to Remember
- with James Farentino. (Rated: PG) ASIN: 6304853866. Friendship doesn't come easily to a young boy left deaf after a bout with meningitis. When his mother remarries, the child refuses to accept his new stepfather. But a friendship with a lost orangutan who's been taught sign language changes his outlook and gives him a friend to share with and protect from a malevolent circus trainer.
After
Image - (2001) starring: John Mellencamp, Terrylene. (Rated R). ASIN:
B0001XAPWO. Burned out after seeing one too many homicides, crime scene
photographer Joe McCormack takes a leave of absence and returns to his
childhood home. There he finds the aunt who raised him ailing and being
cared for by Laura, a young deaf woman. Joe and Laura ignite an instant
attraction but their romance is thrown off course when Laura experiences
visions of upcoming murders! Together, the begin to slowly unravel clues
about the gruesome crime! Stylish, suspenseful and highly entertaining --
you can't look away from AFTER IMAGE as Joe and Laura learn that the killer
is closer to them than they could have ever imagined!
Amy
- with Jenny Agutter (Rated: G) ASIN: 6305183309. A poignantly touching drama about the wife of a wealthy man who gives up her luxurious lifestyle in order to take a job in a rural school for the deaf.
Only Available in VHS.
Askari - starring: Marlee Matlin. (Rated: PG-13) ASIN: B0002OXV9G. After
losing her parents in a helicopter crash, sultry 16-year-old Emma Crawshay
finds herself living with her aunt, elephant authority Paula McKinley and
Paula's husband Joss. They live on an African wildlife habitat.
Unfortunately it is beleaguered by too many elephants for the space and a
supervisor who wants to start thinning out the herd. Paula's marriage hits
the rocks, and the sudden presence of her niece only makes matters worse,
reminding her of her dead sister. Emma becomes very fond of "Ollie," one of
the elephants, which in turn gradually blunts the tension she and her aunt
feel toward one another.
Beyond Silence (1998) starring: Sylvie Testud, Tatjana Trieb. (Rated R)
ASIN: B00008978K. The story of a young woman's battle for independence and
her deaf parents' struggle to understand her gift for music. Given a
clarinet by her free-spirited aunt, Lara is immediately consumed by a new
passion her parents cannot begin to fully comprehend. Determined to follow
her dreams, Lara's ongoing pursuit of music creates an ever-widening rift
that eventually threatens to tear apart her once close-knit family. An
inspirational and highly entertaining motion picture offering from Miramax
Home Entertainment -- you'll be riveted as this family must somehow learn to
reach beyond differences, expectations ... and beyond silence ... to bring
their two worlds together once again!
Children of a
Lesser God - with Marlee Matlin (Rated: R) ASIN: B0000507P9. Mark
Medoff's tough play about deafness. William Hurt plays a teacher newly hired
at a school for deaf children, and Marlee Matlin is the deaf and withdrawn
janitor who captures his attention. Romantic and heartfelt, the film makes
its audience care very much about its two leading characters, and wince when
Hurt's well-meaning instructor allows Matlin's handicap to become a problem.
Haines develops some interesting visual ideas to underscore the isolation of
Matlin's world, particularly a lovely refrain that finds Matlin swimming
alone at night. --Tom Keogh
Dead
Silence - (Rated: R) ASIN: B000A2XAP0. Features James Garner playing John Potter, a humorless FBI agent
negotiating with an escaped convict, who, along with two cronies, has kidnapped a school bus full of deaf students and their teacher
(Marlee Matlin).
Dear
Frankie - (2004) starring: Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone. ASIN:
B00094AS9A. This touching and humorous movie has earned the raves of critics
and won the hearts of audiences everywhere! To spare the feelings of her
fatherless boy (who happens to be deaf), Lizzie secretly authors letters
from his "father" that detail seafaring adventures from around the world.
