A happy human being.

Date:
1968
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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Credit

A happy human being. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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About this work

Description

This film tells the story of Bill Howe, severly disabled by cerebral palsy, and how he has managed to lead a full life because of his remarkable strength of character and his love of music. The film is adapted from Bill's autobiography, 'Crossed Wires'. 2 segments.

Publication/Creation

UK : Scope, 1968.

Physical description

1 encoded moving image (15 min.) : sound, black and white

Duration

00:14:56

Copyright note

Scope

Terms of use

Unrestricted
CC-BY-NC-ND
Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales

Language note

In English

Creator/production credits

Produced by Dario Piovani, Ugo Mariotti, Anthony Friedmann and Rodney Carr-Smith.

Notes

This film was donated to Wellcome Trust by Scope.

Contents

Segment 1 Bill Howe is shown in his wheelchair and introduced by a voiceover. The voiceover explains that Bill struggled for years to convince people that he was intelligent, but how eventually he wrote a book about his life. Bill reenacts his lifestory whilst an actor reads Bill's words. Bill as a young boy watches other children play and goes with his mother to the park. Two girls laugh at him and he says from that day on, he always felt self-conscious. His mother however, never tried to hide him away, and they are shown on a trip to Blackpool with his sister. Bill explains how he loves listening to music and the radio. The Second World War is implied using a series of photographs showing how Bill and his family were frightened in an air raid. Bill's mother is shown carrying him to safety. In 1941, his mother explains to Bill that she is growing too old to care for him properly and that she has arranged for him to stay at a residential home. In a moving scene, Bill is taken away by ambulance and his mother and sister watch it drive away. At the home, Bill is unhappy and homesick and falls ill, contracting tuberculosis. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:07:31:02 Length: 00:07:31:02
Segment 2 Bill recovers three years later and is moved to a new ward, where a nurse teaches him to read. He first uses stencils to communicate, then an alphabet board, and finally a typewriter. He begins writing his life story in 1958, and in 1959 begins attending the hospital school. He is introduced to poetry and also goes to the social club. He begins receiving physiotherapy. Bill explains that he is an atheist, that quality of life is hugely important, and that he is just as much a part of society as anyone else. He wants his story to encourage others with cerebral palsy to think that they are also a part of society, and that life can be wonderful. The film ends with Bill saying that in his room, with his thoughts, music and poetry, he feels he is the 'most happy person in the world.' Time start: 00:07:31:02 Time end: 00:14:56:11 Length: 00:07:25:09

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