Men Don't Tell

The defeated man is an American television drama from 1993.

Action

Actually both had a happy marriage, making it appear all the more strange that the once so enamored Ed and Laura MacAffrey so divided, that Ed is said to have beaten his wife in a coma. After Laura is taken away in an ambulance, the police arrive and suspected him of having tried to kill his wife and takes him to the police station. There he says that everything is completely different than it looks. Laura had beaten him and not vice versa.

He tells of his fortieth birthday and his wife surprised him with a celebration. She has planned everything in order to give a perfect party. Minor discrepancies it solves so that it exerts gentle pressure on her husband. He needs to buy again soda, as this draws to a close. Shopping For he takes his daughter Cindy, who has to watch later as her father has to beat a thief on the run after he was almost attacked. When she later told her mother about it, this is so upset that she suggests Ed with full power fist in the face. He bleeds and apologizes to her that he did not tell her sooner. When his friends see him with whipped lip, he says that his wife hit him. But since all laugh, he lies and says that he had fallen over toys lying around.

That was the story, in which Laura beat him the first time. The police want him not quite believe it. But Ed insists, to tell the truth. He had merely been silent all these years to be not more exposed to the sayings of his friends and colleagues. On the question of whether Laura always hit him with intent, justifies Ed Laura's behavior nor the fact that there are probably all only ever been accidents in which he was always the culprit.

When Alan has his application at a prestigious private school, Laura tries everything to make this succeed. But Alan turns to awkward, which is why the recording seems doomed to fail. This frustrates them so much that they are Ed 's fault, not earning enough money and never being at home because of his overtime. When he even forgets the movie night with the kids, Laura tries the next day in the presence of the children, to start arguing with Ed. When he wants to avoid a debate with her, she yells at her husband and throws several objects on the ground. Ed tries to justify the behavior of their mother over his two children. But Laura is still angry, so she embarks on her night sleeping husband, beats him off the bed and enters him. Although Ed gets the upper hand, but not to beat them, but to force them to stop beating. She stops, but Ed turns in the following years more and more of Laura from. Yourself this distance trying to overcome, but when she sees him at the operating Christmas party with another woman, she freaks out, running in the parking lot jammed Ed, who has followed her, a hand in the car door, so that it breaks down and resting repeatedly with her ​​car against Ed's truck. The cause of the injury, he concealed, as well as the aggression of his wife. He asks Chuck, his friend and attorney for advice on what would happen if he could get divorced. But this strongly advises against this as it would ruin custody and maintenance of the follow-up processes. He should rather try to save the marriage. So he tried to save her with expensive roses and a dinner, what can be saved. But Laura lets him sit and not appear.

To escape the violence, he takes off out of the house. A short time later, however, appears Laura and asks him to at least show up for Christmas and to spend the children 's sake with them the festival. He can barely bring himself and appears on the eve before Christmas. Laura promises that they will change and now everything is better. The next time will be better, but one day discovered Laura the receipt for the expensive roses that Ed bought her for the common dinner, and believes that he casually plays with other women. Since they screaming pelted him with all kinds of objects, it can, however, you do not tell the truth. From the noise alerted the neighbors call the police. When this appears, stumbles Laura and injured, so it appears to the police, as the man would beat his wife, so she threatens him. The same threat he receives a day later by his father Jack. But that's enough Ed. He himself had always hated it when his father came home drunk to beat his wife, so he wants to be told nothing about him.

During the interrogation break Jack visits his son and does not believe him the story that Laura hit him for years. Therefore, he suggests him to lie and act to admit the fact that he came home drunk and beat his wife. But Ed will not lie, let alone accept no small punishment for something he did not do.

Ed once sought help women's shelter, which should advise him what he would have in a violent marriage for options. But this took him for a spinner, which is why they refused any help. So he asked his wife shortly afterwards to see a marriage counselor. But the drunken Laura responded very negatively. She's afraid of everything to get the blame, so they in turn blames him and insulted. As Cindy will notice a dispute provoked by Laura and her mother asks you to stop, Laura yells at her daughter and beats her. That's enough Ed, who pulls Laura Cindy. There will be a tussle in which both fall through the window and as a result, Laura into a coma.

Since no one believes him, Ed is about to land in jail. But suddenly, his father appears and apologizes to him. Ed is at a loss, but Jack tells him that Cindy confirmed its entire history, and now makes her statement outside with the police. Ed is released and can now finally be with his children. He is also a witness, which meant a lot of work on Chuck's wedding where he wants him and his bride the best possible and a marriage built on love and trust. Laura, meanwhile, awakens from a coma, also appears on the celebration and hopes that they may see their children. Ed tells her that as long as she knows how to behave. Laura can be then carried away by the aggressive statement that she would do anything to get custody of their children and that he could not do anything about it. But Ed replied that only that he could still tell the truth.

Criticism

In the Variety Rick Martin said that it is in this " paradoxically overwhelming CBS movie" not a true story. Yet but He shows how " violence escalating in the usual way, but just wrong gender. "

Because it is a " provocative topic " if a woman hits a man, found Ray Loynd Los Angeles Times, this " study of a masculine nice man who does not make women " courageous. He also praised, that it was not only a melodrama thanks to the " taut, tense narrative ." He particularly emphasized Judith Light, the show with her ​​character a " vicious, insecure woman " a "staggering portrait". Although the " solid script" a showcase " relatively new " marriage story, the film would have " a sobering point. " He was referring to the " jokes " to which one would have been long accustomed, in which "a woman on with a rolling pin her husband goes off, only to then witness how extremely listless and terrifying as anything can be. "

In People magazine judged David Hiltbrand that " violence is staggering, but the psychological profiles remain disappointingly superficial. "

" The interesting thing about the film is the cast, " said Rick Kogan in the Chicago Tribune, because Strauss " does not look like anyone could be struck, " and Light has been always busy in feminine roles. While Strauss his character " diligently " games, " fails " Light in their presentation. He also criticized the "simple cause -and-effect action that denies a deeper exploration of the emotional and psychological suffering. "

"The film first sounds like a bad joke ," said Lon Grahnke in the Chicago Sun - Times, but "there is nothing funny in this drama [ ... ], which tries to explain the psychological constraints why women beat their men. " In this " honest attempt " praised Grahnke the main characters. Peter Strauss draw a " fine line between masculinity and vulnerability " and "his concise simple representation [ was ] full of strength, sensitivity, [and] sympathy. " But also the " conspicuous role of insecure, obsessive Laura, " by a " frustrated housewife their offensive hypercritical mother is tormented, " will of Light" represented by " frightening conviction ."

Tom Shales in the Washington Post said that Strauss a " pretty convincing job " and also make light " of her character an additional level above the normal recalcitrance out " there. Although the topic may be a " rousing hard," between the flashbacks "of the film sink " again and again and thus forfeits his pace.

Background

Light did not initially make the film because it was afraid that by the problem of wife abuse would be forced back into marriages. But after the psychologist and consultant to the film John Chamberlin it drew attention to the problem, she said that " it feels good, to pioneer and to show the public that there are other kinds of abuse. "

Judith Light immediately said yes. However, Peter Strauss was only the second choice. The originally signed actor was so mad at the script that his name was not revealed until today.

The film was produced by CBS first aired on 14 March 1993. In Germany he ran on 14 June 1994 on ProSieben for the first time.

1993 in film Harry Winer Screenplay Film score Stephen Lee (actor) Television film People (magazine) Chicago Sun-Times
230364
de