{"id":23745,"date":"2012-07-09T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2012-07-09T10:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=23745"},"modified":"2013-04-01T18:00:42","modified_gmt":"2013-04-01T22:00:42","slug":"guest-review-my-left-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=23745","title":{"rendered":"My Left Foot: Movie Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many years ago I came to the conclusion that Daniel Day-Lewis<\/a> is the best actor of his generation.\u00a0 His ability to fully immerse himself in whatever role he is playing is legendary.\u00a0 When watching one of his films I don\u2019t see Day-Lewis, I see his character.\u00a0 The sheer intensity of his portrayals is gripping and spellbinding\u2014and without a doubt unmatched by any other actor today. I suspect Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> learned many things when he worked with Day-Lewis on The Gangs of New York <\/a>(2002), but I think the most important was the idea that you should only do quality work.\u00a0 DiCaprio took a page out of Day-Lewis\u2019 book and stopped making one inane film after another and concentrated on picking films for which he could be proud.\u00a0 Day-Lewis has made less than 25 feature films in his career (most highly regarded), which only goes to prove that quality is always more important than quantity.<\/p>\n

I have a difficult time deciding which of his two Academy Award wins for Best Actor (he has been nominated four times) is the best.\u00a0 His menacing portrayal of Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood<\/a> (2007) is powerfully mesmerizing, and his turn as Irish artist and writer Christy Brown in My Left Foot<\/a> (1989) is inspiring.\u00a0 Of the two, Christy Brown is the embodiment of a controlled performance. Not just any actor could have played a character born with cerebral palsy and who was unable to speak clearly throughout most of the film, but Day-Lewis does it beautifully.\u00a0While Day-Lewis could never master using his left foot as\u00a0Brown did to write and paint (Day-Lewis used his right foot instead and the scenes were shot through a mirror), he nailed the body rigidness and facial expressions. Although the performance is completely controlled, it also appears natural and believable.<\/p>\n

Of course, Day-Lewis (and the film) greatly benefitted from working with two accomplished actresses. Brenda Fricker<\/a> won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Christy\u2019s devoted mother, Bridget Brown.\u00a0 The real Mrs. Brown gave birth 21 times, so she was an often harried woman, but she did as much for Christy as possible.\u00a0 Fricker does a nice job of showcasing Mrs. Brown\u2019s resilient nature and her unabashed love for her special son. She and Day-Lewis really do a sensational job of exposing just how deep and abiding their two characters love and respect one another.<\/p>\n

Oddly enough, Fiona Shaw<\/a> is often overlooked in My Left Foot, which is a shame because this is one of her better film roles (she is primarily known for her stage work).\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t have as much screen time as one might like, but she makes her character, Dr. Eileen Cole, memorable in her few scenes.\u00a0 Dr. Cole plays a much more significant role in the book than the film, but I think that screenwriter and director Jim Sheridan wanted to focus more on the mother-son relationship than\u00a0the patient-doctor one. Still, Shaw does get to shine in her brief appearances; one of which is in the memorable restaurant tantrum scene.<\/p>\n

Besides the overall fine acting, the film itself is inspirational.\u00a0 To watch a young boy (played beautifully by Hugh O\u2019Connor) struggle with an almost paralyzing disease struggle to matter in the world is life-affirming.\u00a0 Here we have a boy who everyone thinks is mentally handicapped but who is really a brilliant individual\u2014his determination to persevere and berecognized by both his family and society is beyond admirable.\u00a0 When he first writes \u201cMother\u201d on the family floor and his entire family realizes he\u2019s not \u201cretarded\u201d you get a little catch in your throat.\u00a0 When you watch him descend into despair (and alcoholism) as a young man when he realizes that romantic love is beyond his reach (at least until the end of the film), you feel truly sorry for him.\u00a0 And, seeing him learn how to control his impaired speech by reciting Hamlet\u2019s soliloquy \u201cTo Be or Not to Be\u201d is a testament to the human spirit. I think most people enjoy films about overcoming obstacles, and the fact that this is a true story only makes it even more compelling.<\/p>\n

Kim Wilson is a history professor and the author of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die <\/span><\/strong><\/a>blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

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