Mockingbird Don't Sing (2001)

Director:

Harry Bromley Davenport

Writer:

Daryl Haney (writer)

Release Date:

4 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

On November 4, 1970 on The CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite reported on a true, horrific story that was about to rock the country...

Plot Keywords:

Child Abuse | Mute | Child Neglect | Foster Family | Linguistics

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Melissa Errico	...	Sandra Tannen
Joe Regalbuto	...	Dr. Norm Glazer
Sean Young	...	Dr. Judy Bingham
Michael Lerner	...	Dr. Stan York
Kim Darby	...	Louise Standon
Tarra Steele	...	Katie
Laurie O'Brien	...	Beverly Glazer
Ed Brigadier	...	Mr. Manning
Sharon Madden	...	Mrs. Manning
Jack Betts	...	Wes Standon
Ben Messmer	...	Rob
Lora Anne Criswell	...	Colleen
Michael Azria	...	Billy Standon
Josh Boyd	...	Johnathen Glazer
Bryn Larsen	...	Rachel Glazer

Runtime:

98 min | Brazil:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

American Sign Language | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12

Company:

Dorian Films

Trivia:

The character of Katie is based on a girl called "Genie" by a few scientists and the character of Sandra is based on the linguist Susan Curtiss.

Quotes:

Dr. Judy Bingham: You are depriving this child of the best home she's ever had or ever will have, and I'm going to make sure you all pay!

Soundtrack:

Fortunate Soul

Katie a child with so much potential

Mockingbird don't sing. The title of a moving, and informative film we as a group of people recently viewed. The main theme centered on a girl (Katie), and the terrible conditions she was put into early in life, some trauma, and how people tried to help work through her disabilities. An important part we as group saw was how darkly, and dimly lit, it showed the dark atmosphere that was associated with what went on in that room. We also saw an interesting fact that the shades were made out of newspapers ( a source to the outside world) yet Katie was totally isolated, and oblivious to all that was going on outside of that dark dim room.

Katie was born with a mental disability. It says this in the movie when it gives the background info onto her earlier life. The question is how different Katie could have been if she had not been put into the abusive conditions she was so early in life. Or even why her father did this to her, and put her through so much early agony.

Even though Katie may have had a legitimate mental disability, we believe that given the proper care, treatment, and love Katie could have lived through a different set of variations that were brought to her. It has been proved time, and time again that children do not only need the bare essentials to live, they also need mental, physical, and warm emotional stimulation ( Child Development Institute). Katie was deprived of basically all of these essentials.

It was sad how everyone that was supposedly trying to help Katie, were doing it to try and help themselves. We even saw Sandra doing this especially in how she treated Katie during the lesson on forming a correct question. She was working just to make Katie learn as fast as possible, and not caring about the pace or her understanding of what it was she was learning.

The title Mockingbird don't sing is a perfect title for this film. I say that because in the song mockingbird don't sing, if the mockingbird does not sing then the person simply moves on to a new gift like the diamond ring. The people in this movie that were working with Katie were like the mother singing. When Katie ( the mockingbird )was not singing they were moving on a bit away from her with getting upset with her, and not going at a pace that would have helped her actually understand what she was doing rather than just mocking or doing what she was doing.