Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 193
somber to the humorous. This Canadian film won
an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
“Oh, God! why did they do this to
us? We only wanted to live, you
and I. Why should they send us out
to fight each other? If they threw
away these rifles and these
uniforms, you could be my brother,
just like Kat and Albert. You’ll have
to forgive me, comrade. I’ll do all I
can. I’ll write to your parents.”
Paul attempts to comfort a
man he has killed in
All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946) Drama ΨΨ
Sam Goldwyn film about servicemen adjusting to
civilian life after the war. One of the sailors has lost
both hands.
Blue (1993) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
British filmmaker Derek Jarman’s last film; he died
from AIDS shortly after the movie was completed.
Jarman reviews his life and analyzes the ways in
which his life has been affected by his disease.
Bone Collector, The (1999) Suspense/Thriller ΨΨ
Denzel Washington is a crime scene specialist with
quadriplegia.
Brief History of Time, A (1992) Biography ΨΨΨ
A documentary about the life of Stephen Hawking,
a theoretical physicist coping with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis.
Cactus (1986) Romance ΨΨΨ
Australian film about a woman who loses one eye
and considers giving up sight in the other in order to
more fully understand the world of her blind lover.
Children of a Lesser God (1986) Romance ΨΨΨ
The film examines the complications involved in a
love relationship between William Hurt, a teacher
in a school for the deaf, and Marlee Matlin, a
young deaf woman who works at the school. Much
of the conflict in the film revolves around Matlin’s
refusal to learn to lip-read. Matlin won an
Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her
role in this film.
Chinese Roulette (1976) Drama ΨΨ
Fassbinder film about a disabled girl and the
ways in which she dominates and manipulates
her family.
Cinema Paradiso (1988) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
A young boy is mesmerized by a movie theater in
a small, post-WWII, Italian town, and befriends a
crusty yet warm-hearted projectionist who goes
blind after a fire accident. Classic Giuseppe
Tornatore film.
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
Documentary ΨΨΨ
This HBO film examines the lives of five individuals
linked by a common illness—AIDS. The movie
won the Academy Award for Best Documentary
Feature in 1989.
Crash of Silence (1953) Drama ΨΨ
Mother agonizes over whether to keep a hearing
impaired daughter at home or send her to a special
school.
Cure, The (1995) Drama ΨΨ
Two adolescent boys become best friends. One has
AIDS from a blood transfusion, leading the boys to
set off in search of a miracle cure.
Deaf Smith and Johnnie Ears (1973)
Western ΨΨ
A deaf Anthony Quinn teams up with Franco Nero
to cope with the challenges of life in rural Texas.
Doctor, The (1991) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
William Hurt plays a cold and indifferent physician
whose approach to treatment changes dramatically
after he is diagnosed with throat cancer.
“Why don’t you ask me probing
questions about my childhood?”
Julie Andrews queries her
therapist in Duet for One
Duet for One (1986) Drama ΨΨ
Julie Andrews plays a world class violinist who
learns to cope with multiple sclerosis. Good illustration
of the effects of chronic illness on psychological
health. Max von Sydow plays the role of
Andrews’ therapist.
From: Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R.M. Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology
© 2005 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers (www.hogrefe.com)