Jewel (film)
Encyclopedia
Jewel is a 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
television drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Paul Shapiro
Paul Shapiro (director)
Paul Shapiro is an American television director, producer and writer.-Life and career:He began his career in 1980s, directing television films most notably directing the film The Truth About Alex starring Scott Baio....
, based on the book of the same name
Jewel (novel)
Jewel is a novel by Bret Lott, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection.-Plot introduction:The year is 1943 and life is good for Jewel Hilburn, her husband, Leston, and their five children. Although there's a war on, the Mississippi economy is booming, providing plenty of business for the...
by Bret Lott
Bret Lott
Bret Lott is an American author of novels and short stories. Lott was born in Los Angeles, California, and went to school in the Northeastern United States. He taught creative writing at the College of Charleston for eighteen years, where he was also writer-in-residence.He was editor of the...
.
Plot
In 1945 Jewel Hilburn (Farrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
), 39, and her husband Leston (Patrick Bergin
Patrick Bergin
Patrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
), 41, are scratching out a living in rural Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and caring for their four children: Raylene (Rachel Skarsten
Rachel Skarsten
Rachel Skarsten is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Dinah Lance on the television series Birds of Prey.-Biography:...
), 14; Burton (Kyle Fairlie), 11; Wilman (Max Morrow
Max Morrow
Max Morrow is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles in Monk as Benjy Fleming, The Christmas Shoes, and The Great Goose Caper.-Movies:-Television:-External links:...
), 10; and Annie (Alexis Vandermaelen), 3. All Jewel's kids have been mid-wived by her friend and housekeeper, Cathedral (Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
). Leston has been making a living pulling out pine stumps, selling them to be made into turpentine as part of the war effort. Cathedral's husband, Nelson (Ardon Bess), and their two sons, Sepulchur and Temple, all work for Leston.
The Hilburns discover that they are going to have another child, and decide it will be their last. Cathedral has a premonition and warns Jewel, prophesizing that the child she will bear will be her hardship and her test in this world but that it is God's way of smiling down on Jewel. Jewel gives birth to a baby girl, whom they name Brenda Kay. The child appears to be fine, but in time it becomes obvious that Brenda Kay isn't like other children. She seems to be developing much more slowly. Even at six months old, she lies very still, where other children her age are able to roll over.
Worried, they consult their local physician, Dr. Beaudry, who has his suspicions, but calls in Dr. Basket, his old teacher and the best baby doctor in the South, to make an educated diagnosis. His words to Jewel and Leston are crushing: Brenda Kay is physically and mentally disabled. She has Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, or, as he describes it as people did in that time, is 'a Mongolian Idiot'. He recommends having her put in an institution with other children with the same condition since Brenda Kay will be a huge burden on them, especially since they already have four other children to care for. At any rate, he bluntly informs them, their daughter is unlikely to survive past her second birthday.
An outraged Jewel flat out refuses, and she declares she will care for her own daughter at home and raise her there as part of the family. Dr. Beaudry tells Jewel that Brenda Kay will have a better chance at survival if she receives injections every six weeks to strengthen her bones. The injections are expensive, but Jewel determines that somehow she and her husband will manage to pay for them. For years, even when times get tough after Leston's job dries up and he has no work. The kids sell the vegetables the family grows on their land, Raylene quits school and gets a job, and Jewel takes in sewing work. And all that time, with enormous grit and determination, Jewel concentrates her attention on Brenda Kay, who does not die, but does not lift her head until she is one, or crawl till she is four. Every step of the way Jewel is there to bathe Brenda Kay, to feed her, change her, rock her when she cries…and encourage her. At age seven, Brenda Kay walks downstairs by herself for the first time. The constant needs of Brenda Kay often means Jewel sacrifices time and energy from her other, older children in the demands of looking after her challenged daughter.
Jewel reads of The Exceptional Children's Foundation, a "miracle school" in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
that is reputed to help raise the I.Q. of children like Brenda Kay. She tries to convince Leston that all of them will have better opportunities to find good jobs there and that Brenda Kay could attend this remarkable school. While Leston considers, Burton announces he himself is going to California immediately to look for work. Brenda Kay, meanwhile, has a couple of near brushes with death. While being looked after by Cathedral, she accidentally burns her arms before Cathedral puts out the flames. She also walks into the swamp and is rescued from drowning by her older brother, Wilman.
Jewel has secretly applied to The Exceptional Children's Foundation and has received notice that Brenda Kay will be accepted. To raise money to go to California, Jewel secretly begins to sell items from her home. Leston notices that their heirlooms are disappearing and confronts his wife. After a serious discussion, he agrees to sell their home and move to California for Brenda Kay's sake, but on the condition that someday they will move back to Mississippi.
The entire Hilburn family moves to Los Angeles, except for Raylene, who announces her sudden marriage and stays in Mississippi. The family drives across the country and rendezvous with Burton, now working at a garage. Leston lands a job, and Brenda Kay is enrolled in the school, run by its director, Nathan White. For the first time, Brenda Kay is exposed to other children like herself. Also for the first time, Jewel is not solely responsible for her daughter.
