Editing Children of a Lesser God (film)

{{Short description|1986 film directed by Randa Haines}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Children of a Lesser God
| image          = Children of a Lesser God film poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Randa Haines]]
| producer       = {{plainlist |
* [[Burt Sugarman]]
* Patrick J. Palmer
}}
| screenplay     = {{plainlist |
* Hesper Anderson
* [[Mark Medoff]]
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Children of a Lesser God (play)|Children of a Lesser God]]''<br>1979 play|Mark Medoff}}
| starring       = {{plainlist |
* [[William Hurt]]
* [[Marlee Matlin]]
* [[Piper Laurie]]
* [[Philip Bosco]]
}}
| music          = [[Michael Convertino]]
| cinematography = [[John Seale]]
| editing        = [[Lisa Fruchtman]]
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{film date|1986|10|3}}
| runtime        = 114 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = {{plainlist |
* English
* [[American Sign Language]]
}}
| budget         = $10.5 million<ref name=AFI>{{Cite web |url= https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/57284 |title=Children of a Lesser God |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |access-date=August 1, 2018 |archive-date=August 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801064346/http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/57284 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $101.5 million
}}

'''''Children of a Lesser God''''' is a 1986 American [[Romance film|romantic]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Randa Haines]] from a screenplay written by Hesper Anderson and [[Mark Medoff]] and based on Medoff's  [[Children of a Lesser God (play)|1979 play]]. The film stars [[William Hurt]], [[Marlee Matlin]] (in her film debut), [[Piper Laurie]], and [[Philip Bosco]]. The film's narrative follows two employees at a [[school for the deaf]]: a [[Deaf]] custodian and a hearing speech teacher, whose conflicting ideologies on speech and deafness create tension and discord in their developing romantic relationship.

''Children of a Lesser God'' premiered at the [[37th Berlin International Film Festival]], where it competed for the [[Golden Bear]], while Haines received a [[Silver Bear|Special Silver Bear]]. It was theatrically released on October 3, 1986, by [[Paramount Pictures]] to critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Haines's direction, the screenplay, and particularly the performances of Hurt, Matlin, and Laurie. The film grossed $101.5 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget. It received five nominations at the [[59th Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (for Hurt), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] (for Laurie), [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], and [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] (for Matlin). At age 21, Matlin became [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest winners 3|the youngest Best Actress winner]] as well as the [[List of Academy Award records|first deaf winner in Oscar history]].<ref name="hollywoodspeaks" />

== Plot ==
An energetic new teacher, James Leeds, arrives at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing in [[New England]]. He soon sees a young deaf woman, Sarah Norman, working as a [[janitor]]. Sarah, a former top student, is not well regarded by the hearing staff, but seems to integrate well with the deaf students. James begins to try to talk with her, arranging a meeting through her boss, pursuing her after school while she is attempting to clean, and persisting despite being rejected several times. She eventually agrees to go to dinner, and from the sidelines he watches her dance as she feels the music.

Sarah does not want to use her voice, and James eventually agrees not to try to force her to—a promise he later breaks. He finds out that Sarah refuses to visit her home, and assumes her mother has stopped reaching out. Through her mother, James finds out that Sarah and her sister Ruth were popular, and according to her mother her peers treated Sarah as if she was not different from other women. Unfortunately, Sarah later reveals that she was sorely used by the unnamed "boys", and may have been a victim of sex abuse. Such treatment has led Sarah to mistrust men and resist interacting with anyone.  Later, in a pool scene, he walks in on her swimming nude. James confesses that he is falling in love with Sarah. She seems to be afraid. He falls into the pool on purpose, which changes the mood of the interaction.  They share a passionate kiss in the water, then James undresses. It is implied that they have sex that night for the first time.

The relationship between James and Sarah develops. The school superintendent warns James that he does not believe the relationship will work, but James is adamant that he will stay with Sarah because he loves her. James choreographs a dance with his deaf students, in which they lip-sync to a song on a stage in front of their parents. Sarah sees this performance and becomes upset over the fact that the students use their voices. The conflict between James and Sarah persists as she thinks James hates her for not speaking. James convinces Sarah to leave her job and move in with him, although it is not clear what her plans for the future are. James's determination to hear Sarah speak and his inability to help her to develop individual pursuits frustrates her, and she feels he is patronizing her. They split up shortly after.

Sarah leaves James and goes to live with her estranged mother, reconciling with her in the process. James chases her, but she refuses to see him. After inquiring about her, James learns Sarah is working as a manicurist. Eventually, she and James reconcile at the [[school prom]]. They decide to learn how to stay connected in between the worlds of silence and sound.

