Take 3: …and Your Name Is Jonah (1979) Review

On November 16, 2023 By 18cinemalane7 Comments

I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed by my blogathon theme. With the theme of family being so broad, I could have chosen almost any movie, television episode, or book to write about. On a trip to IMDB, however, I came across the 1979 made-for-tv film, …and Your Name Is Jonah. Since I had never seen, let alone heard of, this movie prior to the event, that is what I selected for Familyathon! As I’ve stated before on 18 Cinema Lane, I haven’t had the best of luck finding a television film from the ‘70s I like. Out of these titles, they have ranged from fine, ok, or disappointing. During my search for my Familyathon topic, I also realized how I’ve heard of few programs revolving around a family dealing with a misdiagnosis. So, reviewing …and Your Name Is Jonah is bringing something new to my blog’s table!

*…and Your Name Is Jonah* poster created by Charles Fries Productions and CBS

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: Like I mentioned in my review’s introduction, …and Your Name Is Jonah is about a family dealing with a misdiagnosis. At the beginning of the movie, Jenny and Danny, the titular character’s parents, learn their son is deaf after years of believing he had an intellectual disability. Learning about a misdiagnosis and adjusting to a new diagnosis can be overwhelming for a family. Through their portrayal of Jonah’s parents, Sally Struthers and James Woods make these feelings of stress and frustration come across realistically. During dinner, Jonah throws his peas on the floor, indicating how he doesn’t want to eat them. Genuine confusion can be seen on Danny’s face and heard in his voice as he takes Jonah’s plate away, in order to stop Jonah from throwing his food on the floor. Meanwhile, Jenny tells her son to stop making a mess in a calm, yet stern voice. She even points to her own plate, trying to get Jonah to eat his food. After Jonah receives his plate of food back, he continues to throw the peas on the floor. Agitation grows in Danny’s voice when he finds out the behavior hasn’t stopped. When Jenny decides to move Jonah’s plate into the kitchen, informing her husband about her plan in a calm manner, Jonah has a temper tantrum. This causes Danny to become frustrated over the situation, even sounding agitated with his other son, Anthony. Jenny, simply trying to keep the peace, attempts to stand up for Jonah, her voice sounding like she’s begging her husband for understanding. She also looks exhausted and overwhelmed.

When given a role that has little to no dialogue, an actor or actress must use facial expressions, emotions, and body language in order to show what their character is not saying. Jeffrey Bravin, the actor who portrayed Jonah, effectively utilized these acting techniques! This allowed the audience to learn more about Jonah, even knowing more information than his parents did. When Jonah wears his hearing aid for the first time, Danny and Jenny get into an argument over the hearing aid. Meanwhile, Jonah removes the hearing aid, his face expressing discomfort while doing so. His face continues to express discomfort when Jenny puts the hearing aid back into his ear. Jonah then looks sad and confused as he’s trying to figure out what his parents are saying. Through Jonah’s perspective, the audience can hear that, to him, Danny and Jenny sound like they’re arguing underwater. This scene helps the audience learn, before Jenny and Danny, that the hearing aid is not helping Jonah like it was intended to.

An introduction to deaf culture: Last year, when I reviewed Children of a Lesser God, I discussed how the film served as an introduction to deaf culture. This was achieved by the audience getting to know the characters and learning why they do or don’t want to learn to speak. …and Your Name Is Jonah also serves as an introduction to deaf culture. However, the introduction came from Danny and Jenny learning more about their son’s diagnosis. Toward the beginning of the movie, Jenny and Danny discover Jonah might benefit from using a hearing aid. An audiologist explains to Jonah’s parents how a hearing aid will help their son hear sounds he can just barely hear. This explanation provides a basic understanding of hearing aids for both Jonah’s parents and the audience. Later in the movie, Jenny gets invited to attend a deaf club. While attending one of the club’s meetings, Jenny learns some signs, ranging from describing animals to feelings. This demonstration was a beneficial introduction to sign language for Jenny as well as the audience.