But she cannot maintain this illusion forever. Torn between exposing the
truth and protecting her son, Lizzie gets more than anyone bargained for
when she hires a handsome stranger to play the role of a lifetime! Winner at
both the Heartland Film Festival and the Seattle International Film
Festival, this entertaining motion picture is sure to touch your heart!
Dreams Spoken Here
- A free documentary on Oral Deaf Education. Full (60 minutes) or Short (20 minutes)
versions available. A detailed exploration of oral deaf education from infancy through
adolescence and adulthood, focusing on the critical early years. Includes important information on educational techniques and dramatic
technological advances in hearing aids and cochlear implants. You can
also watch this one
online. You can also see a video of them
5 years later.
Dummy
Hoy: A Deaf Hero - starring: Ryan Lane, Deanne Bray. ASIN: B000WV1O1G.
One of the most anticipated baseball documentaries to come along in years.
Learn where the hand signals for baseball really originated from. Come take
a journey back in time to the 1800's and see history in the making.
Elephant Shoe - ASIN: B000W4O38E. Eamon, a disillusioned college dropout
takes a job as a gas station attendant in rural Ontario. There, he
purposefully cuts himself off from society. The narrow life he prescribes
for himself is disrupted by Daisy, a lonely, hearing-impaired girl with a
persistent crush on him. Told through flashbacks and home movies, 'Elephant
Shoe' makes a statement on true love and the post-modern condition.
Hear No Evil - (1993) starring: Marlee Matlin, D.B. Sweeney. (Rated R)
ASIN: B0002IQLG2. Silence turns to chaos and fear as Marlee Matlin is
stalked by a killer who knows she cannot hear. Jillian an athletic trainer
who is hearing-impaired, is unaware that a client has hidden a stolen rare
coin in her pager. When his car is blown up, Jillian starts to receive
terrifying threats and enlists the client's friend to help track the killer.
Johnny Belinda
- (1948) starring Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres. ASIN: B000BYA4JC. A patient, compassionate doctor teaches a deaf-mute girl to communicate. After the young lady is brutally raped by a local villager, the bucolic populace suspect the doctor of being the father of the child she later gives birth to.
Mr. Holland's
Opus - starring Richard Dreyfuss (Rated: PG) ASIN: 6305428352. Richard Dreyfuss plays an aspiring composer
and musician who takes a job teaching music at a local high school to save
money while he composes his music. But when his wife (Glenne Headley) becomes
pregnant, Glenn Holland must put aside his dreams and address the everyday
realities of his life, from the melancholy and sometimes tragic fates of his
students to the discovery that the son he cherishes is deaf. Building to a
highly emotional climax in which the teacher sees the impact he's had on the
world around him, Mr. Holland's Opus is a showcase for a fine Oscar-nominated
performance by Dreyfuss and an engaging, heartwarming story.
Nova - Mystery of the Senses-Hearing (1995)
- (Rated: NR)
ASIN: B000JJ5F6Q. Enjoy a celebration of the senses, a vivid blend of science
and imagery. Visit the quietest place on earth, the music-rich Maori and a
deaf woman regaining her hearing.
Sound
and Fury (2000) - Josh Aronson. (Rated: NR) ASIN: B00005RIY3. Two brothers, one deaf and one hearing, grapple with a
decision concerning their deaf children, and the debate that rages through the
extended family turns less on technology and medical concerns than social
politics and culture. The deaf parents of a school-age girl fear what the
implant would do to her unique identity, while the hearing parents of a
toddler see no question at all. Aronson gives all sides their say, but
ultimately the increasingly angry arguments reveal prejudices and fears from
both sides and split the once-harmonious family, much like they have split
hearing and deaf communities across the country.
The
Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - starring Alan Arkin. (Rated: G) ASIN:
B00005JO5S.
A deaf-mute man living in a small town in Alabama befriends a lonely adolescent girl.
The Miracle Worker
- (1962)
with Anne Bancroft. (Rated: NR) ASIN: B000056HEB. The story of the life of Helen Keller, the blind and deaf woman who learned to communicate
through the help of a young, energetic and incredibly committed teacher.