== Cast ==
* [[William Hurt]] as James Leeds
* [[Marlee Matlin]] as Sarah Norman
* [[Piper Laurie]] as Mrs. Norman
* [[Philip Bosco]] as Dr. Curtis Franklin
* Allison Gompf as Lydia
* Bob Hiltermann as Orin
* [[Linda Bove]] as Marian Loesser

== Production ==
===Development===
After meeting deaf actress [[Phyllis Frelich]] in 1977 at the [[University of Rhode Island]]'s New Repertory Project, playwright Medoff wrote the play ''Children of a Lesser God'' to be her [[star vehicle]].<ref name="play" /> Based partially on Frelich's relationship with her hearing husband Robert Steinberg,<ref name="deafpersons" /> the play chronicles the tumultuous relationship and marriage between a reluctant-to-speak deaf woman and an unconventional speech pathologist for the deaf. With Frelich starring, ''Children of a Lesser God'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1980, received three [[Tony Award]]s, including [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]], and ran for 887 performances before closing in 1982.<ref name="ibdb" />

Following the vast success of his Broadway debut, Medoff, with fellow writer Anderson, penned a screenplay adapted from the original script. Though many changes were made, the core love story remained intact.<ref name="ebert_review" /> The title of the film comes from the eleventh chapter ("The Passing of Arthur") of [[Alfred Lord Tennyson]]'s ''[[Idylls of the King]]''.<ref name="Sherrod-tcm" /><ref name="Tennyson" />

===Filming===
The movie was shot primarily in and around [[Saint John, New Brunswick]], during the autumn of 1985, with the [[Rothesay Netherwood School]] serving as the main set.<ref name=AFI/> Aside from locations in Saint John and Rothesay Netherwood School, sets were constructed by Saint John local Keith MacDonald.

==Release==
The adaptation premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 13, 1986, and was [[Wide release|released widely]] in the United States on October 3 of the same year. Like its source material, the film generally gained praise from the hearing and deaf communities alike.<ref name="ebert_review" />

==Reception==
===Box office===
The film opened at number five at the box office in the United States and Canada with an opening weekend gross of $1,909,084. The film stayed in the top ten for eight weeks and grossed a total of $31,853,080.<ref name="Box Office Mojo" /><ref name=ww>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 11, 1989|page=24|title=Foreign Vs. Domestic Rentals}}</ref> Internationally it grossed $69.6 million for a worldwide total of $101.5 million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 11, 1995|page=92|title=UIP's $25M-Plus Club}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
[[File:MarleeMatlinMay09crop.JPG|thumb|upright|right|[[Marlee Matlin]]'s performance received critical acclaim, earning her the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]], making the 21-year-old the [[List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees#Youngest winners 3|youngest winner in the category]].]]
''Children of a Lesser God'' received generally positive reviews. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Children of a Lesser God'' holds an approval rating of 81% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Children of a Lesser God'' transcends its transparently noble goals thanks to a pair of absorbing performances from William Hurt and Marlee Matlin."<ref>{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Children of a Lesser God|id=children_of_a_lesser_god|type=m|access-date=May 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117064857/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/children_of_a_lesser_god |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Particular praise was given to the film's two leads. [[Richard Schickel]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine said of Matlin, "she has an unusual talent for concentrating her emotions—and an audience's—in her signing. But there is something more here, an ironic intelligence, a fierce but not distancing wit, that the movies, with their famous ability to photograph thought, discover in very few performances."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Schickel |first=Richard |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1075235,00.html |title=Miracle Worker: Children of a Lesser God |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=June 21, 2005 |access-date=December 27, 2012 |archive-date=August 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824221354/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1075235,00.html |url-status=dead }} Subscription required.</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 3 out of a possible 4 stars, describing the subject matter as "new and challenging", saying he was "interested in everything the movie had to tell me about deafness." He continued, "The performances are strong and wonderful – not only by Hurt, one of the best actors of his generation, but also by Matlin, a deaf actress who is appearing in her first movie. She holds her own against the powerhouse she's acting with, carrying scenes with a passion and almost painful fear of being rejected and hurt, which is really what her rebellion is about."<ref name="ebert_review">{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=October 3, 1986 |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/children-of-a-lesser-god-1986 |title=Children Of A Lesser God |work=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=December 27, 2012 |archive-date=February 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212075617/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19861003%2FREVIEWS%2F610030301 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Paul Attanasio]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' said of the film, "This is romance the way Hollywood used to make it, with both conflict and tenderness, at times capturing the texture of the day-to-day, at times finding the lyrical moments when two lovers find that time stops." He goes on to say of Matlin, "The most obvious challenge of the role is to communicate without speaking, but Matlin rises to it in the same way the stars of the [[silent era]] did – she acts with her eyes, her gestures."<ref>{{cite news |last=Attasanio |first=Paul |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/childrenofalessergodrattanasio_a0ad57.htm |title='Children of a Lesser God' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 3, 1986 |access-date=December 27, 2012 |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925042428/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/childrenofalessergodrattanasio_a0ad57.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The film is not subtitled (neither the spoken dialogue nor the signing); instead, as Ebert observed, the signed dialogue is repeated aloud by Hurt's character, "as if to himself".<ref name="ebert_review" />

