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- Caption: Carey Lowell as Joan Brock in More Than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story (2003)
- Description:
Pathos, drama and a happily-ever-after ending. What more do you need in a movie? Oh, one more thing: It's a true story.
Three times beginning Monday, Lifetime Television for Women will broadcast "More than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story." "People ask me how it feels to have a movie made of my life," says Joan Brock, as she sprawls across the living room floor of her comfortable Sabino Canyon home. "I'm excited, scared. It's surreal. There's a whole range of emotions." And plenty of emotion will no doubt be packed into what promises to be a three-hanky movie.
In 1984, Joan, then 32, lost her vision after a lupus-like condition attacked her retinas. It would get worse. Five years later, her husband, Joe, would succumb to cancer, leaving her alone to raise their 8-year-old daughter, Joy. But Brock had a couple of things going for her: One, she had taught - before and after the blindness set in - at a school for the blind in Iowa. And two: She was already an experienced speaker, talking about the accomplishments of the blind.
After her husband's death, Brock started writing her autobiography, "More than Meets the Eye," which was published in 1994. Two years earlier, she had met and married Tucsonan Jim Brock, who has written several books on butterflies.
Today, Joan Brock continues to be a sought-out speaker on the national circuit, addressing groups including vision professionals and migrant workers. "My speeches are based on my life story but I can adapt it to different groups," says Joan.
It was late in 2001 when a mutual friend of Joan's passed her book along to independent producers Mike Bremer and Paul Goff. A few months later, Hollywood came calling. "We were sitting on the front porch. Jim was watching butterflies and the phone rang," says Joan."It was them, saying they were interested." In May2002, the two producers, along with screenwriter Susan Nanus, met Joan in Tucson. Not long after, they took in a speech she was making in San Diego. "They saw what I do as a professional woman - not just as a blind person - to help and inspire people," says Joan. After San Diego, the writer got busy on the screenplay. "She sent me a treatment," says Joan, laughing at how she's picked up the lingo. Though the basic outline of Joan's life remains intact, some artistic license has been taken. Because the movie was filmed entirely in Winnipeg, Canada, neither Tucson nor Bakersfield, Calif., Joan's hometown, figure in the story line. "They don't look like Winnipeg," says Joan. In real life, Jim flew Joan to Tucson early in their courtship and together they released a butterfly. "For the movie, they had butterfly wranglers in the area, raising butterflies," says Jim, who was also on the set. "To do that one scene, they did tons of takes." Carey Lowell, who used to play prosecutor Jamie Ross on TV's "Law and Order," portrays Joan. The two hit it off right from the start. "She asked my opinion on things," says Joan, who spent several days on the set as a paid consultant. She, Jim and Joy - who just graduated from Northern Arizona University - all have a cameo in the movie. The story airs Monday at 9 and 11 p.m.; June 20 at 9 p.m.; and June 29 at 3 p.m.
"I just hope the film will touch hearts and give people hope," says Joan. - Actor/Actress/Director: Carey Lowell
- Movie: More Than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story ( photos )
- Id: 10906362
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