On the subject of movies (whether fictional or allegedly factual) depicting psychological themes, I think the first thing that should be emphasized to students is that however compelling it may appear, it is only a film. Such a product, one of the main aspects of which is that it should be a commercial success, may not give an accurate account of the events or psychological topics it purports to depict. The most egregious example in recent times is the film �Shine�, which propagated the discredited notion that the schizo-affective disorder from which the hero David Helfgott suffered resulted from the brutal treatment he received from his father. The guiding hand behind the screenplay was David�s astrologer second wife Gillian, who had never even met his father (then dead), and on whom he was dependent in a child-like way. The film was released in the face of the protests of the Helfgott family, and David�s elder sister has since published a book which presents an entirely different view of the father and of the events depicted in the film, a view supported by statements from several longstanding friends and acquaintances of the family.
An exemplary review of the film came from Alan A. Stone, former president of the American Psychiatric Association, who noted that �Gillian Helfgott, who now seems to be calling all the shots, is presented as the healing angel of the film.� He warns: �Despite all these redeeming contributions to high culture, Shine is a docudrama, with all the predictable deficiencies. Docudramas show half-truths about the tragedies of real people while audiences think that they are watching the whole truth. These truth-telling problems seem most disturbing when a docudrama portrays mental illness, perhaps because no one knows the full truth, not even the victim. Docudramas are, almost by definition, manipulative; the aesthetic question for members of the audience is whether the film is worth the emotional games it plays with their minds. As Shine's critical and popular success indicates, most moviegoers gladly paid the price. Still, it raises troubling moral questions about the demonization of Helfgott's father, the portrayal of his family -- whose public identity will be forever held hostage by the film -- and the presentation of mental illness itself� Various accounts of his diagnosis have been reported in the media, and although his wife, Gillian Helfgott, says he is now just eccentric, the film portrait (though ambiguous) suggests a major psychosis, Schizo-Affective Disorder, from which he has not fully recovered. The screenplay suggests, too, that David Helfgott was further victimized by unseen psychiatrists who gave him shock treatment and, in their sinister ignorance, ordered him to stay away from the piano -- his only route to salvation. Although psychiatrists still make acceptable targets, one might have thought we were past blaming parents who suffer themselves as they try to cope with their children's serious biological mental disorders. And the last 20 years should have taught everyone who cares about people with serious mental disorders that unconditional love, while salutary, is more effective when combined with appropriate medication.� For anyone who found �Shine� compelling, Stone�s review is on: http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR22.3/stone.html Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London www.human-nature.com/esterson/index.html --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
