I Know a Song: A Journey with
Alzheimer's Disease
[1988, 28 min.] I
Know a Song focuses on a daughter's review of
her relationship with her mother, who is suffering from the advanced stages of
Alzheimer's Disease. Brenda King relates the history of her mother's physical
decline, shares her story directly with viewers, and affirms the permanence of
the mother-daughter bond in the face of this relentless and devastating disease.
Introduction
Images of Alzheimer's are bound in our consciousnesses: the 36-hour day, the
regression from the peak of adulthood to the helplessness of the child, the
uncontrollable wandering, the empty stares, the inexplicable behaviors. The
individual's encounter with someone who has Alzheimer's is a devastating experience,
one that changes a person's life forever. Alzheimer's, like old age or death,
is a metaphor for the unknowable, the inexplicable, the absolute mystery of
our existence. Alzheimer's compels the individual to face painful moments of
recognition: we are reminded of the fragile nature of our existence, reminded
that we, too, will grow old someday, and reminded of our mortality. Likewise
we are invited to reinterpret the basis of our relationships with other people,
particularly those who suffer from the disease. Several excellent documentary
films have covered these issues. But I Know a Song combines the documentary
format with a personal statement on the part of an adult child of an Alzheimer's
victim. Brenda King's mother is suffering from the advanced stages of Alzheimer's
Disease. For many years Brenda was the primary caregiver for her mother. But
after living with her mother for six years, Brenda has placed her in a nursing
home. Still she maintains contact with her mother and views her honestly and
objectively, rather than with detachment, or even worse, with pity or sentimentality.
Like other documentaries that have examined Alzheimer's Disease, this one takes
viewers into the institution and portrays health care professionals interacting
with the patient. Unlike other documentaries on the subject, I Know a Song
focuses on one daughter's review of her relationship to her mother. Brenda King
provides some information about Alzheimer's Disease, and she does provide insights
into the experience of the individual who suffers from the disease. But she
offers a unique dimension by sharing her story with viewers as if on a one-to-one
basis. The truth of this film is to be found in Brenda's affirmation of the
bond between mother and daughter that has never been broken. Throughout the
film viewers see Brenda touching her mother, holding her, kissing her, singing
to her, making eye contact. Clearly Brenda will not let her mother slip away
from her. Brenda's story triumphs because it communicates something permanent
in her relationship to her mother that could not be destroyed even by a disease
as relentless and devastating as Alzheimer's.
Pre-Viewing Notes
and Activities
From a technical point of view, I Know a Song is a sophisticated film,
and for those viewers who have an interest in the filmmaker's control over his
material, there are several points to be made regarding the lighting, composition,
editing, camera techniques, and visual magic in the film.
Lighting
- The first time we see Brenda and her mother they are seated next to each
other in the nursing home. Natural light from a window illuminates the two
women. Eliminating artificial light creates a more intimate atmosphere. Although
bright lights enhance colors, they also create harsher light tones. One way
to prepare members of your audience for this effect is to ask them to look
around the room. Ask them to pay particular attention to the brightness of
colors. Ask them to consider how they respond emotionally to those colors.
Then (if possible in your particular setting) turn out the lights so that
the sole source of illumination in the room is light coming through the windows.
Again ask your audience to make a visual check of their surroundings. Having
established some of the ways lighting may affect the mood, begin the film
at this point. Other scenes in the film are photographed in a studio setting.
There we see Brenda brightly lit against a light blue backdrop. Ask members
of your audience to consider the contrasting moods established by these two
types of lighting--natural lighting in the nursing home scenes vs. high contrast
lighting in the studio scenes.
Composition
- Ask your audience to pay attention to how individual shots showing Brenda
and her mother are composed. For example, the first shot in the film shows
Brenda and her mother together in the frame. The composition of that shot--that
is, the placement of the people within the frame--conveys more than simply
physical information to viewers. That is, the composition of that shot is
meant to help viewers respond to the emotional bond between mother and daughter.
Likewise, the audience should look for other examples when the composition
of a shot includes the two women as a means of adding further commentary on
the basis of their relationship. The last shot of the film adds further emotional
impact because it shows the Brenda as a child. She is looking up into the
face of her mother. Viewers will be able to respond to the ironic commentary
made in this last shot if they have been watching for examples of composition
including mother and daughter in the nursing home scenes.
Editing
- Often the filmmaker includes reaction shots of Brenda's mother juxtaposed
with images of Brenda telling her story. Her mother reacts as if she is responding
to Brenda's dialogue. Of course, the old woman has no idea of what Brenda
is saying. This editing technique reminds us of how much Brenda's mother has
lost through the progression of Alzheimer's Disease. We are constantly reminded
of the vital, humorous, active woman Brenda's mother once was. The old woman
in the nursing home is a shell of her former self. Now she has lost all contact
with past, present, and future.
- Editing is also used to convey the physical and emotional closeness the
daughter feels for her mother. Often viewers are shown closeups of Brenda's
hand as she touches her mother's hand, closeups of the eyes of Brenda's mother,
and closeups of the faces of the two women.
Camera techniques
- The most dramatic camera technique employed in the film occurs when Brenda
speaks while looking directly into the camera. By doing so, Brenda establishes
a one-to-one relationship with the viewer. Thus, she plays a dual role in
the film: she interacts with her mother in scenes in the nursing home and
she relates her anxiety, confusion, depression, and desperation directly to
the viewer. This camera technique helps viewers participate directly in Brenda's
story and empathize with her emotional response to her mother's illness.
