AMPUTEE ARCHETYPES IN MOVIES

[Usagi Pilgrim]

As a subscriber to this magazine, I was thrilled to see this article in the newest issue. I started an amputee thread over in the Off-Topic section that had some good discussions for a while (I still want to know why JoeG was banned).

Anyways, since we have a few amputee related media coming soon, like FURIOSA, ECHO, & the live action HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, I thought this could be an interesting read for some here. Enjoy & please share any thoughts or questions.

Which Movie Amputee Archetype Are You? | Amplitude

As more movies with limb-different characters get made, new archetypes are starting to emerge. Amputee representation on the big screen still has miles to go, but we are making progress.

livingwithamplitude.com

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

I sent the article to a few friends & students, & so far I've been told that I'm a combo of a 3, a 4, & a 7.

LOL

I'll take that. ;- D

 

[DarkKnight]

how about the guy with small hand in scary movie

 

[dascoyne]

how about the guy with small hand in scary movie

or Deadpool for that matter

 

[drusselmeyer]

How about emotional amputees like House? Not everything is based in a physically obvious situation. In history, it has been classified as exclusively emotional or mental, brain trauma can be as physically limiting as limb trauma. Sometimes moreso.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

How about emotional amputees like House? Not everything is based in a physically obvious situation. In history, it has been classified as exclusively emotional or mental, brain trauma can be as physically limiting as limb trauma. Sometimes moreso.

Absolutely, & I'm not discounting that at all, but the article was from a limb-loss perspective.

Interesting that you bring up House in particular, since I feel his "emotional amputation" was a direct result of his physical trauma. I mean, even though he wasn't missing a limb, he'd lost the majority of his quad which caused him constant, crippling pain.

 

[drusselmeyer]

I think that was a large part of his problems, but he was really messed up before his injury.

 

[Robot Monster]

Well my first Amputees I remember were the clever actors in Silent Running. They brought such emotion and feeling to the little bots, I was heartbroken when they were lost or hurt.

From IMDB
The three drone robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie (named after Donald Duck's nephews) were operated by four multiple-amputee actors: Mark Persons, Steve Brown, Cheryl Sparks, and Larry Whisenhunt.

 

[batguy]

Well my first Amputees I remember were the clever actors in Silent Running. They brought such emotion and feeling to the little bots, I was heartbroken when they were lost or hurt.

Definitely. Those actors really helped make that movie work. Without them it would have felt a lot more like 'Cast Away' with Tom Hanks yelling at a volleyball.

 

[asalaw]

I worked on a film back in the 80s called Scarecrows, and we had an amputee actor named Tony who played one of the scarecrows. Lost his arm just past the wrist in Vietnam, or so he said. Supposedly a grenade. Man, he told some filthy stories. I can't even hint at some of the stories he told...

Anyway, I no longer recall why we used an amputee for that particular role. I haven't seen the film in 20 years. It's very dated, not terribly good, but passable.

The lighting is gorgeous though. We had a young DP named Peter Deming who was brilliant, created a fantastic night look with very few lights, all tungsten units because HMIs were not in the budget (I think the whole film was done for like $200K). Anyway, Peter did the film with a broken wrist. His arm was in a cast the whole time, and he did a significant amount of handheld work with that cast. Can't say enough about him. He's had quite a career, too. Look him up. Very impressive.

 

[drusselmeyer]

This is a whole area of casting that should be explored.

 

[Laspector]

I'm actually surprised the word amputee itself hasn't come under fire in this day and age. We can't say midget or handicapped or retarded anymore. Which, in my day those words weren't even slurs, they were just the word that defined the condition.

Maybe limb impaired or something?
Legless? Nah, sounds too Lord of the Rings.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

As an amputee, I've heard limb different used by doctors. I've also heard them & others use different terms for the stump, like residual limb.

Extremely stupid to me, this whole changing of terms to prevent offense, but I'm not one of the professionally offended. I have too many things of my own to keep myself busy than worrying about whether you're offended.