THE GIFT OF LIFE

US, 1984, 96 minutes, Colour.
Susan Dey, Paul Le Mat, Cassie Yates, Edward Herrmann.
Directed by Jerry London.

The Gift of Life is an impressive American telemovie tackling a difficult ethical and moral subject: surrogate motherhood. The film focuses on an ordinary woman, mother of two children, working. She hears an appeal for surrogate mothers - to provide children for couples attempting to have their own children but unable to. She becomes part of a programme - fairly quickly, without thinking through the consequences. After some reluctance, her husband agrees. However, she was not ready for the hostility that people exhibited against her. It makes her ask all kinds of questions about the issue.

The film presents both sides of the ethical argument: there are strong stances against surrogate motherhood from moral and legal points of view. Towards the end of the film, the human element is brought in, the emotional argument.

Susan Dey is good as the mother. Paul le Mat is her husband, who has mixed feelings about the situation. Edward Herrmann is good as the doctor in charge of the programme.

One of many films that the Americans make so well dramatising contemporary moral issues.

1. The impact of the film as entertainment? As dramatising a contemporary ethical issue? The points of view? Leaving audiences to make conclusions?

2. The telemovie style: the ordinary American family, the American The ordinary life of Joely? Her experiences? The medical sequences? The birth of the child? The emotional sequences? Musical score? Style familiar to the television-watching audience?

3. The title and its focus? On Joely's attitudes? The needs of the childless couple? Surrogate motherhood as an example of the giving of life to child, to parents?

4. The focus on Joely? Ordinary wife and mother? Her relationship to her daughters, to her husband? At work? Louise? Her hearing about the programme, her interest being roused? The letter, the visit to Dr. Quinn? The motivation? Emotional? Her husband and his hesitation? The money? The discussions of the issues? Her decision not to tell people? Telling Louise and experiencing her negative reaction? The negative reaction of her family (despite the couple who had been trying to have a child and who interpreted it as God's will)? The hostility of the manager at the cafe? Her being demoted? The hostility of the couple who wanted another waitress? Her being fired? The media criticism? The repercussions on her husband's company? The attitudes of people in general towards this issue - understanding, misunderstanding? The encounters with Dr. Herrmann? The possibility of her being used? The hesitation on the part of the father as regards decisions and the health of the baby? The nature of the contract, the conditions? Her gradually realising the implications of what she had done? The anger and the accident? The dilemma about the birth? Inducing the birth or caesarean? The birth, her reaction? The decision to keep the baby? The legal case? The support of her parents? The background to the children and their fear of being given away? The encounter with the adoptive mother? The talk, sharing the experience, her decision to sign the papers? Her husband's bewilderment, his signing? The final sequences with the child, its name, feeding it? Handing it over? Her decision, the repercussions, the consequences for her life? Audience understanding of the character?

5. The sketch of Joely's husband - ordinary young husband, father, his work, relationship with his wife's family, financial support, expanding his firm? His decision, wariness? His reaction to people's hostility? To seeing his wife on the media? The problem of the difficult birth? His joy in keeping the child? His finally signing? The audience sharing his bewilderment about the implications of the issue?

6. Dr. Quinn and his programme, his concern for childless couples? The attacks on his selling babies and making money? His concern? Go-between between the parents? Laboratory methods? Artificial insemination? The effect on Joely - temperature, finding the right time for insemination? Being with her during the pregnancy? Go-between - with questions about the baby's health, tests? Gifts from the parents? His reaction to the induced birth? His final dilemma - and his story about losing his wife and children? Compensation for his work and Joely's reaction?

7. Louise and her negative reaction? Friendship? Her making explicit the arguments against the surrogate motherhood? The repercussions for the baby's health, responsibility? Mother-love? Nine months of nurturing a child and then giving it away? Moral issues? As made clear by Joely's parents - and her father's strong reaction against her? The childless couple accepting their childlessness as God's will?

8. The media questions, the interviews with the mothers - and their various motivations? Their health, giving life? Financial support? The hostility of some of the interviewers? The ~.couple in the diner? The manager of the diner and his harshness?

9. The audience finally seeing the adoptive parents with Joely? The wife and her ordinariness, saving the money, various jobs? The gift of the dress? Her love for the child? Finally meeting with the father - his background as a fireman? His giving the name to the child?. Joely's final comment about the adoptive mother as the true mother?

10. Film as a way of dramatising complex ethical issues: the dramatising of both sides, the articulating of the various arguments? The strength and validity of the various arguments? Moral viewpoint? Leaving the audience to share the emotions and analyse reasons?