Children of a Lesser God **** (1986, William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco) – Classic Movie Review 5,249

Piper Laurie was Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress for the rousing 1986 spirit-lifting drama film Children of a Lesser God, with Marlee Matlin winning a Best Actress Oscar in her film début at 21 as a young deaf woman.

Director Randa Haines’s rousing 1986 spirit-lifting drama film Children of a Lesser God stars marvellous Marlee Matlin (hearing impaired in real-life), who won a Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe in her film début as Sarah, a young deaf woman whose hope, purpose and love in life are rekindled by new speech teacher James (William Hurt) at her school for the deaf.

This splendid film version of Mark Medoff’s Tony Award-winning play is a beautiful, challenging heart-warmer, and does a truly grand job of the stage to screen transfer. Let nobody doubt the value of the quiet skill of Hurt or of début director Haines, who both delicately tiptoe among the pitfalls of bringing such sensitive material to the screen.

However, it is Matlin’s triumph, and she and Hurt own the movie. But Philip Bosco has a triumphant time in support as the deaf school’s bad boss, Dr Curtis Franklin, while Piper Laurie is also outstanding, and was Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress as Sarah Norman. Allison Gompf, Bob Hiltermann, Linda Bove, John F Cleary and John Basinger also appear.

Hurt and Haines reunited in 1991 for The Doctor.

Piper Laurie was Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress.

Children of a Lesser God grossed $101.5 million worldwide on a $10.5 million budget. It received five nominations at the 59th Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Actor (for Hurt), Best Supporting Actress (for Laurie), Best Adapted Screenplay, with Matlin winning Best Actress, at 21, the youngest winner in the category and the only deaf winner in Oscar history until 2022.

It was mainly shot in and around Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, in autumn 1985, with the Rothesay Netherwood School as the main set.

The film is told from a hearing perspective, for a hearing audience. The signed dialogue is repeated aloud by Hurt’s character.

The cast are 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, and Linda Bove as Marian Loesser, John F Cleary and John Basinger.

Hurt dated Matlin for a year and they cohabited for two years. In her 2009 autobiography I’ll Scream Later, Matlin describes her rocky, two-year relationship with Hurt, whom she claims allegedly physically abused and raped her. She said their relationship involved drug use. Hurt issued a statement that his ‘own recollection is that we both apologised and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologise for any pain I caused.’

Matlin was the only deaf nominee and recipient in any Oscar category for 36 years until 2022, when deaf actor Troy Kotsur won for Best Supporting Actor for CODA, in which Matlin plays a supporting role.

William Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) made his film debut in Ken Russell’s 1980 Altered States, followed by the 1981 neo-noir Body Heat. He had three consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Broadcast News (1987), winning for the first of these.

Hurt died of cancer at his home in Portland, Oregon, on March 13, 2022, at the age of 71.

Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs on 22 January 1932) died on October 14, 2023.

Piper Laurie (real name Rosetta Jacobs) was Oscar nominated as Best Actress for The Hustler (1961) but didn’t make another film for the next 15 years. She was offered no substantial movie roles after The Hustler, so she and her husband moved from Hollywood to New York, raising her only daughter.

She made her comeback in 1976 in Brian de Palma’s Carrie (1976), earning her second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress. Children of a Lesser God (1986) is her third Oscar nomination, also as Best Supporting Actress. She is also known for the TV series Twin Peaks, for which she won a Golden Globe in 1991. She did not win an Oscar.

Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs on 22 January 1932) died in Los Angeles on October 14, 2023, aged 91, after a lengthy illness.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,249

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com