Children of a Lesser God with William Hurt: DVD Cover

    Children of a Lesser God Director: Randa Haines Cast: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco

    DVD - 2 Disc Set - Special Edition / Wide Screen / Repackaged / Bonus CD Learn more

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    • DVD Release Date: 08/05/2008
    • Original Release: 1986
    • Rating: Rated R
    • Sales Rank: 17,602

    Viewer Rating: (3 ratings)

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    DVD - Wide Screen / Repackaged / Subtitled / Dubbed$14.99
     
    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
    • Cast & Crew
    • Full Product Details

    Features

    Closed Caption; Theatrical trailer; Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 TVs; Dolby Digital: English Mono

    Full Product Details

    Scene Index

    Disc #1 -- Children of a Lesser God
    1. All Over the Map [:18]
    2. Reasons To Speak [4:20]
    3. Sarah [1:20]
    4. Alone in Silence [5:55]
    5. Hearing Boys [4:01]
    6. Tell Me What To Say [2:56]
    7. I Promise [5:24]
    8. Boomerang [1:13]
    9. Deaf Children [6:57]
    10. Say My Name [4:31]
    11. Show Me the Music [2:37]
    12. What Do You Hear [4:33]
    13. Separate But One [2:06]
    14. Forgive Me [4:18]
    15. Inside the Silence [2:36]
    16. Joined [3:18]
    17. Credits [1:09]

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    Children of a Lesser God is a love story about a speech teacher who falls for a beautiful yet distant deaf girl in a small New England school for the deaf, and the obstacles that they face due to their differences. William Hurt plays James Leeds, a renegade teacher with an unconventional approach to education and a resume that includes stints as a bartender and a disk jockey. Upon his arrival, he is warned by school administrator Dr. Franklin (Philip Bosco) not to get creative with his instruction. Naturally, Leeds already has his mind set on his teaching plan and proceeds to play loud rock music in class in order to teach the students to feel the vibrations of the music and get them to try to speak phonetically. But a new element enters his life when he meets the attractive custodian, Sarah (Marlee Matlin). An exceptionally intelligent yet extremely bitter young woman, Sarah is a graduate of the school who has decided to remain there, in the confines of her world of silence; it's safer for her to be with her own "people" than to face what she perceives as a cruel and uncaring world. She hardly seems interested in James and will only communicate with him through signing, although she can read lips and even speak a little. James learns from Sarah's mother (Piper Laurie) that Sarah was sexually molested as a teenager; this explains why she is so wary of his attempts to form a relationship with her and why she is so full of fear. Eventually, James does get through to Sarah and the two fall in love, although both have to learn new ways to communicate their feelings. Though it seldom resembles the Mark Medoff play on which it was based, this directing debut from Randa Haines won an Best Actress Oscar for Matlin, for her first screen performance. Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

    Customer Reviews

    • Viewer Rating:
    • Ratings: 3Reviews: 2

    A Classic Presentation of Deaf Cultureby Anonymous

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    June 15, 2004: OK, I'm biased because I've spent most my life within Deaf culture, but I'm still a hearing person. I use this for a break in an American Sign Language class I teach at the university level. While it is a tear-jerker, it touches on many themes common in lives of the Deaf. Despite it's age, the themes and issues still ring true today. Marlee Matlin's performance is wonderful, if not a bit overdone.

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Mono edition.

    A Romantic Look Into a Silent Worldby Anonymous

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    September 14, 2002: Children of a Lesser God is an intense love story based on a deaf girls fear of being emotionally hurt. The girl, Marlee Matlin, earned a Best Actress Oscar for her performance as the ?mysterious, beautiful, angry? custodian at the high school from which she graduated. A new teacher at the school, William Hurt, sets out to teach her to speak, and quickly learns that she is more than resistant to the idea. The two fall in love but cannot find the emotional ?place between hearing and silence? that they can share. This movie gives the viewer a glimpse of the plight that deaf people face in trying to interface with a hearing world. I love this movie. The DVD is permanent to my collection, and I recommend it for yours.

    This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Mono edition.