Now it is 1961, and Brenda Kay is sixteen. Jewel is still optimistic, but the school has not raised Brenda Kay's I.Q. Leston has a better job, and even Jewel works at Brenda Kay's school as an assistant teacher. White tries to convince Jewel that the time is at hand when Jewel must let go of Brenda Kay and that her ministrations are holding her daughter back. Keeping her promise to Leston, she agrees to return to Mississippi to look for a house where they can live. There, they are reunited with Cathedral and Nelson, but Leston realizes that his home is now in Los Angeles, and that his past in Mississippi is, indeed, past. Leston asks Jewel, "what will become of Brenda Kay?". They return to California and resume their new lives. Over time, but reluctantly, Jewel comes to agree with White's idea, and to accept the fact that her daughter, who once needed all her mother's love and strength to survive, must be allowed to begin to live her own life. White recommends a group home with other Down syndrome adults, run by Nancy and Larry Tindle. There, he says, Brenda Kay will learn to live separate and independent from Jewel's over-protective care.
Jewel and Leston leave Brenda Kay at her new home and with the new friends she has made there. Jewel still visits her daughter often, but has realized the wisdom of letting her grow by herself. Letting go of the child who has been both a blessing and a burden is perhaps the hardest of the many tasks Jewel has faced, but like everything else, she confronts and accepts it with courage and love.
Cast
- Farrah FawcettFarrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
as Jewel Hilburn - Patrick BerginPatrick BerginPatrick Connolly Bergin is an Irish actor and singer. He may be best-known internationally for playing the menacing husband of Julia Roberts' character in the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy and is also known for his role as Irish terrorist Kevin O'Donnell in the film adaption of Patriot Games....
as Leston Hilburn - Cicely TysonCicely TysonCicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
as Cathedral - Laura Mercer as Brenda Kay (ages 8–9)
- Ashley Wolfe as Brenda Kay (age 16)
- Rachel SkarstenRachel SkarstenRachel Skarsten is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Dinah Lance on the television series Birds of Prey.-Biography:...
as Raylene (age 14) - Natalie RadfordNatalie RadfordNatalie Radford is a Canadian actress. She has acted in various television shows and movies, including Darcy's Wild Life and Jewel.- Television :* Murdoch Mysteries - Daisy Hanson...
as Raylene (ages 22–30) - Alexis Vandermaelen as Annie (age 3-4)
- Charlotte ArnoldCharlotte ArnoldCharlotte Arnold is a Canadian film actress and television actress best known as the character of Holly J. Sinclair in Degrassi: The Next Generation and Sadie Hawthorne in the Canadian TV series Naturally, Sadie.- Biography :...
as Annie (ages 7–11) - Kristin Booth as Annie (age 19)
- Max MorrowMax MorrowMax Morrow is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles in Monk as Benjy Fleming, The Christmas Shoes, and The Great Goose Caper.-Movies:-Television:-External links:...
as Wilman (age 10-11) - Robin DunneRobin DunneRobin Dunne is a Canadian actor who is mainly known for having had numerous leading roles in sequels throughout his career, and lately for his role as Doctor Will Zimmerman in the cult Science fiction Television series, Sanctuary....
as Wilman (ages 18–26) - Kylie Fairlie as Burton (age 11)
- Kelly HarmsKelly HarmsKelly Harms is a Canadian director, producer, and actor who was born on April 27, 1974 in Barrhead, Alberta and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. His most recent film is Cursing Hanley, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. He is close friends with Bruce...
as Burton ages (19-27) - Dylan Harman as Dennis (age 9)
- Kenny Freeman as Dennis (age 16)
- Nola Augustson as Mrs. Hamby
- Sean Bell as Gower Cross
- Ardon BessArdon BessArdon Bess is a Canadian actor best known for appearing in a Heritage Moment television commercial about the 1958 Springhill mining disaster portraying survivor Maurice Ruddick...
as Nelson - Jayne Bickman as Rachel
- Geoffrey Bowes as Dr. Beaudry
- Lori Cooke as Sammy
- Peter DonaldsonPeter DonaldsonPeter Ian Donaldson is a main newsreader on BBC Radio 4.He was born in Cairo, Egypt and moved to Cyprus in 1952 at the time of the overthrow of King Farouk. He was a frequent listener to the BBC World Service and the BFBS....
as Nathan White - Isabella Fink as Elaine Cross
- Dallas Goyo as Matthew Cross
- Lynne GriffinLynne GriffinLynne Griffin is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in film, television and stage.Griffin was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Kay, an actress, and James Joseph Griffin, a fashion photographer and soccer player. Currently, she is married to fellow actor Sean Gregory Sullivan.-...
as Nancy Tindle - Maggie Huculak as Nancy
- Stacia Langdon as Olivia
- Shawn Lawrence as Larry Tindle
- Ron Payne as Dr. Basket
- Toby ProctorToby ProctorToby Proctor is a Canadian voice actor. He voiced Darien/Tuxedo Mask in the English dub of the Sailor Moon anime in 54 episodes of the first season. His other roles include Alex Flash Gordon in Flash Gordon and Copycat Ken in Ranma 1/2.-References:...
as Gene - Kim RobertsKim RobertsKim Roberts is an award-winning American poet, author, and editor residing in Washington, D.C..-Life:Roberts was born in Charlotte, North Carolina...
as May - Gema ZamprognaGema ZamprognaGema Zamprogna , is a Canadian actress. She best known for her role as Felicity King on Road to Avonlea and Mackie "Mac" Daniels in The Challengers.- Personal life :...
as Sarah