| FILM PREVIEW REVIEW: Fred’s Roman Holiday I just reviewed a wonderful film and wanted to share my impressions with you. The title of the film is Fred’s Roman Holiday. In some ways, it is a sequel to the film Fred’s Story, but in the really important ways it is a story of the memories and hidden, unexpressed inner life of a man with a developmental disability, who gets to tell his life tale through the insightful film makers: Eric Neudel and Gayle Kranz. On the surface, it is about a vacation by a traveling entourage to sightsee in Italy, BUT as the film continues it becomes much more than a travelogue. The film is about the various and undisclosed elements that created the person that Fred has become. So many people forget to consider that a man such as Fred, with his intellectual limitations and obsessive interest in all things Italian and especially in Il Duce (Mussolini), would have such deeply engraved memories and yearnings captured by his Italian heritage and early life experiences with a beloved family. And like the hero in Proust’s epic work, Remembrance of Things Past, anything Italian triggers those cherished feelings that Fred cannot express in words. Fred’s epic work, his own life story, is remembered and given meaning for him because of his memory of Il Duce and of his happy safe childhood with his parents. I was reminded of the movie Citizen Kane. The viewer of that movie at last finds out the true meaning of “Rosebud” as the emotional symbol of all the losses of home and safety for Citizen Kane. Fred’s interest in things Italian represents a way for him to hold onto his memory of safety and security that was taken from him when he was institutionalized. Fred’s story of his life has parallels to the imprisonment in Auschwitz: confinement against his will to a locked institution and now his liberation to his own apartment and life. Fred has been able to use his indomitable spirit to absorb his tragic losses and is able to still enjoy what he has left in his life. As you will understand I was deeply touched by the scene of Fred in his hotel when he is asked about his desire for romance and having a woman partner. When he says he was “not one of the lucky ones”, I just about cried! So many people have been, and continue to be, deprived of the chance for intimacy, to love and be loved. Fred is surely a lovable character, flaws and all. Fred’s own insight into his loss and the passing of that opportunity is beyond what I would have thought him capable of expressing. His words were limited, but the emotion was communicated through his face and body language and the sensitivity of the film makers. When you watch this film, pay close attention to both the biographical story of Fred as well as the literary symbols. Remember that everyone of us is Fred, whether or not we have an intellectual disability. This is a movie about a dream denied that can be revived, if others take the time to discover it. It is a film about friendship, camaraderie and what it means to have an inner life, known only to you and sometimes revealed when it is safe. It is a reminder of the sadness that was inflicted upon those with intellectual disabilities when they were deprived of their humanity. We have to be careful NEVER to do this again! I was saddened to learn that Fred had died. Do other people remember Fred with the same tenderness as his traveling pilgrims or has he been eulogized? What other people with intellectual disabilities have Fred’s longing for safety and love? How do they cope without it? Will we find out about their inner lives before they are gone? For more information about Fred’s Roman Holiday, contact George Greider via email to frh@pennycorner.com
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