Mockingbird Don't Sing
Encyclopedia
Mockingbird Don't Sing is a 2001 American
independent film
based on the true story of Genie
, a modern-day feral child
. The film is told from the point of view of Dr. Susan Curtiss (whose fictitious name is Sandra Tannen), a professor of linguistics
at University of California, Los Angeles
. Although the film is based on a true story, all of the names are fictitious for legal reasons. The name "Genie" has been changed to "Katie". The film was released to US theaters on May 4, 2001. It won first prize for best screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival
(tied with Wings of Hope
).
), a girl who has been imprisoned in her room (and without any human contact) since the age of one, is now 13 years old. Her mother Louise (who has cataract
s; Kim Darby
), has taken enough abuse from her domineering husband Wes (Jack Betts
); she gets her son, Billy (a few years older than Katie; Michael Azria), to help her and Katie escape their home.
At a welfare office a social worker notices something peculiar about Katie and guesses her age to be about seven while, in fact, she is thirteen. Katie is taken to Children's Hospital, and Louise and Wes find themselves being arrested for "what authorities are calling the worst case of child abuse they've ever seen". Shortly before his trial begins, Wes kills himself. The doctors and psycholinguists investigating the case form the "Katie Team", a group of experts dedicated to helping Katie learn to speak and interact with others. One of the team members, Judy Bingham (Sean Young
), a special education teacher, sees Katie as a pawn whom she can use to attain international fame. She claims Katie will make her "the next Anne Sullivan
." UCLA graduate student Sandra Tannen (Melissa Errico
) is one of the people who appears to have Katie's welfare at heart.
Katie comes to live with Dr. Norman Glazer (Joe Regalbuto
) who works at Children's Hospital, and his family, where she stays for four years. His family helps Katie become a civilized human being. Although Katie shows outstanding progress in some things (such as learning vocabulary words and sign language, preparing hygiene, showing off anger, and certain other activities), she never really learns grammatical structure. Meanwhile, Louise has surgery to remove her cataracts and visits Katie off and on.
When Katie turns fourteen, the funding for her help is cut off and she returns to Louise's care. Soon, it comes to the point where Louise does not know how to handle Katie herself, and Katie gets placed in another foster home. One day, Katie is physically reprimanded
for vomiting
and responds by never eating or speaking because she was afraid if she opened her mouth she would vomit and be punished again.
Sandra does all that she can to make sure that Katie is handled in the proper way and even has Norman help her. Katie is taken back to Children's Hospital, and Sandra is suggested by social services to have Katie live with her. Before any decisions are made about this, Louise takes Katie out of the hospital and puts her in another foster home. Sandra isn't allowed to say goodbye to Katie. Louise even threatens to take legal action on Sandra if Sandra ever sees Katie again. Sandra finally asks Louise why Katie was placed in extreme isolation before her discovery. Louise tells the entire story; Wes loved his mother very much, and when she died due to an accident, he projected his feelings for her on Katie. After a doctor examined Katie sometime later, she was diagnosed to be retarded and Wes locked her up, afraid that the doctors might take her away. Because Louise was going blind, he took care of Katie.
Sandra then leaves the house, running into Judy again. It is now clear that she knew Louise for a long time. Sandra and Judy have a quick argument, after which Judy enters Louise's house, leaving Sandra almost crying. At this point, different kinds of footage of Katie appear on screen; Sandra looks at tape recordings of Katie on her TV. She then is seen writing something on a typewriter, while her voice addresses the viewers; she's hoping to see Katie once more. The camera then turns to her and her boyfriend, now holding a baby of their own. The screen fades while she sings the "Hush, Little Baby" lullaby. The screen fades, and footage of Katie on the beach can be seen. Messages appear, saying what has happened to everyone after the movie: Judy continues to harass the "Katie Team" until her death in 1988; Louise, who is now once again blind, resides in a South-Californian nursing home; Sandra Tannen is now a professor of linguistics at the UCLA and has two teenage daughters, however, she is still not allowed to have any contact with Katie, who lives in a foster home nearby. The last message before the screen turns black and the credits appear, reads: "Katie's inability to master a language proved the legitimacy of the Critical Period Hypothesis
".
