Silence of the Heart
Encyclopedia
Silence of the Heart is a 1984 television family drama film written by Phil Penningroth and directed by Richard Michaels for CBS Television. The film stars Charlie Sheen
, Chad Lowe
, Mariette Hartley
, Dana Hill
, Howard Hesseman
and Silvana Gallardo
.
The film was considered groundbreaking for the time period and heralded a coming trend of films that dealt with teenage suicide, a topic previously not discussed in family film, with an emphasis on the surviving family of a teenager who commits suicide.
) is a 17 year-old boy who has been having academic problems; also, a girl named Andrea, whom he has been pursuing has told him that she has no interest in him. He tries to talk to his parents (Mariette Hartley
& Howard Hesseman
) about this but can't bring himself to, thinking that they won't understand. He commits suicide by driving his car over a cliff onto rocks. Now, his parents are in denial saying that his death was an accident. However, his best friend, Ken Cruze (Charlie Sheen
) who was the last person he saw before his death, was told by Skip that he was considering killing himself and is feeling guilty that he didn't try to stop him. Skip's sister Cindy (Dana Hill
) tries to bring her family out of denial so they can heal.
wrote that "In any television project of this sort, the dramatization elements tend to be shaped by requirements usually associated with a how-to manual. This is the problem, we are told, and this is the way to cope with it." They noted that with San Mateo County's director of the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Center
acting as technical adviser, the film's "dramatic clout gets lost in the authenticity shuffle." They praised the cast, writing that "the performances lift the production far above run-of-the-mill exercises", with special note made of the "powerfully wrenching" performances of Mariette Hartley
and Howard Hesseman
as the grief-stricken parents, and that both actors "add important new dimensions to their careers". They concluded that "Overall, Silence of the Heart manages to make all of its cautionary points while, in the process, being genuinely affecting. It represents one special form of the television movie at its best."
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
, Chad Lowe
Chad Lowe
Charles Conrad "Chad" Lowe is an American actor. He is the younger brother of fellow actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in Life Goes On as a man suffering with HIV. He has also had recurring roles on ER, Melrose Place, and Now and Again...
, Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
, Dana Hill
Dana Hill
Dana Hill was an American actress and voice actor with a raspy voice and childlike appearance, which allowed her to play adolescent roles into her 30s...
, Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
and Silvana Gallardo
Silvana Gallardo
Silvana Gallardo is an American actress.She has been mostly active in television. Her credits include: Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, Lou Grant, Quincy, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, Falcon Crest, Trapper John M.D., The Golden Girls, Knots Landing, MacGyver, LA Law, Babylon 5, ER and NYPD Blue...
.
The film was considered groundbreaking for the time period and heralded a coming trend of films that dealt with teenage suicide, a topic previously not discussed in family film, with an emphasis on the surviving family of a teenager who commits suicide.
Plot
Skip Lewis (Chad LoweChad Lowe
Charles Conrad "Chad" Lowe is an American actor. He is the younger brother of fellow actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in Life Goes On as a man suffering with HIV. He has also had recurring roles on ER, Melrose Place, and Now and Again...
) is a 17 year-old boy who has been having academic problems; also, a girl named Andrea, whom he has been pursuing has told him that she has no interest in him. He tries to talk to his parents (Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
& Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
) about this but can't bring himself to, thinking that they won't understand. He commits suicide by driving his car over a cliff onto rocks. Now, his parents are in denial saying that his death was an accident. However, his best friend, Ken Cruze (Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
) who was the last person he saw before his death, was told by Skip that he was considering killing himself and is feeling guilty that he didn't try to stop him. Skip's sister Cindy (Dana Hill
Dana Hill
Dana Hill was an American actress and voice actor with a raspy voice and childlike appearance, which allowed her to play adolescent roles into her 30s...
) tries to bring her family out of denial so they can heal.
