Drama

Romance

Children of a Lesser God

Paramount Pictures

United States of America

English

William Hurt

Marlee Matlin

Piper Laurie

Philip Bosco

Allison Gompf

John F. Cleary

Philip Holmes

Georgia Ann Cline

William D. Byrd

Frank Carter Jr.

John Limnidis

Bob Hiltermann

E. Katherine Kerr

John Basinger

Barry Magnani

Linda Bove

Ann Hanson

James Carrington

Max M. Brown

María Cellario

Jon-Paul Dougherty

Linda Swim

Lois Clowater

Allan R. Francis

Richard Kendall

Christopher Shay

Laraine Isa

Nanci Kendall

Marie Brazil

Charlene Legere

Leigh French

Archie Hahn

Jack Blessing

Nicholas Guest

Gigi Vorgan

Lynne Marie Stewart

Randa Haines

Gretchen Rennell

Barbra Matis

John Seale

Michael Convertino

Lisa Fruchtman

Burt Sugarman

Patrick J. Palmer

Mark Medoff

Stéphane Reichel

Paul LeBlanc

Rose Marie McSherry

Ann Brodie

Susanna David

Kim H. Winther

Randy Tambling

Jimmy Kaufman

J. Tracy Budd

Dan Siretta

Mark S. Freeborn

Michael Jewison

David Neil Trifunovich

Arthur Rowsell

Ron Renzetti

Robert J. Litt

George Berndt

Takashi Seida

Stanley Brossette

Robert DaPrato

Dennis Drummond

Dody Dorn

Patrick Drummond

Elliot Tyson

Robert Grieve

Ruth Lambert

Fabienne April

Else Blangsted

Valley Via Reseigne

Leanne Moore

Daniel R. Bradette

Linda Whittlesey

Steve Maslow

Richard Lightstone

Ron Lambert

Renée April

Candace Koethe

Hesper Anderson

Gene Callahan

***A school for the deaf on a Maine island with William Hurt and Marlee Matlin***

A teacher (William Hurt) moves to coastal Maine to work at a school for the deaf on an island where he becomes interested in a striking, but disturbed janitor (Marlee Matlin), who was once a student there.

"Children of a Lesser God" (1986) is part celestial and mundane; beautiful and profane. Thankfully there’s more beauty. The Northeast coastal locations are wonderful and Hurt makes for a worthy protagonist while expertly pulling off a difficult role. Marlee Matlin is an exquisite revelation without which the movie would’ve failed.

Everything builds to a stunning dramatic scene in the second half, which is expertly executed. Unfortunately, the couple hooks-up a little prematurely. More time should’ve been spent with the journey to consummation. Nonetheless, there are great moments here.

The film runs 1 hour, 59 minutes and was shot in New Brunswick, Canada (Rothesay, Saint John & Beaver Harbour).

GRADE: B

CinemaSerf

Acclaimed teacher "James" (William Hurt) arrives at a school for the deaf where his very "hands on" techniques rather shake the established order of superintendent "Franklin" (Philip Bosco). His pupils make good progress, though, as his methods start to encourage them to speak more and act with much more confidence amidst each other and amongst the talking community at large. Soon they playing a bit of second fiddle to the enigmatic "Sarah" (Marlee Matlin). She's now the school caretaker and has a reputation as a bit stand-offish and temperamental, but it turns out that she, too, is deaf and that she has also been in this establishment for over twenty years. Most people around the place just put up with her, but he determines to try to get to the bottom of her obvious frustrations and see if he can't help her deal with them. Initially a job of work for the man, this soon becomes something more visceral and intimate for both - and that tests the mettle of just about everyone. It's probably a testament to Matlee's strong and characterful performance here that I just didn't take to "Sarah" at all. I found the character - whatever her background, an angry and somewhat obnoxious creature who offered little for me to feel sympathetic towards. Not in a woe-is-me type of sympathy, just in a general sense of there ever being a likeable person under all the baggage. Their frequent rows and tantrums come across as increasingly contrived and by the end I thought the writing was on the wall for the pair as far as the plot was concerned and I didn't really care whether she spoke or didn't. I do think that shows her skill as an actress, and to an extent William Hurt's as a foil, but somehow this film resonated far more for what it meant politically and sensually at the time as a pice of profound innovation than it did dramatically on screen..

Marlee Matlin | Behind the Oscars Speech

Children of a Lesser God - Trailer

Marlee Matlin Wins Best Actress | 59th Oscars (1987)

Best Movies

Children of a Lesser God

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

William Hurt

Marlee Matlin

Piper Laurie

Philip Bosco

Allison Gompf

John F. Cleary

Philip Holmes

Georgia Ann Cline

William D. Byrd

Frank Carter Jr.

Box office

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