Hesper Anderson Movies
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
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, (more)
- 1986
Mark Harmon stars as baby-faced serial killer Ted Bundy in this sobering 2-part TV movie. Ostensibly the archetypal All-American boy, Bundy was, from 1974 onward, responsible for the rapes and murders of several young women in the Pacific Northwest. The clues begin to mount when one of Bundy's victims manages to escape; she can only say that her assailant was a fellow named Ted who drives a yellow Volkswagen. Finally arrested after he moves from Seattle to Utah, Bundy is so certain of his superiority over the general run of human beings that he conducts his own defense at his trial; then, when extradited to Colorado, he escapes, triggering a desperate nationwide manhunt. At the time Deliberate Stranger was first telecast on May 5 and 6, 1986, Theodore Bundy was on Death Row, still contesting his sentence and seeking a legal way out. When time came for his execution, Bundy attempted several bizarre last-minute "stays," which would make intriguing subject matter should someone want to make a follow-up film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
The landmark 1978 courtroom prosecution which determined that a married man can by law be brought up on charges of raping his wife, was meticulously--and tastefully--detailed in this made-for-TV movie. Linda Hamilton stars as Oregon housewife Greta Rideout, who after years of abuse at the hands her husband John (Mickey Rourke) (it is the sort of marriage described by one observer as "usually [winding] up as suicide or homicide") finally takes him to court, accusing him of forcing her to have sex against her will. Among those involved in the case are feminist activists Helen (Conchata Ferrell) and Jean (Gail Strickland) and opposing attorneys Gary Gortmaker (Eugene Roche) and Charles Burt (Rip Torn). Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case originally aired October 30, 1980 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Hamilton, Mickey Rourke, (more)
- 1980
- PG
Touched by Love was not only filmed in Canada, but had a leading character named Canada (it had to; the film is based on the reminisces of a real-life person). Deborah Raffin portrays Lena Canada, a therapist in charge of handicapped Diane Lane. A wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy victim, Lane also shows signs of autism. Determined to bring Lane back into the world, Ms. Canada suggests that the girl start a pen-pal relationship with her favorite celebrity--Elvis Presley. Based on the real Lena Canada's book "To Elvis With Love," the low-key but emotionally supercharged Touched By Love costars Michael Learned as Lena's superior, Dr. Bell; also in the cast are sixteen genuine "special" children from a school in Calgary, Alberta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborah Raffin, Diane Lane, (more)
- 1975
The UFO Incident is a TV movie based on the true-life story of Betty and Barney Hill, the biracial married couple whose alleged abduction by extraterrestrials made headlines. The film is careful not to present the Hills' reminiscences as cold facts; both "remember" the ordeal only when probed under hypnosis by doctor Barnard Hughes. The alien abduction is presented in flashback form, adhering strictly to the Hills' description of the space vessel and crew. Essentially a dual monologue, The UFO Incident is kept alive by the virtuoso performances of stars James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. Particularly compelling is the fact that Jones' character resists the memory of his experience because he is afraid of suffering a fatal heart attack--which, we are informed in the epilogue, was indeed the ultimate fate of Barney Hill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In retaliation for the death of his son, a big-time hoodlum hires an expert female assassin known as Sydney to murder the three thugs responsible. At the same time, SFPD detective Keller (Michael Douglas) becomes romantically involved with his attractive new neighbor (played by Douglas' then-girlfriend Brenda Vaccaro. In this case, the viewer is way ahead of the detective: Keller's sweetheart is none other than the elusive Sydney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
