SILENT FALL (DVD/1994/WS/DS5.1/ORIG T/BIOS/MOTION MENU SCENE ACCESS) DVD

Silent Fall
This by-the-numbers psychodrama about a child psychologist trying to discern the truth behind a pair of murders stars Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Jake Rainer, a child psychologist living in an upscale community. Rainer retired when a patient committed suicide, but the local sheriff (J.T. Walsh) calls him to the scene of a double murder. In a lavish home, Rainer meets Tim Warden (Ben Faulkner) and his sister Sylvie (Liv Tyler, in her feature film debut), whose parents have been brutally slain. Sylvie hid in a closet and didn't see the killer, but Tim, who is autistic and cannot communicate, witnessed the crime. Rainer starts the complicated process of reaching Tim through gentle psychological techniques based on his theory that autistics think in sequences, while a colleague (John Lithgow) simply wants to drug the child into revealing the killer's identity. The real-life son of child psychologists who worked with autistic children, Silent Fall screenwriter Akiva Goldsman had better success with his first film, an adaptation of The Client (1994), a drama with a similar plot and themes. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast Richard Dreyfuss as Jake Rainer John Lithgow as Dr. Harlinger Linda Hamilton as Karen Rainer J.T. Walsh as Sheriff Mitch Rivers Ben Faulkner as Tim Warden Liv Tyler as Sylvie Warden

Crew David James Bomba - Art Director Shari Rhodes - Casting Joseph Middleton - Casting Penelope L. Foster - Co-producer M. James Kouf Jr. - Co-producer Lynn Bigelow - Co-producer Colleen Kelsall - Costume Designer Katterli A. Frauenfelder - First Assistant Director Bruce Beresford - Director Ian Crafford - Editor Gary Barber - Executive Producer Stewart Copeland - Composer (Music Score) Kathryn Bihr - Makeup John Stoddart - Production Designer Peter James - Cinematographer James G. Robinson - Producer Patty Malone - Set Designer Chris Newman - Sound/Sound Designer Akiva Goldsman - Screenwriter Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist

Silent Fall
(not reviewed)
 

Berlin International Film Festival, In Competition (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel Additional Features: All-new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack remastered for home theaters Cast filmographies Theatrical trailers Animated interactive menus Scene access Languages: English & French Subtitles: English, French & Spanish DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 101 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selections 1. Autumnal Credits. [2:20] 2. Crime Scene. [3:03] 3. The Winning Hand. [4:29] 4. Go Fish. [3:06] 5. Not the Boy You're Protecting. [3:56] 6. Nothing Round on the Menu. [1:35] 7. Home Again. [4:48] 8. "I'm takin' it now." [4:53] 9. About Autism. [6:35] 10. Opening Doors. [2:58] 11. Cutting the Cards. [2:31] 12. Finding Tim's Voice. [5:49] 13. Hot and Cold. [1:12] 14. All Families Have Secrets. [2:20] 15. Back to that Night. [4:51] 16. Pushing Hard. [1:47] 17. Vocal Cast of Characters. [5:40] 18. The Sheriff Knows Things. [3:11] 19. Helping Jake. [3:35] 20. The Darkness Closes In. [5:07] 21. "I'm close." [1:52] 22. No Intruder. [2:33] 23. An Unpredictable Toast. [2:41] 24. On Thin Ice. [2:22] 25. A Call from the Sheriff. [2:06] 26. Unexpected Help. [1:22] 27. The Answer's in the Cards. [1:31] 28. "It wasn't just Tim." [4:36] 29. His Own Voice. [2:07] 30. One Year Later. [1:18] 31. End Credits. [4:40]