My Left Foot

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan (in his directorial debut) and adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir by Christy Brown. A co-production of Ireland and the United Kingdom, it stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Brown grew up in a poor working-class family and became a writer and artist.^[6] Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Hugh O'Conor, Fiona Shaw, and Cyril Cusack are featured in supporting roles.

The film was theatrically released on 24 February 1989 to critical acclaim and commercial success, grossing $14.7 million on a £600,000 budget. Reviewers praised the film's screenplay, direction, message, and especially the performances of Day-Lewis and Fricker.^[7][8] At the 62nd Academy Awards, the film received five nominations, including Best Picture, with Day-Lewis and Fricker winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. In 2018, the British Film Institute ranked it as the 53rd greatest British film of the 20th century.^[9]

Plot summary

In 1932, Christy Brown is born into a Dublin family of 15. Doctors discover he has severe cerebral palsy. Christy is unable to walk or talk. He is loved and supported by his family, especially his mother.

One day, Christy's mother trips down the stairs while in labour, and Christy is the only person home to see it. He alerts some neighbours to help. Christy's father never believed Christy would amount to anything, but becomes proud after witnessing him use his left foot, the only body part he can fully control, to write the word "mother" on the floor with a piece of chalk. Consequently, Christy seeks a hobby in painting. The neighbourhood youngsters include him in their activities, like street football, but when he paints a picture and gives it to a girl he likes, she returns it.

Later, his father loses his job and the family faces exceptionally difficult hardships, so Christy devises a plan to help his brothers steal coal to their mother's dismay. Christy's mother, who has been gradually gathering some savings in a tin in the fireplace, finally saves enough to buy him a wheelchair.

Christy is then introduced to Eileen Cole, who takes him to her school for cerebral palsy patients and persuades a friend of hers to hold an exhibition of his work. Christy falls in love with Cole, but when he learns during the dinner that she is engaged to be married, he considers suicide. His mother helps him build a private studio for himself, but soon afterward his father dies of a stroke, and during the wake Christy instigates a brawl. At this point, Christy starts writing his autobiography, My Left Foot. Cole returns and they resume their friendship.

Later, Christy attends a charity event where he meets his handler, a nurse named Mary Carr. She begins reading his autobiography. He asks Mary to go out with him and they then happily leave the fête together.

Production

Day-Lewis became interested in the project when he read the opening scene, which features him, as Brown, using his left foot to place a phonograph record on a player and then placing a needle onto it so that it will play.^[10] He said of the scene: "I knew it couldn't be done... and that intrigued me."^[10] Many scenes were filmed through a mirror, as he could only manipulate his right foot to perform the actions seen in the film. He spent some time preparing for the film at Brown's alma mater in Dublin. He later returned there for a visit, with his Academy Award.^[11]

Day-Lewis is known for his extreme method acting and insisted on staying in character during the production of the film, refusing to do anything that Brown could not do. This meant that members of the film crew had to move the actor around in a wheelchair, lift him over obstacles, and even feed him.^[12][13][14]

Reception

Critical response

My Left Foot received widespread critical acclaim.

Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, writing: "My Left Foot is a great film for many reasons, but the most important is that it gives us such a complete picture of this man's life. It is not an inspirational movie, although it inspires. It is not a sympathetic movie, although it inspires sympathy. It is the story of a stubborn, difficult, blessed, and gifted man who was dealt a bad hand, who played it brilliantly, and who left us some good books, some good paintings and the example of his courage. It must not have been easy."^[15]

In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter polled hundreds of academy members, asking them to re-vote on past controversial decisions. Academy members indicated that, given a second chance, they would award the 1990 Academy Award for Best Picture to My Left Foot instead of Driving Miss Daisy.^[16]

Accolades

See also

• BFI Top 100 British films
• List of 1990s films based on actual events

References

1. ^ Jackson, Laura. Daniel Day-Lewis: The Biography Archived 31 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. John Blake, 2005. p. 137.
2. ^ "My Left Foot". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
3. ^ "My Left Foot (1989)" Archived 26 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine. British Board of Film Classification.
4. ^ GDN Online Desk (27 August 2017). "Hollywood: 15 low-budget movies that did well at the Box Office". Gulf Daily News. Archived 14 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
5. ^ "My Left Foot (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 9 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
6. ^ The Irish Filmography 1896-1996; Red Mountain Press; 1996. page 43
7. ^ my_left_foot. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
8. ^ "My Left Foot, critic reviews" (movie). my-left-foot/critic-reviews. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
9. ^ British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films Archived 12 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine (1999). Retrieved 27 August 2016
10. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (8 December 2007). "Daniel Day-Lewis: the perfectionist". The Telegraph. Archived 21 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
11. ^ Jordan, Anthony J. Daniel Day-Lewis, Gentleman. A Memoir. pp. 1–22.
12. ^ "Daniel Day-Lewis' Craziest Method Acting Stories". Esquire. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
13. ^ Thomas, Matthew (15 October 2021). "Why Daniel Day-Lewis Once Made Crew Members Feed Him by Hand Daily". TheThings. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
14. ^ Russell, Calum (21 November 2021). "Daniel Day-Lewis' extraordinary method acting in 'My Left Foot'". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
15. ^ Ebert, Roger (2 February 1990). "My Left Foot movie review & film summary (1990)". RogerEbert.com. Archived 13 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
16. ^ "Recount! Oscar Voters Today Would Make 'Brokeback Mountain' Best Picture Over 'Crash'". The Hollywood Reporter. 18 February 2015. Archived 22 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
17. ^ "The 62nd Academy Awards | 1990". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
18. ^ "Film in 1990 | BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived 1 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
19. ^ "European Film Awards : Archive". European Film Academy. Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
20. ^ "My Left Foot | Golden Globes". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived 28 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
21. ^ "My Left Foot (1989)". The New York Times. 19 October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
22. ^ "15th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived 13 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
23. ^ "1989 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
24. ^ "Critics' Award to 'Drugstore Cowboy'". The New York Times. 8 January 1990. Archived 23 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
25. ^ "Critics Circle Selects 'Left Foot' for Best Film and Actor". The New York Times. 19 December 1989. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
26. ^ "Eleventh Annual Youth in Film Awards (1988-1989)". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2011.