Diversity in education: The idea of education not being “one size fits all” has gained attention in the 21^st century. That idea included as an overarching theme in …and Your Name Is Jonah seems ahead of its time, as the film was released in 1979. Throughout the movie, Jonah’s family try to teach him to speak through speech. But these efforts are met with little to no results. Instead of letting frustration get the better of her, Jenny admits that her approach to education is not the right fit for her son. After this realization, she seeks out other options in order to help Jonah learn to speak. By Jenny seeking out a new approach, the story acknowledges how children learn differently and how various teaching techniques are available to best meet a child’s educational needs.

Familyathon blogathon banner created by Sally Silverscreen of 18 Cinema Lane

What I didn’t like about the film:

Prolonging Jonah’s break-through: In my review of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, I talked about Deborah’s recovery process being rushed. This was the result of the film taking so long to show Deborah’s break-through, with that moment taking place in the movie’s last twenty minutes. Jonah’s break-through is also prolonged in …and Your Name Is Jonah. As I mentioned in this review, Jonah’s parents are overwhelmed by their son’s new diagnosis. However, for the majority of the story, they stubbornly try to use the same teaching technique with little to no results. While Jonah does receive a break-through, that moment takes place an hour and twenty-four minutes into an hour and thirty-three-minute movie. I wish this break-through had been reached sooner, so more time could be spent seeing Jonah thrive instead of struggling.

Lack of questions from Jonah’s parents: When Jonah is being released from the hospital, Danny and Jenny confess to the hospital’s director and the audience how their son has been at the hospital for “three years and four months”. When the hospital’s director tries to answer Jenny’s question of how Jonah got admitted in the first place, Jenny tells him, “You went over it and I just listened, and I still don’t understand”. This situation, along with Jonah’s new diagnosis, should have encouraged Jenny and Danny to ask more questions. Instead, they don’t dig beyond the surface. One example involves Jonah receiving a hearing aid. Earlier in this review, I brought up how Jonah’s parents learn about hearing aids and their intended purpose. While Jonah uses a hearing aid for the majority of the film, Danny and Jenny are frustrated by Jonah’s lack of progress. During one of Jenny and Danny’s arguments, the scene is presented from Jonah’s perspective, with the argument sounding like it’s taking place underwater. Had Jonah’s parents asked more questions about the hearing aid, they would have gained a better understanding why their son doesn’t seem to like wearing it.

An antagonistic speech therapist: One of the characters Jonah’s parents turn to for help is a speech therapist named Mrs. Marquardt. While Mrs. Marquardt had good intentions, I didn’t like how the film presented her as a more antagonistic character. When Mrs. Marquardt first meets Jenny and Jonah, Jenny tells Mrs. Marquardt how Jonah doesn’t seem to like wearing his hearing aid. Mrs. Marquardt tells Jenny how “he must learn to like it” and that his hearing aid is “his best friend”. While explaining the purpose of speech therapy to Jenny, Mrs. Marquardt tells her how children are not allowed to use sign language. Mrs. Marquardt explains how “once a child begins to use signs, he becomes lazy in learning how to use his voice and read lips”. I’m aware that some stories require the inclusion of an antagonistic character. But when a story like …and Your Name Is Jonah carries the overarching theme of how education is not “one size fits all”, the emphasis should be a teaching technique not working doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.

