British film group vetoes ‘Last American Freak Show’
February 8th, 2008
Faces backlash
From the [UK] Independent, [UK] Guardian and the [London] Times:
The British film academy has been accused of discrimination after refusing to screen a documentary about disability for its members at an official event.
The organizers of X’08, Europe’s largest disability film festival, had selected a film about a troupe of disabled performers that was shot by a director who has a paralyzed arm. But they were told that a Hollywood comedy about a mentally ill man’s love for a mail-order sex doll (“Lars and the Real Girl”) would be a more suitable choice for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The joint event has now been cancelled.
… Two months in the planning, the first showing of “The Last American Freak Show” was billed as a chance to raise important issues. Richard Butchins, the director, shot the film one-handed, his left arm having been paralyzed by polio when he was a child.
It is a road trip following a circus of self-proclaimed “freaks” on a tour of the US West Coast. The troupe includes a dwarf, “The Half Woman”, who was born with one small stump of a leg, and “Lobster Boy and Lobster Girl”, who were both born with fused fingers. The troupe, shown performing in bars, campuses and small theatres, speak movingly of their lives.
… Corinna Downing, head of events at Bafta, told Butchins that his film “created too many questions” and that she wanted something less challenging for her members.
A trailer for the film, still in rough cut form, can be seen here.
Excerpt from the film’s weblog:
These performers are trying to bring an awareness of their ‘normality’ to people’s attention through entertainment (it is, after all a ‘show’) and that’s a valid and worthwhile, if sometimes challenging, thing to watch. They deserve support not denigration for what they are doing. This film documents this and as a result is funny, entertaining and sometimes difficult. It makes you feel uncomfortable on occasion and encourages you to examine your preconceptions about disability and that’s the point.
The parallels here to Tod Browning’s 1932 film “Freaks” are unmistakable. Browning, a successful horror film director and former circus worker, featured real people with disabilities in a suspense tale about a circus freak show. Among the actors were a man without arms or legs, a man and woman of short stature, and Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who had performed in vaudeville.
The film was released by MGM to public disapproval, and was said to bring an early end to Browning’s career. It was banned for years in the United States and Britain, and didn’t return to public view until the 1960s. It’s now considered a film classic
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April 11th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Peggo — Truer words have not been spoken.
I LOVE YA MAN.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Mr Butchins was a pleasure to work with. He handled the troupe like a pro. With his camera in his hands he followed us from Portland to LA then Slab City and we ended up in Austin TX where most of the troupe lives now.
I been put down most all of my life by rude comments and people pulling their kids away and treating me like I have something they could catch. I have many true stories that I hope are in the film.
Can’t the mainstream media chill the Freak out?
Is Freak is the New dirty word of the 21 century?
People should open their minds and don’t look at people who are deformed as outcasts; they should welcome them with a hug and not ‘eeew, can I catch that?’ That is more hurtful than any name you can call someone.
This film should be a lesson that disabled people have the same rights as anyone else, and not be put aside in movies and TV shows. When they use non disabled talent to play disabled. there is something wrong with that — RAINMAN.
peggo the leggo