Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion (2007)

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The afternoon of May 27, 1995 marked a deeply tragic turning point for the late Christopher Reeve. On this fateful day, Reeve's globally-publicized equestrian accident left him completely paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic who required extensive breathing assistance. Yet ironically,… More The afternoon of May 27, 1995 marked a deeply tragic turning point for the late Christopher Reeve. On this fateful day, Reeve's globally-publicized equestrian accident left him completely paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic who required extensive breathing assistance. Yet ironically, only during this darkest of all hours did Reeve's capacity for strength fully flower - as a crusading advocate for stem-cell research, the founder of the UCI Reeve-Irvine Research Center for spinal cord injuries, and, astonishingly, one who found ingenious ways to continue his work as a director, producer and occasional actor, in his ten remaining years alive. For much of the world, Reeve began to personify unbridled possibility whenever and wherever determination is present. Reeve's son by Gae Exton, Matthew Reeve, originally conceived a series of three documentaries observing his father's journey back to full recovery; though Chris's death in late 2005 made this an impossibility, Matthew shot and edited a great deal of the footage into two halves, one entitled 'Hope in Motion' and a second entitled 'Choosing Hope.' The home video release Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion incorporates both; the footage, of course, begins with Reeve's terrifying accident and subsequently witnesses his tireless crusade for stem-cell research, his stunning ability to regain partial control over his muscular movements and his first steps back into the realm of film and television - all in spite of the debilitations that stood in his way. The program features extended interviews with Reeve, Brooke Ellison, Jesse Billauer and Jim McLaren and also works in a bonus featurette about the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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