Grim watching, but saved by sone fine acting

Judi Dench

Michael Williams

Richard Henders

Monty Haltrecht

Beverley Marcus

Judi Dench and her real-life husband, Michael Williams, play another married couple in this BAFTA-nominated tale of a family whose lives are shattered when their 16-year-old son develops schizophrenia. At first, he turns violent a...

Christopher Morahan

Can You Hear Me Thinking?

The end of the long-running &quot;Play for Today&quot; series in 1984 did not mark the end of the BBC&apos;s commitment to one-off television dramas. (That end was to come around a decade later, in the late nineties). It was replaced by &quot;Screen One&quot; and&quot;Screen Two&quot;, television films mainly shot on location and influenced by the &quot;Film Four&quot; series produced by Channel Four, whereas the &quot;Plays for Today&quot; were usually shot in a studio. The title of the series varied according to whether the drama in question was being shown on BBC1 or BBC2.

This film formed part of the second series of &quot;Screen One&quot;, from 1990. It is one of those films about a well-to-do, middle-class, seemingly happy family whose world is suddenly turned upside down by a sudden tragedy. The parents, Kevin and Anne, are played by Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams, who were of course married in real life. Problems start when their teenage son, Danny, collapses while playing cricket at his boarding school. At first Danny seems to be recovering, but then he shocks his parents by announcing that he wants to leave the school, without giving any really coherent reason or making any alternative plans for his career.

Anne tries to be understanding, but Kevin, who has achieved success in his career by hard work after a childhood in an orphanage, is angry that his son appears to be throwing away his prospects on a whim. It soon becomes clear that Danny is suffering from deep-seated mental health problems, and his behaviour becomes increasingly irrational. He is diagnosed with schizophrenia and after he attacks his mother with a carving knife, he is sent to a psychiatric institution. His parents, and his younger siblings, do all they can to cope, but we begging to wonder whether Danny is beyond all help. The title refers to Danny&apos;s delusion, apparently not uncommon among schizophrenics, that other people can somehow &quot;hear&quot; his thoughts, even if he does not give voice to them.

&quot;Can You Hear Me Thinking?&quot; can make for grim watching, but is saved by the fine acting, not only from Dench and Williams but also from young Richard Henders as Danny. He is an actor whom I have not seen in any other productions, but he is the real star of this play, bringing out all the pathos of Danny&apos;s predicament. I caught the film when it was shown on BBC4 as part of their policy of repeating historic dramas from the past. Long may that policy continue. There are plenty of &quot;Plays for Today&quot;and &quot;Screen One&quot; and &quot;Screen Two&quot; productions in need of a fresh airing. 8/10.

The end of the long-running "Play for Today" series in 1984 did not mark the end of the BBC's commitment to one-off television dramas. (That end was to come around a decade later, in the late nineties). It was replaced by "Screen One" and"Screen Two", television films mainly shot on location and influenced by the "Film Four" series produced by Channel Four, whereas the "Plays for Today" were usually shot in a studio. The title of the series varied according to whether the drama in question was being shown on BBC1 or BBC2.

This film formed part of the second series of "Screen One", from 1990. It is one of those films about a well-to-do, middle-class, seemingly happy family whose world is suddenly turned upside down by a sudden tragedy. The parents, Kevin and Anne, are played by Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams, who were of course married in real life. Problems start when their teenage son, Danny, collapses while playing cricket at his boarding school. At first Danny seems to be recovering, but then he shocks his parents by announcing that he wants to leave the school, without giving any really coherent reason or making any alternative plans for his career.

Anne tries to be understanding, but Kevin, who has achieved success in his career by hard work after a childhood in an orphanage, is angry that his son appears to be throwing away his prospects on a whim. It soon becomes clear that Danny is suffering from deep-seated mental health problems, and his behaviour becomes increasingly irrational. He is diagnosed with schizophrenia and after he attacks his mother with a carving knife, he is sent to a psychiatric institution. His parents, and his younger siblings, do all they can to cope, but we begging to wonder whether Danny is beyond all help. The title refers to Danny's delusion, apparently not uncommon among schizophrenics, that other people can somehow "hear" his thoughts, even if he does not give voice to them.

"Can You Hear Me Thinking?" can make for grim watching, but is saved by the fine acting, not only from Dench and Williams but also from young Richard Henders as Danny. He is an actor whom I have not seen in any other productions, but he is the real star of this play, bringing out all the pathos of Danny's predicament. I caught the film when it was shown on BBC4 as part of their policy of repeating historic dramas from the past. Long may that policy continue. There are plenty of "Plays for Today"and "Screen One" and "Screen Two" productions in need of a fresh airing. 8/10.

real life husband and wife play husband and wife

Judi Dench and her real-life husband, Michael Williams, play another married couple in this BAFTA-nominated tale of a family whose lives are shattered when their 16-year-old son develops schizophrenia. At first, he turns violent and has to be hospitalised. When he is released, the full implications of his illness strike home.

bappamtv

Can You Hear Me Thinking?

🎭 Top Cast

🎬 Technical Specs

🏷️ Keywords

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

📖 Synopsis