Freaks Vinmag archive

In film, performers with disabilities have mostly been confined to the roles of villain, victim or freak. There have been some fantastic celluloid characters who are not able-bodied, but disabled actors, who could represent them well, are rarely considered for roles. Usually the plum parts are handed to the icons of the day. Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man), Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot), Tom Cruise (Born on the 4th of July), Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) have all won the highest accolades for portraying disabled men. In fact the Hollywood A-list seek out such roles in anticipation of Oscar glory.

But whilst these films may give us a wonderful insight into living with a disability, they retain an element of exploitation by failing to promote the kind of people they feature. How would we feel if Kenneth Branagh 'blacked up' to play Othello? That's exactly what Laurence Olivier did in the 1965 film. Equal opportunities have come a long way since then but the outcry of disabled performers at being passed over for appropriate roles remains largely unheard.

Heroes and villains

Whilst the live theatre of the freak shows was mainstream entertainment in the UK and USA, performers with disabilities have made few forays into film. Often cast as weird or villianous types – there's an abundance of Bond baddies with disabilities, such as Jaws, Oddjob and Nick-Nack – the association of physical difference with evil intent has pervaded film-making.

There are exceptions, though. In 1932, Tod Browning's feature film Freaks gave an unprecedented insight into the world of the side show. It forced the audience to consider whether able-bodied people can ever really see beyond a disability. Featuring a large cast of genuine freak show artistes, the film revealed the supposedly normal members of the travelling circus as the true monsters, as a glamorous trapeze artiste plans to marry and murder a midget for his fortune.

Originally commissioned by MGM as a straightforward horror film, audiences were so shocked and nauseated that the studio withdrew it. Banned in Britain too, Freaks was rarely seen without major cuts until the 1960s. Later critics have also perceived the film as a subtle critique of the Hollywood studios, which generate vast profits by concentrating on the physical form rather than the creative talents of their leading players.

Box office attraction

	Elephant Man poster Vinmag archive

Despite achieving cult status during the last 30 years, on both sides of the Atlantic, Freaks remains in a film sub-genre of one. Very few films since then have shown actors with disabilities in straight roles. There are a few notable exceptions. Willow (directed by Ron Howard, 1988), features Warwick Tudor, a restricted growth actor, as a heroic 'halfling', as well as a whole community of dwarf and midget actors in realistic roles. Children of a Lesser God (directed by Randa Haines, 1986) starred deaf actress Marlee Matlin as the deaf leading lady in a romantic drama. King Gimp, a documentary about Dan Keplinger, an artist with cerebral palsy, won best short documentary Oscar in 2000.

There have been other films which have taken a genuinely sympathetic (as opposed to box office gloss) look into the world of living with a disability. David Lynch's Elephant Man (1980) was one (his later work, Twin Peaks (1990) featured Michael Anderson, another restricted growth actor). Peter Bogdanovich's Mask (1985) and Lasse Hallstrom's What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) are others.

Yet directors and screenwriters find disability a difficult area to tackle without automatically becoming embroiled in 'issue'-based drama. And, as the famous lead actor is the principle box office draw, many film companies are afraid that disabled actors will not have the necessary allure. Certainly it might be difficult for an actor with a psychological impairment to portray their condition on screen, but there are plenty of wheelchair-using actors who could tackle characters with physical disabilities. So what can be done to bridge the casting gap?

Promoting creativity

Art is a powerful tool for changing people's attitudes. It can be used to focus on what artistes have in common with audiences, rather than to expose the differences. Several companies founded in the UK during the last 30 years for disabled performers have broken hard ground in dismantling prejudice. Graeae Theatre Company, CandoCo dance company and Chicken Shed Theatre Company have all produced outstanding work and created opportunities for members to challenge the 'if-you're-not-perfect-you-won't-make-it' mentality.

Larger media companies are also beginning to recognise their responsibility to represent minority groups more fairly. Organisations like the BBC and Channel 4 have set themselves socially diverse 'character quotas' to meet, as well as commissioning a wider range of writing. The positive, success-orientated approach of change by good practice is a slow but effective process. Increased exposure of people with disabilities will, in itself, promote social and professional integration.

Although the underlying ethos of Tod Browning's Freaks is undoubtedly still prevalent, the merit of talent over appearance is ever-increasing. Recognition of ability, in people with or without disabilities, will hopefully lead us to think of all performers as just performers, just as we think of Beethoven as a musical genius, and not 'that deaf composer'.

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