Down Came a Blackbird (TV 1995)

Helen McNulty is a journalist struggling to regain control of her life a year after she was abducted and tortured in Central America. She goes to a clinic for survivors of torture, where ... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Sanger

Writer:

Kevin Droney

Stars:

Raul Julia, Laura Dern, Vanessa Redgrave

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raul Julia	...	Tomas Ramirez
Laura Dern	...	Helen McNulty
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Anna Lenke
Cliff Gorman	...	Nick the Greek
Sarita Choudhury	...	Myrna
Jay O. Sanders	...	Jan Talbeck
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Rob Rubenstein
L. Scott Caldwell	...	Cerises
Falconer Abraham	...	Kouadio
Von Flores	...	Minh
Miguel Fernández	...	Captain Alonso Delacrux
Carlo Rota	...	Sergeant Manuel Ortega
James Kidnie	...	Secret Police Agent
Tedd Dillon	...	Man at Train Station
Ángel Jara	...	Torturer #1

Storyline

Helen McNulty is a journalist struggling to regain control of her life a year after she was abducted and tortured in Central America. She goes to a clinic for survivors of torture, where she reflects on her experiences and learns about others who have suffered similar experiences. She is drawn to Professor Ramirez, another patient at the clinic, who is still being pursued by his attackers. She thinks he can relate to her suffering, and she begins to learn why.

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Plot Keywords:

clinic | torture | journalist | survivor | holocaust survivor | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for depictions of torture, and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ramirez

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

All Media Inc., Chanticleer Films, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film appearance of Raul Julia. In poor health throughout filming, he died from a stoke two weeks after filming ended, and one year before its release.

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Goofs

The train that Raul Julia is on is VIA Rail, a Canadian only rail company but the police officers in the station have American flag patches on their uniforms.

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Connections

Referenced in Showbiz Today: Episode dated 21 October 1995 (1995)

User Reviews

Tense drama

Well played out drama about victims of torture trying to put their lives together again with the help of a psychiatrist, herself a former victim of the Nazis. This was a shocking tale with some very upsetting scenes, with a surprising and dramatic ending.