Mockingbird Don't Sing

Rating:
Summary: "Made-for-TV" quality acting.
Review: First, a couple technical details which are not included in Amazon's technical details info... the DVD is presented in full screen, although clearly the movie was filmed in widescreen. Surprisingly, although presented in full screen format, the audio is presented in true Dolby Digital 5.1. The audio quality is very good, although there is nothing particularly challenging in the soundtrack content to tax one's system.

That out of the way, I must mention that the overall acting calibre in this film was only a touch above what one would see in a "made-for-TV" movie. The story itself is interesting, but the half-hearted acting never let the story get completely off the ground and into your soul. The twenty minute Dr. Susan Curtis interview will completely bore you to tears unless you are an aspiring linguist. If you insist on watching it, at least keep your eyes closed because the doctor is, how to put it kindly... well, more than a bit freaky and weird in appearance and mannerism. I can't comment on the director's commentary, as I did not want to watch the movie a second time with the commentary. Considering the full screen presentation and lackluster acting in conjunction with the high asking price of the DVD, I would have to recommend against purchasing this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful movie to show to a Sociology class
Review: I am a college student in a introduction to sociology course. We learned about Genie, who this movie is based on, and everyone in the class was extremely interested in it. If you are interested in sociology, human development, feral children, or linguistics, this movie is a must see. While it does come across as a "made for TV" movie, that aspect does not take away from its message.

Rating:
Summary: Melissa Errico Shines!!
Review: I Bought This Movie For One Reason...Melissa Errico!! I Was NOT Disappointed!! The Story Is Powerful & Moving And All The Actors Are Great!! Having Become A Fan Of Miss Errico's Music It Was A Joy To Find Her A Truly Gifted Actress!! The Movie Will Leave You Thinking, Wondering & Moved!! Please Enjoy This Movie!!

Rating:
Summary: Mockingbird Don't Sing
Review: I was always intrigued about this story so was delighted to see it playing at the Orlando Film Festival. The film was well written with what must have been a tremendous amount of research. Despite the small budget and difficult nature of the subject matter, it was very tastefully realized. The costumes really nailed the era. It was especially fun to see Sean Young decked out in her period (70's) attire. Michael Lerner is always a pleasure and the young actress Tara was amazing! Definitely a story that needed to be made.

Rating:
Summary: Mockingbird Don't Sing
Review: I was always intrigued about this story so was delighted to see it playing at the Orlando Film Festival. The film was well written with what must have been a tremendous amount of research. Despite the small budget and difficult nature of the subject matter, it was very tastefully realized. The costumes really nailed the era. It was especially fun to see Sean Young decked out in her period (70's) attire. Michael Lerner is always a pleasure and the young actress Tara was amazing! Definitely a story that needed to be made.

Rating:
Summary: XTRO goes Lifetime with mixed results.
Review: Mockingbird Don't Sing (Harry Bromley Davenport, 2001)

This film was, shall we say, something of a surprise. To date, the only other Harry Bromley Davenport film I've been able to track down has been his first, the brilliant, gruesome sci-fi shocker XTRO. Upon finding out he'd done a film about "Genie," the famous feral girl discovered in California in 1970, I expected something quite different than what I got.

Genie (whose name in the film is Katie Standon) spent the first thirteen years of her life being brutally abused by her father, before her mother (played with chilling effectiveness by Better Off Dead's Kim Darby) left him, took her, and went to the social services office looking for welfare benefits. The woman at the desk took one look at the child, called the cops, and the rest is history. The film focuses mostly on what happened after the child was rescued from her initial environment; for a number of years she was in the care of a number of doctors and observers from Childrens Hospital, Los Angeles. The main protagonist in this film is Sandra Tannen, real name Susan Curtiss (played by singer Melissa Errico), a linguistics grad student from UCLA assigned to document Genie's ability to learn language despite having passed what is known in psychology as the critical period; screenwriter Daryl Haney (who, oddly, usually writes softcore movies) and Davenport based the movie around, according to the DVD's liner notes, Curtiss' version of the story.

Therein lies the movie's major failing. Even without reading the liner notes, it's obvious that Curtiss (or Sandra Tannen) is the hero of this piece, the one untarnished person in the child's life. This leads to the story feeling incredibly biased, as well as having the other characters sometimes act in rather bizarre fashion (for example, Darby's character goes from throwing her out of the house one second to launching into a lengthy explanation of her husband's mental state the next, then slips right back into evil-bitch mode once the explication is done). Thus, the very structure of the film itself should be leading the viewer to question the authenticity of the story which, despite being obviously docudrama, is marketed as a true story.

Definitely not Davenport's best work, but an interesting artifact in the world of film. ***

Rating:
Summary: A tragically over-looked story...
Review: The thinly veiled story of 'Genie' the '70s L.A. Wild Child, Mockingbird Don't Sing discards the more poignant elements of the story for tacky made-for-TV sentiment (this is at its worst in the 'Lifetime network-esque' attempt to explain why the little girl was abused in the manner as she was found). It's unfortunate that 'Genie' has gone the way of the more intriquing characters in tabloid obscurity. The once hauntingly beautiful mute who inspired such stories as 'Nell' and 'Wildflower' now resides in a nursing home forgotten by the public and professionals who at one time hailed her as a miracle. If you're truly interested in her story, avoid this pricey DVD and go read one of the numerous books on the subject. Hopefully, Hollywood will eventually get some apt minds behind this story and produce a better film.

Rating:
Summary: it tells the truth
Review: this is a very important movie with great performances about a girl who was kept in isolation for the first 12 years of her life
by her insane parents. most of the movie is about what happens
to her after she is discovered by the child authorties. she is
sent from home to home as nobody knows quite how to deal with her
and the sientists also don't know know what to do with her. i was abused as a child too and this is the best movie i have ever seen about this problem. the girl is great and the woman who plays her main therapist is also great. i like most the parts with the therapist and her boyfriend and when they are taking the girl out of the hospital and the butcher who sees the magic in the girl. also I like the scene on the beach between the therapist and the spooky mother and the end where the mother finally tells why the girl was held prisoner for so many years. anyone who cares about children should see this movie!!