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
based on the true story of Genie
Genie (feral child)
Genie is the pseudonym for a feral child who spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most severe cases of social isolation ever documented...
, a modern-day feral child
Feral child
A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language...
. The film is told from the point of view of Dr. Susan Curtiss (whose fictitious name is Sandra Tannen), a professor of linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. Although the film is based on a true story, all of the names are fictitious for legal reasons. The name "Genie" has been changed to "Katie". The film was released to US theaters on May 4, 2001. It won first prize for best screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
(tied with Wings of Hope
Wings of Hope
Wings of Hope is a 2000 made for TV documentary directed by Werner Herzog. The film explores the story of Juliane Koepcke, a German woman who was the sole survivor of plane crash of Peruvian flight LANSA Flight 508 in 1971. Herzog was inspired to make this film as he narrowly avoided taking the...
).
Plot
In 1970, Katie Standon (Tarra SteeleTarra Steele
Tarra Steele is an American child actress, best known for her role of Katie in the independent film Mockingbird Don't Sing.- Filmography:- External links:...
), a girl who has been imprisoned in her room (and without any human contact) since the age of one, is now 13 years old. Her mother Louise (who has cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
s; Kim Darby
Kim Darby
Kim Darby is an American actress perhaps best known for co-starring with John Wayne and country singer/actor Glen Campbell in the 1969 western True Grit.-Early life and film career:...
), has taken enough abuse from her domineering husband Wes (Jack Betts
Jack Betts
Jack Richard Nelson Betts , also credited as Hunt Powers, is an American actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Actors Studio, he started his career as a leading man in spaghetti westerns, before taking a career in supporting roles in American films.-Filmography:-External links:...
); she gets her son, Billy (a few years older than Katie; Michael Azria), to help her and Katie escape their home.
At a welfare office a social worker notices something peculiar about Katie and guesses her age to be about seven while, in fact, she is thirteen. Katie is taken to Children's Hospital, and Louise and Wes find themselves being arrested for "what authorities are calling the worst case of child abuse they've ever seen". Shortly before his trial begins, Wes kills himself. The doctors and psycholinguists investigating the case form the "Katie Team", a group of experts dedicated to helping Katie learn to speak and interact with others. One of the team members, Judy Bingham (Sean Young
Sean Young
Sean Young is an American actress, best known for her performance in films from the 1980s such as Blade Runner, Dune, and No Way Out.-Early life:...
), a special education teacher, sees Katie as a pawn whom she can use to attain international fame. She claims Katie will make her "the next Anne Sullivan
Anne Sullivan
Johanna "Anne" Mansfield Sullivan Macy , also known as Annie Sullivan, was an American teacher best known as the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.-Early life:Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts...
." UCLA graduate student Sandra Tannen (Melissa Errico
Melissa Errico
-Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast...
) is one of the people who appears to have Katie's welfare at heart.
Katie comes to live with Dr. Norman Glazer (Joe Regalbuto
Joe Regalbuto
Joe Regalbuto is an American actor and director known for his role as Frank Fontana on the CBS television comedy Murphy Brown. He also starred in the 1986 TV movie Fuzz Bucket and the short-lived series Street Hawk. He played a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film Missing in 1982...
) who works at Children's Hospital, and his family, where she stays for four years. His family helps Katie become a civilized human being. Although Katie shows outstanding progress in some things (such as learning vocabulary words and sign language, preparing hygiene, showing off anger, and certain other activities), she never really learns grammatical structure. Meanwhile, Louise has surgery to remove her cataracts and visits Katie off and on.
When Katie turns fourteen, the funding for her help is cut off and she returns to Louise's care. Soon, it comes to the point where Louise does not know how to handle Katie herself, and Katie gets placed in another foster home. One day, Katie is physically reprimanded
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
for vomiting
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
and responds by never eating or speaking because she was afraid if she opened her mouth she would vomit and be punished again.
