What the Deaf Man Heard (1997)
In 1945, a young boy arrives in a small Georgia town on a bus from which his mother was abducted and murdered. Alone he sits quietly and everyone becomes convinced that he is deaf and mute. Deciding that silence offers some power and protection, the boy decides to remain mute and just listens to all that is being said around him by people who think that he cannot hear.
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I have to disagree with the comment posted by Lexicon which appears on the main IMDb page.I found this film to be hilarious and well acted. Given most of the trash that's available for viewing, I had no problem with watching this one with the kids. Of course, there's no real sex, real violence, blood, gore...it's all implied. Even when someone is murdered, there's no filming OF the murder and no bloody body. It IS a Hallmark movie, after all. If you're looking for such, look elsewhere.But if you're looking for a moving story of a helpless child making the best of a horrible situation, and you like to laugh, then this is 90 minutes well spent.The only complaint I had with the movie, which was pointed out by one of my boys, was that they didn't spend enough time on Sammy (the "deaf" boy's) childhood character. Having been deaf for the first four years of his life, I'm sure the boy knows what he's talking about.
It's really beyond me what people see in this movie! I enjoy all sorts of movies but this one is like a shell with absolutely NO SUBSTANCE! It was SLOW, UNREALISTIC, and the entire movie seemed to revolve around the moment when he spoke which wasn't very dramatic at all as the characters were NOT even near to convincing.TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE THE PRODUCER HAS MADE A MOVIE BASED ON THE FACT THAT A STORY LIKE THIS ONE HAS SOME SUBTLETY TO IT AND THEREFORE IT WILL BE AND BE PERCEIVED TO BE MUCH MORE THAN IT IS. IT'S WORKED, PEOPLE HAVE VOTED IT INTO THE 7'S BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT THIS MOVIE IS VERY VERY BLAND...
For me, Hallmark Hall of Fames are like the Super Bowl, the main event is nice to watch, but the commercials are the real reason to tune in. What can I say, I like cheez. However, "What the Deaf Man Heard" is a rare exception. This is a movie that captured my attention. I laughed, I cried, it was better than CATS. I don't believe it's on video, but CBS plays it again every so often. Check it out.
This film had several flaws. Firstly, it progressed too slowly. The main character had very little to do in this film, which I suppose couldn't be helped given the plot. Almost the entire film was spent retelling the lives of other people. Secondly, the characters and plot were unrealistic. Are we really to believe that someone would be able to convince others of his deafness for so many years without being found out? And the supporting characters were too melodramatic. They over acted at every turn.