My Left Foot (DVD)

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The highlight of the movie for me, however, is a heartrending episode where the young Christy is first able to prove to his parents and family that is not the "moron," the "dunce," that they and the neighbors think he is for his first few years of his life. With much difficulty, and with much lack of initial success, Christy uses a stick of chalk between his toes to write "MOTHER" on the living-room floor. The family are shocked, astounded, and ultimately pleased and proud that their son is mentally normal. It is a moving scene guaranteed to bring tears to one's eyes. Little do they know for some time to come that Christy is gifted and talented as well.

Shortcomings? Not really. I wasn't too keen on the framework of the story being told in flashbacks from the time of a cerebral palsy benefit where an adult Christy is the guest of honor. The intercutting of past and present seemed unnecessarily to interrupt the flow of the narrative, but it was nothing I'd quibble about.

Mostly, "My Left Foot" is a boisterous, joyous affair, often funny, often brawling, sometimes sad, but always affecting. It's a unique screen portrayal of a man filled with understandable contradictions: pride, self-pity, rage, determination, genius, and compassion. "My Left Foot" never takes a false step.

Video:
Thanks to Buena Vista's high-bit-rate, anamorphic transfer, the picture quality on "My Left Foot" is pretty good, particularly in regard to color depth. The screen ratio measures out at about 1.77:1, the size of a 16x9 widescreen television, and the image provides good detail. Minor faults include a touch of grain, rendering things a bit rough; a degree of darkness; several black flecks on screen at the beginning of the film; and a few flickering lines. The resultant transfer is typical of what we see from a film ten-to-twenty years old or more.

Audio:
The sound has been remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1, but it doesn't help matters a lot in the rear channels, where we get the merest whisper of musical ambiance enhancement and the occasional, maybe, odd noise. The front channels fare a little better, although they, too, show a preponderance of sound coming from the center channel. The greatest benefit of the DD processing is heard in the clarity and quietness of the sound, which has an especially good high end that is realistically extended.

Extras:
Among the extras are two featurettes. The first is "The Real Christy Brown Story," four minutes of pictures and reminiscences of the actual man and his life. The second is "An Inspirational Journey: The Making of My Left Foot," ten minutes with the filmmakers discussing their research, casting, and shooting of the film. They are not very long, but at least they provide us a glimpse of the real man. In addition, there are reviews of "My Left Foot" by four influential critics: Charles Champlin, David Denby, Pauline Kael, and Elvis Mitchell; plus a still gallery. The extras conclude with Sneak Peeks at several other BV dramas on DVD; eighteen scene selections, with a chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and French and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.

Parting Thoughts:
I would urge readers who have never seen "My Left Foot" not to be put off by the subject matter. This is one of the best dramas you'll find at your video store, a slice of life that is not entirely elevating but is surely satisfying and rewarding. Daniel Day-Lewis may be a temperamental actor, choosing to make only a handful of films at his own pace, but he never puts in a bad performance, this one probably his crowning achievement (so far).

In addition to Day-Lewis and Fricker winning acting Oscars, the film was Academy Award nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing.

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