| Amy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vincent McEveety |
| Written by | Noreen Stone |
| Produced by | Jerome Courtland |
| Starring | Jenny Agutter Barry Newman Kathleen Nolan Chris Robinson Lou Fant Margaret O'Brien Nanette Fabray |
| Cinematography | Leonard J. South |
| Edited by | Gregg McLaughlin |
| Music by | Robert F. Brunner |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Amy is a 1981 Americandrama film directed byVincent McEveety and starringJenny Agutter. It was produced byWalt Disney Productions, distributed byBuena Vista Distribution, and written by Noreen Stone.[1][2]
In 1913, Amy Medford leaves her possessive, wealthy husband to begin a new life teaching speech to deaf students in the ruralAppalachian Mountains at a school forblind anddeaf children. Though encountering resistance from those who question whether it's even possible to teach speech to children with hearing impairments, Amy becomes close to the staff and children, building a new life for herself and gaining the personal strength she will need to stand up to the domineering husband who is not content to let her live her own life.
Amy was originally filmed as a television movie titledAmy on the Lips, and was the first television movie that Disney Studios made for an adult audience.[3]
Nanette Fabray andLouise Fletcher were interested in the role of "Malvina", a teacher of deaf children. Fabray, who played the part, was hearing impaired, and Fletcher's parents were deaf.[3]
The deaf children in the film, except for Brian Frishman, were students from theCalifornia School for the Deaf in Riverside, California.[3] Dawn Jeffory, who was cast as Caroline Chapman, had a real-life role as a guest instructor at the school, and was helpful to director Vincent McEveety in working with the children.[3] Lyle Ferguson, the school superintendent, was played byLou Fant, a son of deaf parents, who helped establish theNational Theatre for the Deaf.[3]
By January 1981, the film's title was changed toAmy and given a theatrical release as Walt Disney Productions felt that the film was "so powerful" it warranted a theatrical release.[3]
The film's score was written by Robert F. Brunner. The film features one original song, "So Many Ways", written by Bruce Belland (lyrics) and Robert F. Brunner (music). The song was sung byJulie Budd and plays during the film's opening credits and is reprised during the film's end credits.
In 1982, Disney Educational Services excerpted a sequence from the film for educational use, entitledAmy-on-the-Lips.[4]
Amy was originally released as adouble bill on a re-release ofAlice in Wonderland.[5] The film came to video cassette in October 1981.[6] Disney released a manufactured-on-demand DVD of the film as part of their "Disney Generations Collection" line of DVDs on June 28, 2011.[7]