Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 17, 1992 TAG: 9201170119
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ANDY MARX LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Medium
HOLLYWOOD HAS BLIND AMBITION
It looks as though Hollywood's "collective unconscious" is dreaming up another moviemaking trend: Movies with characters who are blind. At the moment, there are at least 10 projects around - either in development or being produced - dealing with people who are losing their sight, regaining it or are visually impaired."Last year, everybody was developing projects about leprechauns and Knights of the Round Table," says one studio development executive. "This year, it's blind people."
Currently, in the regaining-their-eyesight department, is "How High the Moon," from producer Paul Schiff ("Young Guns"), in development at Fox. Schiff describes "How High the Moon" as "a drama with insight and humor." Written by Jon Meisner and Harris Goldberg, it's the story of a successful, blind-since-birth English professor at an Ivy League college, who, through surgery, has his vision restored and then must come to grips with his new life. "I didn't pursue this story because I knew there was a hunger in Hollywood for movies about blind people," Schiff insists. "It was a compelling idea and, at the time, a very original story."
In the same category is New Line's "Blink," written by Dana Stevens, which is about a woman who regains her eyesight and then witnesses a murder. Complications arise when she isn't sure what she saw and the murderer comes after her.
On the flip side of "How High the Moon" and "Blink" is "Going Blind," which Touchstone Pictures is actively developing. Based on a book and being adapted by Jenny Wingfield ("The Man in the Moon"), it's the story of an arrogant college professor who is slowly losing his eyesight. In borrowing from another popular trend from last year - terrible people changing for the better after something bad happens to them ("Regarding Henry," "The Doctor") - he decides to re-examine his life.
Not to be left out of the race, Warner Bros. has been developing two projects for several years. One is called "The Nighttime Guy," which is the story of a sportswriter who thinks he's going blind when actually he's part of an elaborate experiment dealing with night vision. The other is "Victim of Circumstance," the story of a blind woman who becomes involved in a murder mystery.
In addition to the projects in development, there are two films in production dealing with blind characters. One of those is Universal's remake of "Scent of a Woman," the 1975 film that starred Vittorio Gassman. The latest version is being directed by Martin Brest ("Beverly Hills Cop," "Midnight Run"). Al Pacino stars as a blind and bitter war veteran who befriends a 17-year-old cadet.
Scott Rudin ("The Addams Family") is currently producing "Jennifer Eight" for Paramount. Starring Andy Garcia, it is described as a thriller about a police detective and a blind teacher played by Uma Thurman.
"I have no clue why there's been a run on blind-people projects," Schiff says. "I guess it's part of that strange phenomenon that's part of Hollywood where there can be numerous movies around at the same time dealing with the same subject."