Posted on 12/07/2002 3:22:29 AM PST by Miss Marple
The scene is almost as famous as the movie itself: George Bailey is about to jump off the bridge in Bedford Falls when he spies a man gasping for air in the icy waters below. Putting his own suicide attempt aside, Bailey dives in to save the man -- who's not a man at all, but his guardian angel.
The scene from "It's a Wonderful Life" is indelible for most of us. But for the blind and visually impaired trying to follow the story, it's a minute or two of the sound of rushing water and splashing.
That will change at 8 tonight when NBC broadcasts "It's a Wonderful Life" in Descriptive Theatre Vision. The process adds an audio track featuring a narrator -- former President George Bush -- describing the action so that more than 10 million blind and visually impaired people "can hear what they cannot see," the Federal Communications Commission said in recommending that TV networks provide four hours of descriptive audio weekly.
Viewers can access Bush's description track by using the SAP -- second audio program -- feature on their TV.
In many scenes, the former president offers basic descriptions. In the famous final scene, for example, he says: "A bell on the Christmas tree rings. Holding Mary and Zuzu close, George smiles skyward and winks." During the suicide scene, Bush starts the description this way: "Unseen by George, a plump, white-haired little man with a pleasant, almost cherubic face stands nearby, watching George with a smile on his face. As George is about to leap, a figure plunges into the water from out of nowhere."
Ann Story Hughes, a 27-year teacher at the Indiana School for the Blind and an outreach visual impairment consultant there, watched a preview copy of the movie sent to The Star.
"He did a very nice job, and it probably will be very well received," said Hughes.
The concept of Descriptive Theatre Vision may be new to many people, but videos with description tracks have been around for at least five years, Hughes said. She has a catalog on her desk offering current titles -- "Spiderman," "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" -- featuring descriptive audio.
This year, the networks have been adding descriptive audio to many prime-time programs. PBS has provided descriptive audio on more than 1,600 programs, and Turner Classic Movies has offered the feature on at least 50 films.
When I started teaching, these people are doing what I used to do," Hughes said. "I used to sit next to my 'total' (totally blind) kids and be describing the action, just as they are doing now. And it was a pain. So it's wonderful for me that they're described."
Hughes said the objective of a good narrator should be to let viewers draw their own conclusions about what's happening. "You give them a lot of information, but you don't put a lot of emotion in your voice. So normally, where you'd speak with a lot of inflection as a teacher -- when I read a story, I put oomph into it -- when you're describing a video you're just supposed to fill in gaps. It'll be your viewpoint if you put inflection in."
The former president met those guidelines, though there were a few sections of the film -- the opening credits and the scene where Uncle Billy has a squirrel on his arm -- that needed description, Hughes said.
But overall, "I'm overjoyed," she said. "It's wonderful. This is a quality-of-life improvement."
I am pleased to see that former President Bush was asked to describe one of the great Christmas movies, and a fitting one for him to do.
I highlighted in bold the directions for anyone who wants to listen tonight.
I have to admit, you(they) did have me thinking the very same thing!!!!
I think it's wonderful to have such a fine man describing for the visually impaired the scenes of a great Christmas movie.
Also, because when I read the headline in my local paper, X42 was the one I myself thought would be featured. LOL!
It does seem that the media is all about the negative and not the positive things and events.
Try to imagine Clinton doing this narration:
"...I see George Baily surrounded by all his friends, just like I was just last week when I was telling the DLC how I think we should act. And now the bell on the top of the tree is ringing, just like those bells rang when I was inaugurated. And here is the black maid appearing...did you know I was the fiirst black president? Toni Morrison said so. And..blah, blah, blah..."
There was no barf alert, so I very timidly opened the thread. Whew!
NOOOOO! Let's not go there! LOL!!
I was glad to see all those people together, and a good man honored for his service to our country.
And he and Barbara sure raises some great children! :^)
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