Product Details

• Actors: Raul Julia, Laura Dern, Vanessa Redgrave, Cliff Gorman, Sarita Choudhury
• Directors: Jonathan Sanger
• Writers: Kevin Droney
• Producers: Laura Dern, Hillary Anne Ripps, Jana Sue Memel, Joy Ryan, Kevin Droney
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 21, 1997
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630392042X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,036 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Down Came a Blackbird [VHS] ASIN: 630392042X Binding: VHS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but difficult to watch, January 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Down Came a Blackbird [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The feelings and attitudes of the characters toward their experience as victims of torture are thoughtful and compelling. Torture scenes are difficult to watch (the worst moments are left to the audience's imagination) but are tempered by the flashback context. Best performance Laura Dern has ever given.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understand issues of torture and healing, December 6, 2002

By 

Anja (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down Came a Blackbird [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A story which really gets under your skin! I work with refugees who have been tortured and abused and I recognized many of the reactions the different characters had in the movie.
It was a very believable cast, and although the story skips back and forth between past experiences and present it is not disturbing as it moves the story forward. Also, this is what it is like for many survivors of torture... They can't tell their whole story in one sitting as it is too painful. Maybe it would be for the audience too!

Not to take anything for granted is a valuable story to learn. As well as to realize that there are as many reactions to torture as there are people.

An interesting twist at the end emphasizes the problematical trust-issues many torture survivors grapple with. That's important because it seems through my professional experience that this is the one thing people really struggle with when they are survivors. How do you know who to trust and who not to trust? To a survivor of torture this can be extremely hard to handle as the feeling of "Nothing and no one can really be trusted" seems common. And what may happen to survivors if they start trusting the wrong people? Remember, once everything the survivor believed about other people, proved to be not only wrong, but extremely dangerous.

Watch the movie if you want to understand more about the issues of torture, abuse and healing!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence from Laura Dern, June 21, 2001

By 

Mr Duncan J Pugh (Cardiff, South Glamorgan United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down Came a Blackbird [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Such a touching story. And Laura Dern's presentation is right on. Not a film for people without sentimentality. And the twist at the end is fab. But again emotionally believable. Everyone is this film seems to be from an acting achool of excellence.