Sandra does all that she can to make sure that Katie is handled in the proper way and even has Norman help her. Katie is taken back to Children's Hospital, and Sandra is suggested by social services to have Katie live with her. Before any decisions are made about this, Louise takes Katie out of the hospital and puts her in another foster home. Sandra isn't allowed to say goodbye to Katie. Louise even threatens to take legal action on Sandra if Sandra ever sees Katie again. Sandra finally asks Louise why Katie was placed in extreme isolation before her discovery. Louise tells the entire story; Wes loved his mother very much, and when she died due to an accident, he projected his feelings for her on Katie. After a doctor examined Katie sometime later, she was diagnosed to be retarded and Wes locked her up, afraid that the doctors might take her away. Because Louise was going blind, he took care of Katie.
Sandra then leaves the house, running into Judy again. It is now clear that she knew Louise for a long time. Sandra and Judy have a quick argument, after which Judy enters Louise's house, leaving Sandra almost crying. At this point, different kinds of footage of Katie appear on screen; Sandra looks at tape recordings of Katie on her TV. She then is seen writing something on a typewriter, while her voice addresses the viewers; she's hoping to see Katie once more. The camera then turns to her and her boyfriend, now holding a baby of their own. The screen fades while she sings the "Hush, Little Baby" lullaby. The screen fades, and footage of Katie on the beach can be seen. Messages appear, saying what has happened to everyone after the movie: Judy continues to harass the "Katie Team" until her death in 1988; Louise, who is now once again blind, resides in a South-Californian nursing home; Sandra Tannen is now a professor of linguistics at the UCLA and has two teenage daughters, however, she is still not allowed to have any contact with Katie, who lives in a foster home nearby. The last message before the screen turns black and the credits appear, reads: "Katie's inability to master a language proved the legitimacy of the Critical Period Hypothesis
Critical Period Hypothesis
The critical period hypothesis is the subject of a long-standing debate in linguistics and language acquisition over the extent to which the ability to acquire language is biologically linked to age...
".
Cast
| Actor | Role | Real life counterpart |
|---|---|---|
| Tarra Steele Tarra Steele Tarra Steele is an American child actress, best known for her role of Katie in the independent film Mockingbird Don't Sing.- Filmography:- External links:... |
Katie Standon | Genie Genie (feral child) Genie is the pseudonym for a feral child who spent nearly all of the first thirteen years of her life locked inside a bedroom strapped to a potty chair. She was a victim of one of the most severe cases of social isolation ever documented... |
| Melissa Errico Melissa Errico -Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast... |
Sandra Tannen | Susan Curtiss |
| Kim Darby Kim Darby Kim Darby is an American actress perhaps best known for co-starring with John Wayne and country singer/actor Glen Campbell in the 1969 western True Grit.-Early life and film career:... |
Louise Standon | Irene, Genie's mother |
| Joe Regalbuto Joe Regalbuto Joe Regalbuto is an American actor and director known for his role as Frank Fontana on the CBS television comedy Murphy Brown. He also starred in the 1986 TV movie Fuzz Bucket and the short-lived series Street Hawk. He played a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film Missing in 1982... |
Dr. Norman Glazer | David Rigler |
| Sean Young Sean Young Sean Young is an American actress, best known for her performance in films from the 1980s such as Blade Runner, Dune, and No Way Out.-Early life:... |
Dr. Judy Bingham | Jean Butler |
| Michael Lerner Michael Lerner (actor) -Life and career:Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York of Romanian Jewish descent, the son of Blanche and George Lerner, who was a fisherman and antiques dealer. He was raised in Bensonhurst and Red Hook. His brother, Ken Lerner, is also an actor... |
Dr. Stan York | James Kent |
| Laurie O'Brien Laurie O'Brien Born: September 6, 1952Laurie O'Brien is a professionally trained actress who started her career in 1982 with her role in Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann. She is best known for voicing Baby Piggy on the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon Jim Henson's Muppet Babies from 1984-1991 & the CTW... |
Beverly Glazer | Marilyn Rigler |
| Jack Betts Jack Betts Jack Richard Nelson Betts , also credited as Hunt Powers, is an American actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Actors Studio, he started his career as a leading man in spaghetti westerns, before taking a career in supporting roles in American films.-Filmography:-External links:... |
Wes Standon | Clark, Genie's father |
| John Valdetero | Wayne Lacy | Jay Shurley |
| Michael Azria | Billy Standon | John, Genie's brother |
| Rachel Grate | Jill | Genie's foster sister |
External links
- Mockingbirds Don't Sing at VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...