I just LOVE the scene where the blind guy (Richard Pryor) says to the deaf guy (Gene Wilder) “hey, maybe if I shout loud enough right into your ear you might hear something”
Deaf guy - “sure, try it”
Blind guy shouts louder and louder and louder. On the last one the deaf guy pretends he heard something and then goes into a big emotional display of amazement at being able to hear something. Deaf guy gets caught up in the excitement and ends up saying “so you can hear?”
“NO”
“YOU IDIOT”
“I’M DEAF!”
I’ve probably got the scene horribly wrong but anyone who’s seen it will know what I mean.
Now really, Atreyu, I think you just over-reacted while simultaneously missing the entire point of his post. He hates that these shows treat deaf people like children (or, if they are children, idiots.) Not to mention it’s just plain poor writing. Get over yourself.
I’ve seen some examples of what BZ00000 writes about, including Children of a Lesser God. I’ve never gotten the sense that this type of exposition was treating deaf persons like children, but rather that it was a way of informing the audience what the deaf person had just said without resorting to subtitles.
But to post a rant over this? That is what I found pitiful, and I should have been more specific in saying so in my last post.
Given that it’s rare for deaf actors to find work in mainstream TV or movies, I’m happy to see them at all, regardless of how the audience is told what he or she is saying.
Actually in the movie, “Sarah” addresses that issues with “James” (wh is a speech therapist whose job at the school is to get the deaf children to speak).
At one point she complains that he is always talking. He talks when she signs, he talks when he’s the one whose signing. He always talks.
When she essentially asks him WTF, he answers “I dunno, I think it’s because I like to hear myself talk.”
Children of a Lesser God tries to equate the rhythm of sing language with poetry – tougher to do with subtitles. Much more effective with the running commentary.
BZ00000, are you a regular viewer of The West Wing? There is a semi-recurring character named Joey Lucas, played by deaf actress Marlee Matlin. Most of the time, a translator nearby translates what she signs for the benefit of those around her.
Does that approach bother you? If so, why?
By the way, the wording of the title of this thread was most unfortunate.
I don’t watch the West Wing, but I have seen Marlee Matlin on the Daily Show with a translator. I would have no problem with this approach in show. I just hate hearing a character repeat every word of another character.
While the point of the OP was not so bad, I think Atreyu was mostly reacting to the thread title, which – I’d have to say – sucks like a $5 whore. The title implies that having a deaf person in a movie makes it hateworthy.
Obviously, the point is about the technique used in the screenplay – but I have to disagree on the “treating like idiots” bit. It’s a technique that is used a lot (as pointed out in other posts here) that applies to more than just this situation – the repeating of “dialog” – which is simply for the audience’s benefit. The audience somehow needs to know what has been said. There are lots of “non-real-life” techniques that filmmakers resort to, in order to communicate things to the audience. Often, they are overused, and can get annoying. Just watch the David Lynch version of “Dune”, and see how long you can take the narration of the characters’ thoughts.
BZ0[sup]5[/sup] – point taken, and it’s a valid pet peeve (hearing dialog re-stated by another character). I can see how overuse of this technique can be irritating – but it applies to a lot more than “deaf person” situations. You might want to think more carefully about your next thread title.
