Director Joseph Sargent repeatedly instructed Actress Marlee Matlin not to open her lips while signing to capture the accurate and pure ASL use for this telemovie. The director and the film making crew had to edit several scenes with Matlin and frequently panned the scenes to Jeff Daniels. The film making crew with the director's instruction to avoid the filming of Matlin's lip movements to be consistent with the given script and storyline.
Director Sargent pointed out Matlin's "hard to break" habits of moving lips and signing at the same time. Real impressive with Sargent's artistic determination to bring the balanced and realistic portrayal of culturally deaf person for tonight's CBS telemovie - "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" without resorting to typical and confused image of deaf people. *waving hands*
The remaining question about the byline title of Post's TV Week periodical - Sound Judgment following the word composition of Marlee Matlin, Jeff Daniels Star in "Sweet Nothing in My Ear". Why write "Sound Judgment"? What the Washington Post meant by that byline title?
Let's see tonight's telemovie and find out if the television reviewer make the sense with this byline title - "Sound Judgment". What is to do with very emotional issue about cochlearizing deaf child thru the use of so-called sound judgment? How can it be the sound judgment if the Jeff Daniels character simply want to see his own son leading the normal life by having the ability to hear. What about the pros and cons of cochlear implant surgery on deaf child? No such thing like "sound judgment"! Purely emotional decision to make!
Is the Washington Post's TV Week editorial team being irony or what?
Here is the link to the Washington Post's TV Week review of "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" telemovie -
or type www.washingtonpost and type "Jeff Daniels" on the enclosed search for Kathy Blumenstock.
Too many deaf people in DC area expressed sigh about not able to watch "Desperate Housewives" new tv epsiode. Also want to see tonight's PBS telemovie - "My Boy Jack" with actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter).
ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
