Films involving Amputee

Amputee: Major Films

Title	Promises in the Dark (1979)
Alternative/Original Title
Disability	Cancer Amputee
Country	USA
Length	115
Genre	Drama
Rating	4
Director	Jerome Hellman
Cast	Marsha Mason Ned Beatty Susan Clark Michael Brandon Kathleen Beller Paul Clemens Donald Moffat
Notes	A 17 year old girl, Buffy (Elizabeth), breaks her leg and it is discovered she has a malignant tumour. Osteogenic sarcoma. There is shown the detailed medical procedure and she has her leg amputated above the knee. A woman doctor (Mason) was against this and the girl wants her to be her attending physician. Buffy has chemo but the outlook is not good. She is a outgoing and questioning young woman. She goes home on a pair of crutches and eventually goes back to school. There she sits next to a guy in a wheelchair. But she doesn't last long at school. While her father is quite accepting of the situation her mother is constantly looking for new treatments. Even though her doctor is recommending experimental drugs. Buffy begins to deteriorate, has a nurse at home and then is back in hospital. She has a cardiac arrest and is kept alive on a respirator at home. She has already indicated that she doesn't want to be kept in this state and wants nature to decide. However her parents are against turning the machine off. The Doc goes to her house when parents are out and turns off the machine. This is a superb piece of drama and an example to all those people making "disease of the week" TV films. There is a detailed picture of the young woman's condition and a subtle portrayal of a divorced woman doctor. Only the melodratic ending jarrs somewhat. Highly recommended.

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