Temple Grandin (2010/HBO DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: B Telefilm: B
It has
been a while since I have seen a biopic of any kind work. They usually fall into formulaic pattern of
the self-congratulatory and conventions from 1930s sound films, but once in a
while, we get something that stands out like Mick Jackson’s Temple Grandin (2010) and the result is
so good and satisfying that you are happy you spent the time watching it and
would so again.
Claire
Danes (Shopgirl, My So-Called Life) gives the best
performance of her career yet as real life woman who suffered with Autism
before anyone knew what it was and managed to not only overcome it enough to
function, but would define it, help describe it, give it a new identity and
earn a college doctorate in mechanical design, then take that and create
innovative spaces in which to contain and heard cattle.
But the
story is also one of her struggles, spirit, intelligence and character. Her mother (Julia Ormond in yet another great
performance like her recent work in The
Wronged Man and Soderbergh’s Che,
both reviewed elsewhere on this site) is told to put her into an institution,
but refuses and decides to do what she can to help her learn better. She also lucks out by meeting other great people
along the way including a former NASA engineer (David Strathairn) and gets top
support from her Aunt (Catherine O’Hara) while still facing being stigmatized
for her illness as well as facing overt sexism at a time when few women were in
the sciences.
Dane’s
performance is bold, risk-taking, fearless and painfully honest, but that is
what makes it work and co-writers Christopher Monger & Merritt Johnson’s adaptation
of Grandin’s co-penned biography books Emergence and Thinking In Pictures can
have some minor detours, but all in all, this works out well. Jackson,
whose best work includes the British TV Mini-Series A Very British Coup (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and pilots
for the likes of The Practice and Numb3rs, delivers some of the best work
of his career to date. If this had been
any more developed, this could have been a theatrical film release, but as it
stands, it is still an excellent telefilm that delves into the human condition
and gives us a story we can all learn from.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image was shot in Super 16mm film and it has a really good
look to it throughout, only held back by the limits of the DVD format with
softness that is not from the film and saved by its good color and approach by
Director of Photography Ivan Strasburg (Numb3rs,
Generation Kill). The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix has more of a
soundfield than expected and the Dolby 2.0 Stereo version may not be as clear,
but it has vague Pro Logic activity.
Extras
include a short behind-the-scenes piece at just over 5 minutes and excellent
feature length audio commentary track with Director Jackson, Writer Monger and
Dr. Temple Grandin herself explaining the difference between her book, the film
and her life, among other things.
- Nicholas Sheffo
