It's not even available on Netflix, looked for it. It has other stuff by
the director but, not that movie.
-----Original Message-----
From: St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rayna
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 4:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Headline - Standing room only for a thunderbolt in wheelchair
Whoops! It just occurred to me that it may be a pain in the neck for people
to go through subscribing rigmarole to get this article (like it was for me
before I upgraded my system!), so here it is copied and pasted.
Still looking for the info on how to get copies of the film.
Rayna
Standing room only for a thunderbolt in wheelchair
October 31 2002
Heather Rose Slattery, Writer and actress 1966-2002
Anyone passing the Heysen Chapel at Adelaide's Centennial Park on a recent
Friday might have believed there was a performance under way. It was
standing room only and there was laughter and applause. A band played a
special song but the tears were silent. The friends of award-winning writer
and actress Heather Rose were sending her off in a manner which the
diminutive charmer could well have scripted herself.
Born with severe cerebral palsy to an unwed mother whose boyfriend fled
around the time of her birth, her life was not destined to be easy. Her good
fortune was the dedication of her grandparents who nurtured her through her
life.
Having experienced institutional and foster care, Heather's choice was to
live independently. This didn't surprise those who knew her well. In her
teens and early 20s, she insisted on going to social events on her own,
despite being confined to an electric wheelchair. It didn't stop her from
going to pubs or flirting with men who would help her to gulp down her
brandy.
Men featured significantly in Heather's life. Whether it was her
vulnerability or her sheer presence that attracted them, they often came to
visit and more than one left wide-eyed after being groped during a goodbye
kiss.
Heather had a remarkable capacity for embellishing the truth, and the
stories of her conquests became legendary.
The true extent of these we will never know, but they contributed to what
was her greatest achievement. A small role as a featured extra in Rolf de
Heer's Bad Boy Bubby gave Heather the stimulus to focus her driving
ambition. In 1995 she made the following entry in her computer
diary:
"People see me as a person who has to be controlled. But let me tell you
something, people. I am not! And I am going to make something real special
of my life! I am going to go out there and grab life with both hands!!! I am
going to make the most sexy and honest film about disability that has ever
been made!!"
If we believe Roger Ebert, a foremost American film critic, she achieved her
goal. Ebert described Heather's film, Dance Me to My Song, as a
"thunderbolt".
It was never meant to be a disability movie. From the beginning the
intention was to create a drama that stood on its own merits.
Inevitably, however, with the lead role being played by Heather, it became a
landmark, not just in films about disability, but as a statement about the
normality of women whom much of society would rather ignore.
Perhaps the most lasting achievement of Heather's life will not be the
triumphant standing ovation she received at the Cannes Film Festival, nor
the outstanding reviews by international and Australian critics; not even
the NSW Premier's Literary Award that she shared with her co-writers. The
remarkable feat is that the girl who dropped out of school after year 9 and
later took some TAFE courses spawned international conferences on women's
and disability issues. The University of Hawaii was so impressed that the
Pacific Rim Disability Conference was convened to discuss the issues that
arose in her film.
They called it the Dance Me to My Song Conference, and Heather was the
keynote speaker and won the communication award. Not bad for someone who
could only talk via a keyboard.
Heather died the day after her 36th birthday, but her legacy will inspire
others for another generation. Perhaps there was a foreshadowing of her
death in the last two verses of a poem that was in an early draft of the
script.
Whatever fate may thrust at me
I'll never be the same
I've had less fear of times to be
Since first I heard your name
I need to feel secure from harm
I will not keep you long
Please hold me tight within your arm
And dance me to my song.
Frederick Stahl
Frederick Stahl was a friend of Heather's and co-writer of Dance Me to My
Song.
Rayna wrote:
> Dear C-Palsy List,
>
> Rayna wants you to know about this story on http://www.smh.com.au.
>
> Personal Message:
> Here is a link to an article about Heather Rose - writer/actor of "Dance
Me To My Song"
>
> Standing room only for a thunderbolt in wheelchair
>
> October 31 2002
>
> URL: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/30/1035683471529.html
>
> The online edition of The Sydney Morning Herald brings you updated local
and world news, sports results, entertainment news and reviews and the
latest technology information.
>
> Click here to sign up for early morning news alerts from The Sydney
> Morning Herald newsroom.
> http://www.smh.com.au/newsletters/subscription.html
>
|