===Awards and nominations===
The film received five [[Academy Award]] nominations, with Marlee Matlin winning for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]].<ref name="oscar" /> Marlee Matlin was 21 years old when she won, making her the [[List of superlative Academy Award winners and nominees|youngest Best Actress winner]] to date and the first deaf Academy Award winner.<ref name="oscarstats" /> ''Children of a Lesser God'' was the first ever female-helmed film to be nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-21-ca-256-story.html|title=What Took So Long?|last=Michaelson|first=Judith|date=July 21, 1991|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=March 27, 2017|archive-date=March 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328105304/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-21/entertainment/ca-256_1_patients-as-people-first-randa-haines-lesser-god|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[59th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Burt Sugarman]] and Patrick J. Palmer
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[William Hurt]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Marlee Matlin]]
| {{won}}
|- 
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Piper Laurie]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| Hesper Anderson and [[Mark Medoff]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[37th Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin International Film Festival]]
| [[Golden Bear]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Randa Haines]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution<ref name="Berlinale" />
| {{won}}
|-
| Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost"
| {{won}}
|-
| [[40th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Adapted]]
| Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[39th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Randa Haines
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[44th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| William Hurt
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Marlee Matlin
| {{won}}
|-
| Guild of German Art House Cinemas Awards
| Foreign Film (Sliver)
| Randa Haines
| {{won}}
|-
| [[1986 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Marlee Matlin
| {{Runner-up}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1986|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|7th Place}}
|-
| [[39th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best  Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff
| {{nom}}
|}

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing]]
* [[Hearing loss]]

== References ==
{{reflist
| colwidth =
| refs =

<ref name="hollywoodspeaks">
{{cite book
| author-link= John S. Schuchman
| last = Schuchman
| first = John S.
| year = 1999
| title = Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry
| publisher = University of Illinois Press
| location = Urbana, IL
| isbn = 978-0-252-06850-8
| page = 82
}}
</ref>

<ref name="play">
{{cite book
| last = Medoff
| first = Mark
| year = 1981
| title = Children of a Lesser God
| publisher = James T. White & Company
| location = Clifton, NJ
| isbn = 978-0-88371-032-6
| page = vii
| url = https://archive.org/details/childrenoflesser00medo
}}
</ref>

<ref name="deafpersons">
{{cite book
| last = Lang
| first = Harry G.
| author2 = Meath-Lang, Bonnie
| year = 1995
| title = Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary
| publisher = Greenwood Press
| location = Westport, CT
| isbn = 978-0-313-29170-8
| page = [https://archive.org/details/deafpersonsinart00lang/page/130 130]
| url = https://archive.org/details/deafpersonsinart00lang/page/130
}}
</ref>

<ref name="ibdb">{{cite web
| title = Children of a Lesser God
| work = Internet Broadway Database
| publisher = The League of American Theatres and Producers
| url = http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=3694
| access-date = May 26, 2011
| archive-date = July 11, 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070711224635/http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=3694
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="oscar">
{{cite web
 |title      = The 59th Academy Awards
 |website  = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
 |url        = https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1987
 |access-date = February 22, 2024
}}
</ref>

<ref name="oscarstats">
{{cite web
 |title       = Help Page – Academy Awards Database – AMPAS
 |publisher   = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
 |url         = http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/oldyoungacting.html
 |access-date  = May 26, 2011
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604032800/http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/oldyoungacting.html
 |archive-date = June 4, 2011
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Sherrod-tcm">{{cite web
| last = Sherrod
| first = Kerryn
| title = Children Of A Lesser God
| work = Turner Classic Movies Database
| publisher = Turner Classic Movies
| url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18312/children-of-a-lesser-god#articles-reviews?articleId=87771
| access-date = November 2, 2011
| archive-date = August 6, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806055229/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/87771%7C0/Children-Of-A-Lesser-God.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Tennyson">{{cite web
| last = Tennyson
| first = Alfred Lord
| title = Idylls of the King
| work = eBooks.Adelaide.edu.au
| publisher = University of Adelaide, South Australia
| url = https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tennyson/alfred/idylls/complete.html
| access-date = November 2, 2011
| archive-date = July 29, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190729012636/https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tennyson/alfred/idylls/complete.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

<ref name="Box Office Mojo">{{cite web
| title = Children of a Lesser God
| work = Box Office Mojo
| publisher = IMDb
| url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=childrenofalessergod.htm
| access-date = September 11, 2010
| archive-date = May 21, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190521110759/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=childrenofalessergod.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web
| title = Berlinale: 1987 Prize Winners
| work = berlinale.de
| url = http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1987/03_preistr_ger_1987/03_Preistraeger_1987.html
| access-date = February 27, 2011
| archive-date = October 15, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131015121550/http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1987/03_preistr_ger_1987/03_Preistraeger_1987.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0090830}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=18312}}
* {{AFI film|57284}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|children_of_a_lesser_god|Children of a Lesser God}}

{{Randa Haines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Children Of A Lesser God}}
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1986 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1986 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American Sign Language films]]
[[Category:Films about deaf people]]
[[Category:Films about educators]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Randa Haines]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films scored by Michael Convertino]]
[[Category:Films set in Maine]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Brunswick]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:Films about disability in the United States]]
[[Category:Films shot in Saint John, New Brunswick]]
[[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]