Sign language alphabet image created by Freepik at freepik.com. Hand sign vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com

My overall impression:

In my review, when I talked about the acting in …and Your Name Is Jonah, I mentioned how Jonah received a misdiagnosis. After learning their son is deaf, Danny and Jenny become so overwhelmed, they are desperate to find a solution. While watching the 1979 made-for-TV movie, I was reminded of the 2008 Hallmark Hall of Fame film, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, a story about parents trying to find a solution for their deaf son. However, I find myself preferring Sweet Nothing in My Ear over …and Your Name Is Jonah. In the 1979 film, Jonah’s break-through is prolonged, taking place in the film’s last nine minutes. For the majority of the story, Jonah’s parents don’t ask more questions, a cause for Jonah’s break-through being prolonged. This is different from Sweet Nothing in My Ear, where the parents spend that story exploring every available option for their child. Even though the conclusion of Sweet Nothing in My Ear is open-ended, that creative decision was made to allow the audience to form their own perspective. I will say …and Your Name Is Jonah provided a nice introduction to deaf culture. It also showcased good acting performances and a theme that made the film feel ahead of its time. But, overall, this movie was just fine, in my opinion.

Overall score: 7.2 out of 10

Have you seen …and Your Name Is Jonah? Are there any made-for-TV movies you’d like to see me review? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: Children of a Lesser God Review

On May 13, 2022 By 18cinemalane6 Comments

May’s theme for Genre Grandeur is ‘Best Picture Nominated Movies that didn’t win’. As the Oscars have been around for more than fifty years, there were plenty of titles for me to choose from. But I knew the main-stream, bigger name films were going to get selected by other participants of Genre Grandeur. So, I decided to choose a movie that was not only off the beaten path, but also less talked about than other films. This is one of the reasons why I’m reviewing Children of a Lesser God. Eric Binford, from Diary of A Movie Maniac, is another reason why I chose to write about the 1986 project. While talking about non-preachy movies containing messages, I brought up the Hallmark Hall of Fame production, Sweet Nothing in My Ear. After Eric mentioned how he loves Marlee Matlin, I realized I have never reviewed any project from Marlee’s filmography. I have seen Sweet Nothing in My Ear, as well as a handful of Switched at Birth episodes. But I’ve never discussed the ABC Family show on 18 Cinema Lane and I didn’t review the 2008 Hallmark Hall of Fame film. It should also be noted how the last time I wrote about an ’80s movie was last September.

*Children of a Lesser God* poster created by Paramount Pictures

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: Since Marlee Matlin is one of the reasons why I chose to review Children of a Lesser God, I will talk about her performance first. While portraying Sarah, Marlee’s facial expressions and body language were expressive. They were also as fluid as her sign language. During an assembly, Sarah witnesses a performance from James’ students. At first, she appears content, not seeing any issue with the performance. But as the performance goes on, Sarah’s face progressively changes, appearing angry for reasons not yet revealed. In fact, Sarah becomes so upset by this performance, she ends up breaking a mirror. The strength of Marlee’s acting abilities not only allowed her to stand on her own, talent-wise, but also go toe-to-toe with William Hurt!

In Children of a Lesser God, William Hurt portrays James. The first thing I noticed about his acting performance was how he was able to balance the light-hearted and serious moments of the story! Toward the beginning of the film, James is explaining to his students why they should learn to speak. To demonstrate a likely scenario, James does a hand-stand, in an attempt to make his point. Later in the film, James learns more about Sarah. She explains how, in high school, her male peers would desire an intimate relationship with her, yet refuse to take the time to get to know her. During this conversation, James becomes frustrated over things he can’t change, such as Sarah’s past. Similar to what I said about Marlee’s performance, William was also expressive in his role. The expressive nature of his performance is what helped him maintain a consistent portrayal!

Several scenes show James interacting with the students in his speech class. These scenes are meant to serve as the more light-hearted moments of the film. One of the students in this class is Lydia. Portrayed by Allison Gompf, Lydia was not afraid to try new things. In fact, she was one of the first students to try speaking. What helped Allison and her character be memorable was her on-screen personality. It was so bubbly and up-beat, you can’t help but smile every time she appears on screen!

