HEARTSOUNDS
US, 1984, 127 minutes, Colour.
Mary Tyler Moore, James Garner, Sam Wanamaker.
Directed by Glenn Jordan.
Heartsounds was one of the acclaimed telemovies of the middle '80s. Directed by Glenn Jordan, director of many effective telemovies, stars Mary Tyler Moore and James Garner give very effective performances. The focus is on Martha Weinman Lear's coping with the series of debilitating heart attacks that her husband, a doctor, suffers. The film is relevant, especially to audiences in First World countries, with its focus on stress and the consequent heart disease and attacks. It also focuses on operations, hospitalisation, convalescence. It highlights the strong relationship between husband and wife and the mutual support.
The stars give very strong performances and the film is very emotional.
1.The impact of this telemovie? For the television audience? For different aged audiences? For those who have experienced heart disease? For those who have cared for heart patients? The film offering information, education, inspiration and support?
2.The American telemovie background? A world of affluence? Audiences identifying with the lifestyle, the characters? The city, the professional world of medicine? Money, family? The musical score and soundtrack?
3.Martha Lear and her book, bestseller, her experience? Mary Tyler Moore and her interpretation of Martha Lear? The wife's perspective on what led up to the attacks, the treatment and convalescence?
4.James Garner as Hal Lear: the doctor, his work and skills, his instructions, his dealing with people, instruction? Age, his marriage and its quality? Family? His collaboration with colleagues? The film's dealing with the heart attacks themselves, visualising the attacks, the heart sounds, audiences being empathetic to the experience of the attacks? The phone calls, the desperation? Martha and her support? The doctors and their points of view? Operation, recovery, convalescence? The diagnosis? Further experience and experiments? The nature of convalescence, time, not doing anything? The support of family? Holiday? Moe? The hospital and the lack of attention? Hal almost dying? The personal dimensions of the heart attack and the experience? The dark, smoke, sex...?
5.Martha, her professional life, skills, interactions with people, the magazine, her writing? The years with Hal? The quality of their relationship? Memories? The experience and her anxiety? The return, the vigil? Smoke? Writing `Heartsounds'? The repercussions with family? Moe? Her desperation at the hospital? The operation, her angers?
6.The film's perspective on doctors? Their skills, work, experience? Good doctors? Inadequate doctors? Moe? The role of doctors in support and reassurance of patients and family? The perspective of the film on the medical profession, good and bad?
7.The film's perspective on family, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, children, grandchildren? The networking of families? The possibilities for support?
8.The film as an educational story about heart illness and experience? The possibilities of death? Debilitation? Treatment? The film's cinematic way of helping audiences to realise the reality of heart disease and to experience it?
