MARLO THOMAS AS FORMER MENTAL-HOSPITAL PATIENT
By JOHN J. O'CONNOR
''NOBODY'S CHILD,'' the television movie on CBS Sunday evening at 9, gives Marlo Thomas the type of true-story role that not only allows but also demands a bravura performance. Miss Thomas delivers impressively. She portrays Marie Balter, an extraordinary woman who, after spending 20 years in a Massachusetts mental institution, went to college and, in the mid-1970's, earned an M.A. from Harvard University and founded the Balter Institute, a center for psychiatric treatment and counseling. It is a story very much worth telling, and the script by Mary Gallagher and Ara Watson tells it well. But there is a technical hitch. As the viewer is informed that this is a true story, it is immediately obvious that there has to be a happy, upbeat ending or television would not be interested in the first place. This reasonable assumption immediately creates a ''distancing effect.'' No matter what happens to the dramatized character, we know she will survive. That leaves us free to concentrate on the effectiveness of the performance, which may or may not be what Miss Thomas had in mind. The film - made by Joseph Feury Productions in association with the Gaylord Production Company - begins in 1959 as Marie, about 30 years old, is being turned away from home by her mother. Desperate, she runs back to a nearby mental institution where, somebody notes, she practically grew up. Through a series of brief, sometimes almost subliminal flashbacks - the editing by Alan Heim (''All That Jazz'') is superb -we learn that Marie's real mother had mental problems and that her adoptive parents, Italian immigrants, were also disturbed, the wife being pathologically jealous of the girl. Marie had attempted suicide several times. She is diagnosed as an acute schizophrenic and given huge doses of drugs that reduce her to little more than a twisted vegetable. One doctor, however, has doubts, especially when she hears Marie quoting from Dickens's ''Oliver Twist.'' She and a sympathetic nurse keep pushing to get Marie into a different treatment program, and finally succeed. The slow and harrowing process of rehabilitation begins, helped by a handful of incredibly supportive people, especially a man named Joe, who will eventually marry Marie. In fact, the nature of Marie's illness is never disclosed except for being labeled ''an anxiety disorder,'' which gradually is controlled with unspecified drugs. Directed by Lee Grant, ''Nobody's Child'' is billed as ''A Lee Grant Film,'' just as, say, ''The Money Pit'' is called ''A Richard Benjamin Film.'' This is the latest wrinkle in credits jockeying. In any event, Miss Grant has put together an unusually absorbing film with the considerable support of other proven talents. The photography director is Sven Nykvist, the veteran of Ingmar Bergman films, and he has vividly captured Marie's terror in seemingly ordinary images. And, as noted, Mr. Heim's editing contributes greatly to giving the production a visual sophistication rare in a television movie. Pulling out all the stops, Miss Thomas offers the kind of performance that awards are made for. Concentrating with a tension that sometimes leaves her face in muscular knots, she goes from being terrified and hysterical to being disarmingly shy and fiercely determined. It is a harrowing, totally dedicated portrait. And Miss Thomas also gets outstanding support, from Ray Baker as Joe, Caroline Kava as the sensitive doctor, Anna Maria Horsford as the helpful nurse, and Kathy Baker, Jackson Davies and Blanche Baker as devoted friends.
"It's a fine job of acting,heartful and true,short on cheap sentiment,long on honesty".Howard Rosenberg
"Thomas' controlled and convincing performance heightens and refines the drama." Monica Collins
"Her exacting portrayal is remarkable.The restraint Thomas shows provides an intimacy too often lacking in TV acting." Miles Beller
Nobody’s Child
The film opens with Marie being thrown out of her home by her screwed-up parents yet again, which brings her back to the local mental hospital again. The great Lee Grant turned director for this project and does an ace job in a story about mental illness that endures remarkable well twenty years later. The Mary Gallagher/Ara Watson teleplay pulls no punches and offers Thomas one of the most challenging roles of her career, one which she more than pulls off. Backed by a supporting cast that includes Ray Baker, Caroline Kava, Kathy Baker, and Anna Marie Horsford, this is a powerful work that seems miles away from the lame reality TV and reminds us of how great TV used to be. It is always compassionate, realistic and powerful, making one wonder what happened to the heart and soul of such storytelling today.
The 1.33 X 1 image is the weak point of the disc, with a fuzzy image from what looks to be an NTSC transfer. Amazingly, the film was shot by legendary cinematographer Sven Nykvist, best known for his work with the legendary Ingmar Bergman (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and Woody Allen among others, so this is one of those telefilms that deserves serious restoration and a digital high definition transfer. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is good and clean for its age, including a solid music score by the underrated Michael Small, whose work includes the original Stepford Wives, The Parallax View, Night Moves and The Star Chamber. There are no extras, except for other Koch Vision titles before the film begins, but Nobody’s Child deserves special edition treatment and if this does well enough, maybe it could get it down the line. Don’t wait that long, though, to see it. Now this is must-see TV!
- Nicholas Sheffo