The on-screen chemistry: As I just mentioned, both Marlee and William gave solid performances individually. However, they also performed well together! The strength and expressiveness of their acting abilities worked in their favor and complimented one another. These aspects of their combined performance allowed them to showcase a relationship that felt realistic. One of my favorite scenes in Children of a Lesser God takes place when James wants to listen to one of his records. But shortly after he puts on a Bach record, he is overcome with guilt. James turns off the record, telling Sarah he can’t enjoy the music because she can’t hear it. A few moments later, Sarah puts the record back on, as she knows how much James enjoys the music. Through the acting, as well as the screenwriting, this scene is a great example of the sacrifices and compromises that can take place within a romantic relationship.

An introduction to deaf culture: Whenever I talk about a movie highlighting a specific culture/community, I try to remind my readers that the film in question is not the “end all, be all” when it comes to discussing that culture/community. This is the case when talking about Children of a Lesser God. The students in James’ speech class are their own individuals, displaying distinct styles and expressing unique perspectives. These students, including Sarah, have their reasons why they either want or don’t want to speak. At one point in the film, James’ students perform in their school’s assembly. Throughout this performance, they sing, dance, and sign while on stage. The joy expressed by these characters can be seen and felt. This scene shows one can experience joy when they’ve found a place to belong.

What I didn’t like about the film:

A confusing title: With a title like Children of a Lesser God, I’m going to safely assume “children” is referencing deaf people, with the title itself emphasizing how deaf people are just as important to society as hearing people. But in the movie, Sarah is the only deaf character the story revolves around. Yes, there are deaf characters featured throughout the film. However, these characters are shown as well-adjusted individuals who aren’t prejudiced or mistreated. As I mentioned before, Sarah recounts a situation that happened to her in high school. Sarah’s mother, portrayed by Piper Laurie, shares traumatic events Sarah experienced in her life. But all of these events happened prior to the film. With all this said, the title, Children of a Lesser God, seems confusing.

A limited presence of James’ students: As I said earlier in this review, the moments where James interacts with his students were meant to be the more light-hearted moments of the film. But throughout the movie, the presence of the students themselves were limited. I really liked the camaraderie between these characters, as it made their connection seem believable. Because of the student’s limited presence, it left few opportunities to get to know them. Sure, we learn about them through their experiences in James’ speech class. But compared to James and Sarah, I felt like I, as an audience member, only became familiar with James’ students. I kind of wish they had received their own subplot.

No appearances from Ruth: When Sarah’s mom is talking to James about Sarah’s past, she mentions her other daughter, Ruth. She also mentions how, in high school, Ruth’s male peers were more interested in Sarah. Despite Ruth getting brought up in the story, Sarah’s sister never appears in the film. Personally, I think this was a missed opportunity. It would have been interesting to hear the perspective of a sibling of someone with a disability. I also wanted to know how Ruth felt about what Sarah went through in high school. In the movie’s opening credits, I learned Children of a Lesser God was based on a Broadway play. I haven’t seen this play, so I don’t know if Ruth is a character that is meant to be in the story. But, like I said, it still feels like a missed opportunity.

Orange cat image created by Freestockcenter at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/ginger-cat_883376.htm’>Designed by Freestockcenter</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/gold”>Gold image created by Freestockcenter – Freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

Children of a Lesser God is a character-driven movie. With these types of films, you need a cast that is so strong, it gives the audience a reason to stay invested in the overall story. That is exactly what this 1986 production achieved! Even though Children of a Lesser God primarily revolves around Sarah and James, the supporting cast was great to watch. Presenting an introduction to the deaf culture also helps. Though I liked this movie, there were some aspects of this project that could have been stronger. I wish James’ students had received their own subplot and Ruth had appeared in the story. But as I said in this review, Children of a Lesser God is based on a Broadway play. Therefore, I don’t know what was in the original source material. As I close this review, I’d like to say I can’t speak for whether Children of a Lesser God should have received the Best Picture award. That’s because I haven’t seen Platoon or the other films nominated in 1987.

Overall score: 7.7-7.8 out of 10

Have you seen Children of a Lesser God? Which movie do you think should have won Best Picture in 1987? Please let me know in the comment section below!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen