Jean Hansen joins the staff at a state training institution for developmentally challenged children. When she disagrees with teaching methods used for a 12-year-old autistic boy, the princip... Read allJean Hansen joins the staff at a state training institution for developmentally challenged children. When she disagrees with teaching methods used for a 12-year-old autistic boy, the principal does not believe her approach is the answer.Jean Hansen joins the staff at a state training institution for developmentally challenged children. When she disagrees with teaching methods used for a 12-year-old autistic boy, the principal does not believe her approach is the answer.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Boy Counting Jean's Pearls
- (as Billy Mumy)
- Hot Dog Vendor
- (uncredited)
- Retarded Adult Who Walks Toward Camera
- (unconfirmed)
- (uncredited)
- Lewis
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Sack
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Ernie Lombardi
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector John Cassavetes and Producer Stanley Kramer had many creative/economic differences and during the editing phase, Cassavetes was fired.
- GoofsFourteen minutes in, the teacher asks "What time is it when the big hand is on the six and the little hand is on the twelve?" and a student answers "six o'clock" (which is incorrect), though when the camera pans to the blackboard, the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is pointing to six (which is correct).
- Quotes
Dr. Matthew Clark: I think you can find what you're looking for here, Miss Hansen. Because it's not what you can do for these children; it's what they can do for you.
- Crazy creditsFollowing the last name in the cast list (Elizabeth Wilson) are the words "and The Children".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Edge of Outside (2006)
The director cast real patients from the Pacific State Hospital in Pomona, California, as most of the handicapped children and in one harrowing scene, as the mentally defective adults. This lends a searing veracity to many of the scenes, and the effect is mesmerizing. Intriguingly, a few are actors, and you are likely to recognize a quick glimpse of Billy Mumy (Will Robinson in TV's "Lost in Space") as one of the children. In the central role of Reuben, a borderline case, a twelve-year old actor named Bruce Ritchey is convincing in evoking the emotional isolation and inward terrorism of his character. The plot revolves around Reuben and the battle of wills over his treatment between Dr. Matthew Clark, the fair-minded director of the mental hospital, and Jean Hansen, a newly hired teacher.
Lancaster is such a forthright screen presence that he is automatically credible in the authority role of Clark. Garland, looking bloated and overly made up, has a role that suits her persona at the time. As Jean, she poignantly conveys an unfulfilled maternal instinct especially as she starts to focus most of her time on Reuben to the inadvertent detriment of the other children. Even without an Arlen song, Garland can capture the internal tremolo of a woman whose only avenue for love is the children. Obviously the character was tailored for Garland, as Jean is a former musician trained at Julliard who failed to become a concert pianist. In a defining moment, she does get to teach one simple rhyming song, "Snowflakes", to the children for a Thanksgiving pageant.
I like the fact that there is nary a romantic spark between Lancaster and Garland in the story, as they are there to represent opposing perspectives. I only wish there was a bit more emotionalism in the way they argued about it, as it takes an hour for either one of them to raise their voices. Due mostly to Mann's unimpactful, enervating script, the whole film feels mannered in that way, which is what prevents the film from being wholly satisfying. The lack of an emotional pay-off, while realistic, does not provide the closure a viewer needs with such a desultory story.
Familiar faces fill the supporting cast. Cassavetes' wife, a young Gena Rowlands, plays Reuben's brittle, guilt-ridden mother Sophie, while Steven Hill plays the emotionally disconnected father who takes Reuben to the hospital only to abandon him. Paul Stewart and John Marley play state officials who need to assess future funding of the school. It's a tough movie to sit through, but the honest depiction of the children and the state of such facilities at the time, along with the low-key sincerity of Lancaster and Garland, make this one worthwhile.
- EUyeshima
- Aug 11, 2006
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ein Kind wartet
- Filming locations
- Lanterman Development Center - 3530 W Pomona Blvd, Pomona, California, USA(known as Pacific State Hospital at the time - closed 2015)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1