Autism - The Musical
List Price: $26.95
Prices subject to change.
You Pay Only: $24.49
You Save: $2.46 ( 9%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP INC
EAN: 0767685109472
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: DOCURAMA
Manufacturer: DOCURAMA
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: DOCURAMA
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Running Time: 93 minutes
Sales Rank: 7831
Studio: DOCURAMA
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Related Items:
- Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
- Through the eyes of Autism
- 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Autism is a World - CNN
- Autism Yesterday
- see more
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
AUTISM: THE MUSICAL follows the extraordinary and innovative acting coach Elaine Hall, five autistic children, and their parents as they improbably, heroically mount a full-length original stage production. Through trial and error, tears and laughter, these incredible families learn to communicate their feelings in song and performance, finding solace and joy in the act of creating.
A veritable feast of astounding breakthroughs and heartbreaking hardship, this spellbinding film offers a full-throated celebration of kids living with this increasingly prevalent disorder. Director Tricia Regan vividly captures the individual personalities and problems of each child, from precocious Henry who talks a mile-a-minute about dinosaurs to Neal, a sensitive and articulate boy who nonetheless struggles to speak at all. The parents, too, are fascinating studies in unconditional love, especially Elaine, the mastermind behind the musical and mother of Neal.
A consciousness-raising and empathetic portrait of children and their families living with autism, AUTISM: THE MUSICAL celebrates the spark of humanity in each of us. Called 'Moving, dramatic, therapeutic and unburdened by reliance on talking heads'; (Variety), this film will change the way you look at autism
Amazon.com:
It's hard to imagine an unlikelier feel-good documentary than the uplifting Autism: The Musical. Directed for HBO by Tricia Regan, but truly the brainchild of the vision--and sheer will--of Elaine Hall, the film is both unflinching in its portrayal of autism, and triumphant in the ways it shows connections among the film's subjects. For those dealing with autism--and as the diagnosis grows more common, that would be nearly everyone--this film is enlightening, engaging, and reaffirming. The film chronicles the first theater arts endeavor of the L.A.-based Miracle Project, the creation of Hall ('Coach E'), a playwright and the single mother of Neal, a nearly speechless autistic boy. Through networking, Hall has met a group of parents of children with an enormous range of autistic symptoms and decides to try a workshop in which the children will, in a matter of months, be cohesive enough to perform in a stage production. The film follows Hall from the initial (and skeptical) meetings of the parents, and introduces the several children followed throughout the rehearsal period. Part of the disarming strength of the film is that it changes its perspective on showing the children's personalities. Viewers first meet 14-year-old Lexi when she's singing a musically complex Joni Mitchell song, in a clear, absolutely lovely soprano, in what appears to be a regular singing lesson. Only later do we learn that Lexi, diagnosed with autism as a toddler, has a hard time originating her own speech--though hearing her sing, the viewer would never have guessed. (Her parents still struggle with Lexi's condition, with her mother alternating between frustration and despair, and her father calmly saying, 'It's not up to us to judge the quality of her life.') Other kids with behavioral issues or communication challenges are among the cast members, and the early scenes show a barely-controlled chaos that clearly mirrors the daily lives of the parents. The toll of dealing with their children is shown, as marriages break up and friendships are strained. Yet love blossoms in the most unlikely places, as Hall shows midway through the film. By the triumphant finale, the viewer is as invested in the children's lives as the parents, and the performances, while perhaps not what one would have expected at the beginning, present nothing short of a true 'Bravo!' moment. As the kids sing, 'Take a chance--get to know the real me.' --A.T. Hurley
Average Rating: 
Rating:
- No closed captioningGotta love the irony here -- a feel good film about a disability yet no closed-captioning for disabled ... Read More
Rating:
- I love this showI saw this on TV, it was good. The kids are cute and it has good info about autism and living with autism. ... Read More
Rating:
- Great MovieThis was a great movie being a parent of a 3 year old girl with autism and being around other autistic kids ... Read More
Rating:
- best film I have seen about autismIt has been some months since I first saw this film, and I found it to be entertaining and educational, but ... Read More
Rating:
- Autism the MusicalFirst off: I absolutely ADORE this movie! Every time it comes on TV I just HAVE to watch it.
Adam is an ... Read More
Browse for similar items by category:
- Documentary - Genres - DVD - Video - General
- Series & Studios - Documentary - Genres - DVD - Video - Docurama
- Format (binding) - Refinements - DVD - Video - DVD
- MPAA Rating (feature_browse-bin) - Refinements - DVD - Video - Unrated
- Region (feature_two_browse-bin) - Refinements - DVD - Video - US & CA DVDs: Region 1
Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.