My Left Foot

By Ruth Manson

As the opening credits roll on Director Jim Sheridan’s film, MY LEFT FOOT, someone is attempting with mystifying awkwardness to work a record player Graudually the scene opens up to reveal not a clumsy hand, trying so painfully, frustratingly to select a record, slip it from its cover, place it on the turntable and drop the needle upon it, but a foot. It is the left foot of the profoundly handicapped Irish author and painter, Christy Brown.

Like the movie GABY, THE TRUE STORY of Gabriela Brimmer, reviewed in the Fall 1988 issue of ABILITIES, MY LEFT FOOT is also a true story. And like Gaby, its hero, Christy Brown, played by Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis, also suffers from cerebral palsy. As with GABY, Christy Brown’s left foot is the only part of his body over which he can exercise any significant control.

Christy Brown who died in 1981, at the age of 49, was, as this wonderfully entertain, rich, warm, funny movie, based on the autobiography he tapped out on a standard typewriter with his left foot, makes clear, a multi-talented, highly intelligent, complex personality.

Director, Jim Sheridan, who also co-authored the screenplay with Shane Connaughhton, tells Christy’s story in flashbacks. Disabled from birth by cerebral palsy, Christy transcends the prison of his non-functioning body when he learns to wield his left foot as an instrument of strength, to score winning soccer kicks in street games with his brothers and their pals, and to push open blocked doors for his mother when she needs his help. But his versatile foot also becomes an instrument of precision when he learns to write, type and even paint with it. His pictures are critically acclaimed. His novels and poetry become best sellers. Christy Brown’s story is not about disability, but abilities.

But Christy doesn’t do it on his own. He has many friends and helpers along the way. The first and best of these is his mother, Bridget Brown, played by Brenda Fricker, who won an academy award as best supporting actress for her performance. Bridget is a woman who ought to be exhausted from perpetual childbearing – 22 births of which Christy is only the 10th. Somehow she isn’t. This cheerful heroic woman summons the energy not only to manage her cramped, overcrowded household, but also to care, through numerous subsequent pregnancies, for her helpless child. She lifts and carries, up an down narrow twisting stairways, a Christy growing ever bigger and heavier.

Bridget is determined that Christy will be accepted by his family. “Say goodbye to Christy,” she calls out every morning, as each one leaves for school or work. And they do accept him, warmly, lovingly, including him in rough and tumble games which h loves to be part of. His bricklayer father, credibly portrayed by the late Ray McAnally, puts together a wheeled box to push him about the streets in lieu of the wheelchair the family cannot afford.

When Christy is 17, Dr. Eileen Cole, who will be a significant mentor, enters his life. This sensitive, intuitive specialist in cerebral palsy played by Fiona Shaw, shows Christy how to relax his facial muscles so that he can speak more clearly. She arranges an exhibition of his paintings, introduces him to Shakespeare and encourages him to write his story.

He does and a publisher accepts his manuscript for 800 pounds. It is the 50’s and this is a goodly sum. When he turns the money over to mother who has done so much for him she exclaims, “Your dad never earned this much money in a whole year of work.” In the end, it is her severely disabled child who is able to lift his mother out of poverty.

Both Hugh O’Conor, who plays the young Christy and Daniel Day-Lewis who plays him as an adult give bravura performances. And Day-Lewis captured the best actor academy award for his. Day-Lewis, son of the late English poet-laureate, C. Day-Lewis and actress Jill Balcon and grandson of film producer Sir Michael Balcon, prepared for the part of Christy Brown by spending eight weeks at Dublin’s Sandymount Clinic observing children overcoming the handicaps imposed upon them by cerebral palsy. Not content with this crash course in disability, he insisted in spending all his working day on the set in Christy Brown’s wheelchair, speaking in Christy Brown’s own muffled tones. He even learned to write and paint with his own left foot. Some of the paintings in the art exhibition shown in the film were actually executed by Daniel Day-Lewis with his talented left foot.

Says Rebecca Last, Executive Director of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Association, “Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of a person with cerebral palsy was overwhelmingly convincing. One of the most important aspects of our work is public education and awareness. The significant education and awareness. The significance of a major motion picture, such as MY LEFT FOOT, cannot be understated.”

Having been nominated for five academy awards and winning two, MY LEFT FOOT will not vanish from theatres as quickly as GABY, A TRUE STORY unfortunately did. But in any case this highly recommended movie should be available on videcassette in late fall or early winter, 1990.

(-- Ruth manson is a freelance writer living in Toronto. Ms. Manson’s particular interest lies in conducting film and literature reviews.)