Partial cast
- Mariette HartleyMariette HartleyMary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
as Barbara Lewis - Dana HillDana HillDana Hill was an American actress and voice actor with a raspy voice and childlike appearance, which allowed her to play adolescent roles into her 30s...
as Cindy Lewis - Howard HessemanHoward HessemanHoward Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
as Carl Lewis - Chad LoweChad LoweCharles Conrad "Chad" Lowe is an American actor. He is the younger brother of fellow actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in Life Goes On as a man suffering with HIV. He has also had recurring roles on ER, Melrose Place, and Now and Again...
as Skip Lewis - Silvana GallardoSilvana GallardoSilvana Gallardo is an American actress.She has been mostly active in television. Her credits include: Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, Lou Grant, Quincy, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, Falcon Crest, Trapper John M.D., The Golden Girls, Knots Landing, MacGyver, LA Law, Babylon 5, ER and NYPD Blue...
as Alice Roberti - Elizabeth BerridgeElizabeth BerridgeElizabeth Berridge is an American film and theatre actress. She is best known for playing Constanze Mozart in the Academy Award winning 1984 film Amadeus....
as Penny - Alexandra PowersAlexandra Powers-Early life:Powers was born in New York City. She grew up in an artsy, liberal environment on both coasts with her divorced parents. Her father teaches acting. She said in an interview that her parents, "encouraged me to find my own truth". Commenting on her faith, she stated, "I pray whenever I...
as Andrea - Charlie SheenCharlie SheenCarlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
as Ken - Ray GirardinRay GirardinRay Girardin is an American actor. he studied acting at Boston University on the GI Bill, got his Equity card at the Charles Playhouse, then went off to New York where he did a lot of stage work and met his wife Marlene. With a move to Hollywood, he found himself in front of cameras at MGM working...
as Harris - Sherilyn FennSherilyn FennSherilyn Fenn is an American actress and filmmaker. She came to international attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the 1990 cult TV series Twin Peaks...
as Monica - Melissa HaydenMelissa HaydenMelissa Hayden may refer to:*Melissa Hayden , Canadian dancer*Melissa Hayden , American actress*Melissa Hayden , American poker player...
as Rachel - Casey SiemaszkoCasey SiemaszkoCasey Siemaszko is an American actor and the brother of actress Nina Siemaszko. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 17, 1961 to a Polish American father, a fighter in the Polish Underground who survived the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and an English mother.Siemaszko's best known film...
as Jeff - Steve EastinSteve EastinSteve Eastin is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career....
as Ed Rintal - Leslie BegaLeslie BegaLeslie R. Bega is an American theatre, film and television actress; known for performances in Head of the Class, David Lynch's Lost Highway, and a recurring cast member in CSI: NY and The Sopranos. Also featured as a dancer in the breakdancing films Breakin and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo...
as Cindy - Rick FittsRick FittsRick Fitts is an American television and film actor.Fitts has had minor roles in almost a hundred different television shows since his acting debut in 1980, in shows such as Knight Rider, Simon & Simon, The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, Jake and the Fatman, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld,...
as Dan Norlan - Lynette MetteyLynette MetteyLynette Mettey is an American actress who appeared frequently in the role of Nurse Able on the television show M*A*S*H and played Quincy's girlfriend, Lee Potter, on the television show Quincy, M.E....
as Marilyn Cruze - Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
as Hanry
Critical reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that "In any television project of this sort, the dramatization elements tend to be shaped by requirements usually associated with a how-to manual. This is the problem, we are told, and this is the way to cope with it." They noted that with San Mateo County's director of the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Center
Suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of local citizen organizations, mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide....
acting as technical adviser, the film's "dramatic clout gets lost in the authenticity shuffle." They praised the cast, writing that "the performances lift the production far above run-of-the-mill exercises", with special note made of the "powerfully wrenching" performances of Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
and Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman is an American actor best known for playing disc jockey Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and schoolteacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class.-Early life:...
as the grief-stricken parents, and that both actors "add important new dimensions to their careers". They concluded that "Overall, Silence of the Heart manages to make all of its cautionary points while, in the process, being genuinely affecting. It represents one special form of the television movie at its best."