At First Sight
by Irwin Winkler
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bruce Davison, Kelly McGillis, Mira Sorvino, Steven Weber, Val KilmerDirector: Irwin Winkler
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: John Seale
Editor: Julie Monroe
Writer: Oliver Sacks
Writer: Steve Levitt
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.33:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-04-27
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Movie Reviews of At First Sight
Movie Review: Seeing is believing
Summary: 4 Stars
"At First Sight" is based on the true story of a man who was blind for nearly his entire life due to cataracts and retinitis pigmentosa before having his sight temporarily restored. Based on an essay by British neurologist Oliver Sacks (who also penned Awakenings), the film follows stressed-out New York architect Amy (Mira Sorvino) as she attempts to "relax" at a weekend spa retreat. At the reception desk, she frowns at the list of activities and settles on daily massages instead. At her first session, she meets Virgil (Val Kilmer), a man with a truly magic touch. To her embarrassment, Amy breaks down crying as someone actually takes the time to touch her for the first time in a long time. Virgil, blind since childhood, excels as a massage therapist and enjoys hockey. Sensitive, constantly smiling and outgoing, he doesn't view blindness as a disability. Amy and Virgil begin seeing each other, but his prickly, overprotective sister Jennie keeps reminding her of Virgil's limitations as a blind man.
When Amy returns to New York and finds a doctor that is a pioneer in restoring vision, she urges Virgil to consider having the operation. This is the start of a very honest and painful dialog between Virgil, Jennie, and Amy; as a child, Virgil was subjected to every manner of faith healing in an attempt to cure his blindness. The remainder of the film deals with the aftermath of the surgery and the strain that Virgil's newfound sight places on his and Amy's relationship. After being blind for decades, Virgil's brain is unable to cope with the new flood of visual input, and he is only able to "see" by touch for the first few days. It's a refreshing twist on Hollywood portrayals of narrators succumbing to blindness and the sentiment of "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Instead, director Irwin Winkler and the gorgeous cinematography by John Seale paint Virgil's world of darkness in terms of touch, sound (the gorgeous rainstorm that allows Virgil to "see" Amy puts Daredevil (Director's Cut)'s CGI rain effect to shame!!) and smell (Virgil initially describes Amy as smelling like cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, to which his sister says it sounds like he's describing a coffeecake). His post-op world is one of blurry, super-saturated colors, sudden movements, and confusion, and similar to Asperger's Syndrome, Virgil has to learn to "read" facial expressions and visual cues.
Winkler deftly balances the romantic story with the medical one, although the film feels a touch long and could have benefitted from some editing (I wasn't crazy about Nathan Lane's cameo, although I love him in other films such as The Birdcage ). Kilmer handles pre- and post-op Val with tenderness and insight; as a blind man, he relies on his other senses like touch and hearing to guide him, but sight proves more treacherous and difficult than living in a familiar world of darkness. Sorvino's Amy was sweet and supportive, although at times she has difficulty understanding why Virgil would choose his old life over his new one. The beautiful visual metaphors and the love theme "Love Is Where You Are" by Diana Krall only add to the tender appeal of "At First Sight."
Summary of At First Sight
Witness the extraordinary transformation of seeing the world for the first time and fall in love with life all over again. Directed by Oscar?(r) winner* Irwin Winkler (GoodFellas) and based on a true story by Dr. Oliver Sacks (Awakenings), At First Sight is an exhilarating adventure and the visual experience of a lifetime! Starring Val Kilmer (The Doors, Batman Forever) and Academy Award?(r)-winner** Mira Sorvino (Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion), this "poignant, uplifting drama" (New York Daily News) explores the remarkable journey of a man whose world was darkened by blindness but enlightened by the miracle of science and the wonder of love. Blind since childhood, Virgil Adamson (Kilmer) is working as a masseur in an upstate New York spa when he meets and falls in love with Amy Benic (Sorvino), a stressed-out, career-driven architect. Certain that Virgil's simple world will be greatly enhanced by an operation to restore his sight, Amy ultimately realizes that Virgil's new vision puts a fresh focus onboth their lives.The tagline states, "Only love can bring you to your senses." Well, your senses have to be pretty dulled to love At First Sight. On paper the story--based on the writings of medical writer extraordinaire Oliver Sacks (Awakenings)--is intriguing: a blind man regains sight after surgery yet can never connect with what he sees, including a lovely new girlfriend. Indeed, maybe blind was better. From such interesting stuff (and a talented cast) comes a tepid love story and an unconvincing drama.
Val Kilmer plays Virgil, a serene resort worker who plays hockey in the dark and is the best masseur this side of the Catskills. Onto his table comes Amy, a bone-weary NYC architect (Mira Sorvino) who cries the first time Virgil does his magic. Instead of a voyage into the world of blindness, Amy's first instinct is to take Virgil to an eye doctor who can restore sight (Bruce Davison). Virgil receives sight, crumbling the trust between him and Amy. The clich?s start building up and by the time Amy is wooed by her ex-husband (Steven Weber), her boss no less, one's patience wears thin.
The medical curiosities of the story--Virgil can see an item but can't grasp what it is until he touches it--do not translate well on screen. The film's liveliest character is Nathan Lane as a teacher of the blind. A scene with Virgil that gets to the heart of his ailment is so filled with spontaneity, one wonders if it was scripted or simply Lane's own extemporaneous dialogue. After an admirable start as a director (Guilty by Suspicion), Oscar-winning producer Irwin Winkler has not been able to put cinematic highs or believable angst into his films (The Net, Night in the City). At First Sight may look good, but it is blind where it counts. --Doug Thomas
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