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Over 20 years since it first publicise , the bequest of the TV flick WhatThe Deaf Man Heardis still strong . The Hallmark Hall Of Fame moving picture had an interesting premise that revolved around a man that pretended to be deaf and ended up hear plenty of secret conversations .
The film was nominated for plenty of honour . For his performance as the lead character Sammy , Matthew Modine received a Golden Globe nominating speech for " Best carrying into action by an Actor in a Mini - Series or Motion Picture Made for goggle box . " While most looker are intimate with the plot , here are other facts about the film they probably did n’t recognise .
It Holds An Important Record
What The Deaf Man Heardstill holds the record for the highest - rated TV movie on any American electronic web since 1991.36 million viewers are reported to have tuned in to catch the movie .
The film was also received Emmy nominating address for " Outstanding Made for Television Movie " , " Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie " and " Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie . " It bring home the bacon the latter . At the moment , it can be watched on Amazon Prime .
Matthew Modine Stayed In Character
Matthew Modine is a talented doer with plenitude of accolades to his name , including an Emmy for " Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Special . " And for the function of Sammy inWhat The Deaf Man Heard , he did n’t check back .
Apparently , Modinewas so consecrated to the character thatheremained in character through the duration of take . Just like Sammy , he always rode his bike to various position and never say a Holy Scripture . He also choose to transmit by penning requests and result down on a notepad like his fictitious character .
The Musical Leitmotif At The End
The song heard at the end of the film as Sammy is listening to a music box has also become iconic . watcher have always wonder what the Sung dynasty is because it is n’t from any popular band or solo vocaliser . Was it composed for the film ?
Well , the song " My Ship . “It was compose by Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weillfor or the 1941 Broadway melodic playLady In The Dark . In the beginning degree of the film it is also blab out by Helen Ayers ( Bernadette Peters ) . Many covers of the Sung dynasty have been released in recent years .
Matthew Modine Accepted The Role Without Reading The Script
Modine did n’t even insist on reading the script first . He was convert that the cast would make an amazing project and they did . The moving-picture show is now considered a religious cult classic .
Writer G.D. Gearino’s Inspiration For The Character
What The Deaf Man Heardis adapted from a novel of the dame name by G.D. Gearino . Interestingly the novel was the first ever work of the now legendary author and journalist . But what inspired him to make the persona of Sammy ?
According to G.D. Gearino , the type was made from a write up that his mother used to tell apart himabout a valet that lived in a charabanc station and knew many of the town ’s secrets . He this came up with the estimate of a gentleman who knew secrets too which he had heard by affect to be deaf .
On-Set Crush
Apparently , Modine had a crush onBernadette Peters who played immature Sammy ’s female parent Helen Ayers . Modine had like her since the ' 80s when she appeared as a Playboy cover girl . When he arrive on Seth , she told him how much she make love his work and this made his look for her billow even more . Sadly , nothing more come up out of it .
Modine ’s first twenty-four hour period on set was also Bernadette ’s last day on bent so they did n’t get much clip to interact . At the fourth dimension of motion-picture photography , she was also married to her tardy married man , the investing adviser Michael Wittenberg .
The Burning Church Wasn’t An Actual Church
There is a scene in the movie where a church burns down . But according to Director John Kent Harrison , this was n’t an real church . It was just a replica .
Even though the scenes before the burning here and now were filmed at an actual church service , a jumbo replica was construct right next to the church . Together with a mixture of special effects , the electrocution ended up looking very real .
It Was Director John Kent Harrison’s First US Film
Harrison start out his calling in aim when he was the Assistant Professor of Film Studies at the Concordia University , Montreal . His first cinema wasBeautiful Dreamerswhich was loose in 1990 . After that , he mostly direct Canadian films .
What The Deaf Man Heardturned out to behis first American made film . Harrison would go on to take numerous other television receiver film after that . Most of his film direct great focussing on storytelling rather than fancy camerawork .
It Was One Of The Longest Running Hallmark Films At The Time Of Its Release
At the clip of its passing , What The Deaf Man Heardwas one of the longest running films bring out for Hallmark . It had a running time of 1 hour , 56 minutes and 33 second . Most Hallmark pic at the sentence ran for around 90 minute .
This would alter in the future . There have been many late Hallmark films with running times that go past the 2 hr scar . There have also been longer films overall with conductor such as Martin Scorsese frequently reaching the 3 hour mark .
A Very Small Cast
The film also had one of the smallest cast for any TV film or feature film plastic film . There are only 24 credited thespian . This was possibly due to budget issues but luckily , everything turned out just ok . Or perhaps it was just a directorial decision to use as few role player as possible .
There are also two executive manufacturer and one supervising producer . Most of the locations used are also simple unity . However , crowds can be come across on a few occasions , which means that the extras were never accredit .
NEXT:10 Worst Hallmark Movie Storylines Of The Decade , Ranked
