CLAIRE DANES AS TEMPLE GRANDIN--THE REST OF THE PICTURES ARE OF THE REAL TEMPLE GRANDIN

DANES AND GRANDIN

Claire
Danes will definitely be up for every and any awards given in the field
of television for her portrait of the real Temple Grandin for the fact that she becomes that person and you forget the actress from the first scene.

Temple Grandin was born autistic in 1947 and didn't speak until the age of 4 when she
was diagnosed as such and, of course, her mother was 'blamed' but the
latter said that if she was the cause she could be the cure. She
treated her daughter, and wanted everyone who came into her life,
whether for a moment or longer, as, "Different but not less.

The  writers,  Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson, and director,
Mick Jackson, could have manipulated the film to have tears come easy
but they are telling a true story that if told straight, as it is here,
would move the audience much more than a false emotion would. There is
no 'big' moment but many small moments that contribute to the success
of this remarkable woman who credits her autism, and her mother, for
all that she has accomplished. The movie is based on 2 books by Ms. Grandin, one co-authored by Margaret Scariano.

There
are no 'miracles'  in her life except in what she has done with that
life. She still doesn't like to be touched, she still lives alone but
this is a woman who advocates for autism and is concerned with animals
and their feelings. She is a teacher at Colorado University and Yale
and this film takes place way before that and her changes in stock
yards and the lives of animals.

The
movie starts with Temple visiting her aunt's, played by Catherine
O'Hara, ranch where she spends a summer and finds her affinity with
animals. One thing I learned was that you can tell where a horse has
their attention directed by watching their ears. (Hey, I'm a city boy!)
We meet her mother, Julia Ormand, who so wants to hug her daughter but instead gives her the support she needs. There is the teacher, David Strathairn,
who recognizes that she thinks in pictures and has a photogenic mind
that remembers everything she reads and experiences. They show her
fight with ranchers for her new designs not only because she is a woman
but because she is autistic and she will not accept their negativism.

"Temple
Grandin" is a quiet movie with no "Aha!" scenes but a steady "Oh my,"
pictures that holds your interest from the opening and up to the end
credits where you learn of Temple Grandin today. The acting by Ormand,
Strathairn, O'Hara, not to forget those whom play students, ranchers
and, in this case the villains, doctors, all contribute to the
understanding of this remarkable women and to the portrait of her
played by Claire Danes.

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One of my top 5 pictures for 2009 will be shown on Showtime tomorrow, Tuesday, at 8 PM (EST) plus repeats during the month and is also available on DVD so be sure to see it---"Valentino: The Last Emperor"