The Replacements -
starring Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, et al. (2000) ASIN: B00003CXLV. When a
professional football players' strike happens, the owner of a fictitious team,
the Washington Sentinels, commissions maverick coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene
Hackman) to pull together a team. McGinty selects a collection of talented
oddballs--a Welsh soccer player, a sumo wrestler, a deaf man, a couple of
professional bodyguards--with athletic pasts, figuring that if it doesn't work
out as a game, it might as well be a circus. To lead the team, he finds Shane
Falco (Keanu Reeves), a once-promising player who had a disastrous
championship game. Naturally, despite squabbling and bickering, a roguish
camaraderie develops through a mixture of racial infighting, harassment from
the striking professionals, and a big bar brawl--after which they're all
thrown in jail and perform the most improbable impromptu dance number ever
committed to film.
Through Deaf Eyes - (2007) Starring: Stockard Channing, d'Artagnan. ASIN:
B000OCY66I. A PBS Documentary on the history of the Deaf Culture.
Unfortunately, this one is not captioned.
Where
the Truth Lies - Starring: Marlee Matlin, Regina King - ASIN:
B00005NKT1. A controversial political candidate is murdered. His deaf
campaign manager is accused. Her trial becomes an event that will ruin lives
and open old wounds. Revelation of a shocking past becomes the pivotal twist
of the plot
CSI New York
Season 3 - In episode 312, "Silent Night", an intruder breaks into the
home of a deaf family and fatally shoots their teenage daughter. Mac works
with the grieving mother who relies on her other senses to provide clues
that will help catch her daughter's killer. Along the way she also provides
assistance to Mac as he struggles in his relationship with Peyton.
Desperate Housewives
ER
Season 5 - In this season Dr. Peter Benton's child is diagnosed with a
profound hearing loss and Dr. Benton explores the Cochlear Implant and if
it's right for him.
NCIS
If you're not familiar with the concept of lagniappe, it's Louisiana French
and means an extra or unexpected gift or benefit. In the NCIS series, that's
exactly what the signing is. It's not much and it's not in every episode,
but it's scattered throughout the 4 seasons I have on DVD. It's not always
translated so for those who understand sign language, it's lagniappe. I've
listed the episodes here that use signing or speech reading. And for those of you who just want it all in a nutshell,
here many of them are all are
rolled into one on YouTube (but it's not as fun watching it this way).
Season 1
Pilot Navy NCIS: The Beginning
3 Seadog
5 The Curse
21 Split Decision
Season 2
24 See No Evil
25 The Good Wives Club
28 The Bone Yard
38 Caught on Tape
45 SWAK
Season 3
48 Kill Ari (2)
51 Switch
53 Honor Code
59 Deception
63 Ravenous
64 Bait
Season 4
77 Sandblast
81 Driven
Picket Fences (Marlee)
Seinfeld Season 5 - In episode 70, Jerry is smitten with a line judge at
the U.S. Open, but after he gets her attention, he finds out she is deaf.
Elaine has a problem not communicating with a limo driver. George wants to
use Jerry's girlfriend to read the lips of his ex-girlfriend to find out
what she is saying about him. While she is reading the lips, Kramer misreads
the translation, which gets George in more trouble.
Survivor 6 - The Amazon - One of the contestants was Christy Smith who
is deaf. Her main goal by appearing on Survivor is to promote awareness for
the hearing impaired. (and to win the million.) At the time of this
writing, the season has yet been released, but till it is, you can watch an
interview with Christy about her experience on Deaf TV via
YouTube.
The West Wing (Marlee)
Scrubs
Season 2 - Episodes 06 (My Big Mouth) and 14 (My Brother, My Keeper)
both have some signing in them.
Season 6 - In Episode 16 the doctors treat a
deaf child and decide to fix his deafness with a CI. When the father says
no, they have the mother sign the consent form.
