Hollywood First (?): DVD -- A Distant Thunder -- and Ben Flora

[The information below is found by watching the movie and listening to the Actors Commentary about the movie. Other information is taken from the credits in the movie.]

In the credits of the movie A Distant Thunder, Benjamin Flora is in the movie credits.

What is unusual about this? Benjamin Flora is the baby in the sonogram of Ann Brown (character in the movie) who is inside the womb of character Sarah Brown.

In other words, Benjamin Flora is given credit for his portrayal as an unborn baby.

In the movie/film, he represents the unborn baby which is Ann Brown (key character of the movie). Ann Brown is played by Olivia Flora (Benjamin Flora's sister) as Ann Brown at about 8 months old.

There are a number of characters who play Ann Brown in the movie - because the movie depicts the life of Ann Brown - from inside the womb until the end of the movie.

The person who gets the most air time in the role of Ann Brown is the adult character - played by Deborah Flora.

The irony in all of this is that Deborah is Benjamin and Olivia Flora's mother. The shooting of the movie occurs, ironically when Deborah is pregnant with Benjamin, though she is not showing her pregnancy in the movie.

The movie is directed and written by Jonathan Flora, who is husband of Deborah Flora and father to both Benjamin and Olivia Flora.

On the eve of the Acadmeny Awards, which recognizes actors for their roles in movies, this may be a Hollywood first - giving an unborn baby credit in a movie for the baby's role in the images in the sonogram.

This DVD is a family affair - writer/director Jonathan Flora casting his wife Deborah Flora in the key role of Ann Brown, while using images of the sonogram of his son Benjamin Flora to be Ann Brown in the womb and using daughter Olivia Flora to depict Ann Brown when she is about 8 months old.

Giving an unborn baby credits in a movie is a poltically taboo thing in Hollywood - where babies have no rights...

You have to view the DVD and view the segment Commentary by Cast Members Deborah Flora, Peter Renaday, and Selah Victor to get the information.

It might be an interesting topic based on the timing of the Academy Awards this year, the banning of abortion in Mississippi and South Dakota as well as the review of the 2003 Law for banning Partial Birth Abortion (key topic to this movie).

2 posted on 03/05/2006 5:54:14 AM PST by topher (Let us return to old-fashioned morality - morality that has stood the test of time...)

Because of your previous post reviewing this movie, I ordered my copy from Amazon. (should be delivered this week!)

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