A Child Is Waiting

Infobox Film
name = A Child Is Waiting


caption = film poster by Howard Terpning
director = John Cassavetes
producer = Stanley Kramer
writer = Abby Mann
starring = Burt Lancaster
Judy Garland
music = Ernest Gold
cinematography = Joseph LaShelle
editing = Gene Fowler Jr.
Robert C. Jones
distributor = United Artists
released = January 1963
runtime = 104 min.
country = United States
awards =
language = English
budget =
preceded_by = Too Late Blues
followed_by = Faces
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0056930

"A Child Is Waiting" is a 1963 United Artists film (BW, 104 minutes), starring Judy Garland and Burt Lancaster. It was the second film directed by John Cassavetes for the Hollywood studio system, and his third film overall. It was also the last film that he would make specifically for a film studio until Minnie and Moskowitz in 1971 (Husbands, which preceded Minnie and Moskowitz, was not initially financed by Columbia Pictures, even though they would provide financing and eventually release it).

Production History

The film itself had a troubled production history. Though Cassavetes was still under contract to Paramount Pictures, he was able to work out a deal that allowed him to work with producer Stanley Kramer on this film. His methods of working with actors and allowing them the freedom to interpret the emotional content of a scene for themselves caused a considerable amount of friction between Cassavetes and most of the cast and crew. In fact, screenwriter Abby Mann, who had been told that Cassavetes would completely improvise dialogue (which wasn't true), attended the filming to make sure that absolutely nothing was changed from his script.

Cassavetes also noted that his personal feelings toward the subject matter caused problems between himself and Kramer, which eventually led to Kramer re-editing the film behind Cassavetes' back. As Cassavetes once said in an interview, "The difference in the two versions is that Stanley's picture said that retarded children belong in institutions and the picture I shot said retarded children are better in their own way than supposedly healthy adults. The philosophy of his film was that retarded children are separate and alone and therefore should be in institutions with others of their kind. My film said that retarded children could be anywhere, any time, and that the problem is that we're a bunch of dopes, that it's our problem more than the kids'. The point of the original picture that we made was that there was no fault, that there was nothing wrong with these children except that their mentality was lower." ["Cassavetes on Cassavetes", edited by Ray Carney, pg. 123]

Plot summary

Judy Garland plays Jean Hansen, a pianist who is hired by Dr. Clark (Burt Lancaster) as a music teacher for mentally challenged children (ranging from Downs syndrome to the not-specified autism). Jean is not happy with Dr. Clark's methods of working with the children, and she eventually becomes emotionally attached to Reuben Whiddicombe (Bruce Ritchey). Dr. Clark realizes this, and forbids Jean from working directly with Reuben, fearing that it will cause jealousy between the children.

Though Jean threatens to leave, Dr. Clark suggests that she should continue her preparations for a Thanksgiving show in which all the children will perform. On the day of the show Reuben's father (Steven Hill) comes to transfer his son to a private school. When he hears Reuben haltingly recite a poem and then respond to the audience's applause, he better understands his son's desperate need to achieve something for himself.

Credits

*Produced by: Stanley Kramer
*Directed by: John Cassavetes
*Associate Producer: Philip Langner
*Screenplay by: Abby Mann
*Music by: Ernest Gold
*Photography: Joseph LaShelle
*Editor: Gene Fowler, Jr., Robert C. Jones
*Art Direction: Rudolph Sternad
*Set decoration: Joseph Kish
*Song "Snowflake" by: Marjorie D. Kurtz
*Poem "The Mist and I" by: Dixie Wilson
*Filmed: January 1962 - April 1962 (Judy was 39 when filmed, and 40 when released)
*Released: January 1963

Cast

*Burt Lancaster ... Dr. Matthew Clark
*Judy Garland ... Jean Hansen
*Gena Rowlands ... Sophie Widdicombe
*Steven Hill ... Ted Widdicombe
*Bruce Ritchey ... Reuben Widdicombe
*Gloria McGehee ... Mattie
*Paul Stewart ... Goodman
*Lawrence Tierney ... Douglas Benham
*Elizabeth Wilson ... Miss Fogarty
*Barbara Pepper ... Miss Brown
*John Morley ... Holland
*June Walker ... Mrs. McDonald
*Marlo Gallo ... Dr. Lombardi
*Frederick Draper ... Dr. Sack
*Billy Mumy ... Student (uncredited)
*Butch Patrick ... Student (uncredited)

References

External links

*amg title|id=1:9217|title=A Child Is Waiting
*tcmdb title|id=17490|title=A Child Is Waiting