My Left Foot (DVD)

Christy Brown had a difficult childhood. One of thirteen children (out of the twenty two born to his mother who survived), he was born with cerebral palsy and deemed an idiot by his father and neighbours. Thankfully, his mother and siblings recognise that there is much more going on in Christy's head than immediately meets the eye. When he finally manages to express his feelings through words and pictures, it is his left foot that does the talking for him. Then his situation comes to the attention of a doctor, who helps him to improve his speech and control his limbs. But will he ever be able to lead a 'normal' life and marry? Made back in 1989, this film made ...  Read the complete review

It's taken me a long time to watch this film, and truth be told it's probably only come about because I'm going through a pile of free DVDs that came with Sunday papers as part of a personal challenge, and this is one of them. It's a challenge that I was dreading, but have surprisingly found a number of gems, including this fantastic film. Daniel Day Lewis stars as Christy Brown in the film adaptation of Christy's own autobiography. Christy was born with cerebral palsy (CP), a debilitating condition that affected his movement throughout this life, with the exception of his left foot, with which he used to write and paint. The tale chronicles through his ...  Read the complete review

I decided to watch this film because I myself have a mild form of Cerebral Palsy and have worked with people with Cerebral Palsy and I was curious to see how the topic was handled in this film. I thought this film was fantastic. Despite being released in 1989 the picture of disability is surprisingly contemporary and just as relevant now as it was then. Rather than portraying disability as a good or a bad thing this film recognises the complexities surrounding disability and leaves you with a deeper understanding of the perspective of a disabled person and those surrounding them. Daniel Day Lewis puts in a great performance which is accurate, believable and ...  Read the complete review

I decided to watch this film at last, but I didn't expect it to be easy or that enjoyable. It's a film about handicap, a difficult and necessary subject that needed to be raised at this time in the 80s. And no, at times it's not easy-going viewing, but at no time is it boring. It's riveting really. Not just because we have Daniel Day-Lewis, who is a famously serious actor who likes to get into his parts method-style. He won awards here for this portrayal of a man with cerebral palsey. It is a courageous and moving experience, as we see how this man, based on a real man in Ireland, coped with the problems and overcomes them in many ...  Read the complete review