- Another instance of this technique occurs in scene 11. Brenda sits next
to her mother in the nursing home. She sings her a French song. As she sings
the words, she touches her mother gently as if teaching her what the French
words mean. Her mother responds to one of the words. Then the filmmaker cuts
to Brenda in the studio. She looks right into the camera and says, "I love
you." Then we see Brenda kiss her mother in the nursing home. This scene helps
viewers identify with Brenda's determination to affirm her love for her mother,
whether or not her mother understands her actions.
Visual magic
- In scene 2 Brenda refers to "our cottage on the river." We see a photograph
of her parents. In the background is the cottage. Suddenly the photograph
is altered when the cottage becomes a bright green. This visual magic is repeated
in several instances throughout the film. In one scene the water turns blue
(scene 3); in another scene objects in the photograph turn orange (scene 5).
In each case the filmmaker appears to imply that Brenda's reminiscences recover
some of the color and life of the original experiences. Each glimmer of color
is a brief reminder of the full and complete life that her mother was leading
before struck with Alzheimer's Disease. In some respects these scenes may
suggest that there are corners of Ellamae's mind that are still in color,
that is, alive and vivid with memory.
- Several times in the film the screen suddenly goes white. Such visual information
is highly unusual because it suggests a break in the flowing narrative of
the film. But here the filmmaker uses this technique intentionally in order
to suggest the gradual but inexorable slipping away of memory that Brenda's
mother is experiencing. The first time this occurs is in scene 6. We see a
photograph of a room in her mother's house. Suddenly the screen goes white.
This technique suggests that this part of her mother's experience has dissolved
altogether. Likewise, in scene 8 we see the same outcome after her mother
is shown in an home movie standing at the door of the house. The last time
this occurs is at the end of scene 9. Brenda asks, "What are you without your
memory?" as we see an old photograph of her mother as a young woman. As if
to answer that question, the screen goes white again.
Summary of Scenes
NOTE: Throughout this documentary the director uses a "voice over"
technique. When "voice over" is used, we hear Brenda King's dialogue, but we
do not see her speaking. This technique may be used even when we see Brenda
on the screen. In the case of this documentary, voice over is used so that Brenda
King may speak directly to the audience as a means of trying to explain her
feelings. In this summary her voice over is always preceded with "BRENDA:".
- Brenda King sits next to her mother in a nursing home. Natural light from
a window illuminates the two women. Brenda's mother has white hair. Her teeth
protrude. She appears disoriented, confused. Brenda embraces her mother and
whispers something in her ear. Her mother appears unresponsive. She moans
softly. A few notes from a piano are sounded. BRENDA: "I can't do this." Then
we see Brenda sitting at her mother's feet. She touches her mother's shoulder.
Her mother, smiling, rubs Brenda's hand with her own. But her mother does
not look at her. Brenda sings a catchy tune which includes the words, "O Death
where is thy sting . . . O Grave thy victory?"
- We see the first of several home movies of Brenda's family. BRENDA: "How
am I going to say this?" She begins: "August, 1941, our cottage on the river."
We see a photograph of her middle-aged parents. Suddenly the cottage in the
background turns a bright green, as if by magic. Color home movies show the
family on a boat. Brenda is nine or ten. Her mother is active and alert. Accordion
music plays in the background.
- Brenda sits in a studio. She holds up a photograph and reads what is written
on the back of it. "Our cottage on the river, eight miles above the Falls
on the American side, about eight miles. Long ago and far away." She adds,
"She began to write those notes when she was beginning to lose it." We see
a closeup of her mother's handwriting and the repeated "about eight miles."
BRENDA: "Long ago . . ." (home movies of her parents cavorting on the lawn)
BRENDA: " . . . and far away." (a photograph of a boat next to a dock.) Suddenly
the water in the distance turns a bright blue as if by magic.
- Brenda speaks directly into the camera. She tells a story of the time her
mother got lost driving from Buffalo to New York. "She was gone for three
days and no word from her." Her mother, 68, was found wandering in the woods.
"She was calling." We see a closeup of her mother in the nursing home. She
smiles, but there is a blank look in her eyes. Then we see a photograph of
her mother as a young woman. She is beautiful. Her eyes are bright, clear,
alert. This image dissolves to show another photograph of her mother in old
age.
- Finally the family realized that their mother was not able to live alone
in the house. She had lived there for 40 years. Home movies show her mother
skiing at breakneck speed down a wintry slope. Then we see her parents sitting
in the house. Both appear happy and relaxed. Parts of the black and white
images are transformed to color as if by magic. Then we see another photograph
of the same scene that shows Brenda as a child sitting on her mother's lap,
while her two sisters sit at her mother's feet. They are playing accordions.
- Brenda relates more instances of her mother's mental decline. "One day mother
went to the garage, got in the car, backed it out, and ripped the door right
off the car." Then we see another home movie scene of her parents cavorting
on the lawn. Her father is trying to tickle her mother. Her mother is resisting
playfully. Brenda recalls that her mother began to hide crystal bowls and
other objects. "Do you think someone's going to steal them?" Brenda recreates
the estate sale that disposed of the home furnishings. We hear recreated sounds
and snatches of dialogue--almost as if the sale were happening at this moment.
Brenda notes, "When we weren't looking, Mother was taking things back inside."
She concludes, "We sold the house." An image of one of the rooms in the house
fades out. The screen goes white.
- Brenda recalls the six years her mother lived with her. Brenda recounts
details of her care: brushing her teeth, feeding her. "She didn't know where
she was in the house." She adds, "I got angry with her for needing full-time
care." Home movies show her mother active and alert. BRENDA: "Life is too
weird." She recounts the times her mother wandered away from the house. As
Brenda recreates the times she would call out for her, we see images of her
mother in the nursing home. Her face is blank, her eyes searching, as if she
is responding to Brenda calling out for her. Brenda sits with her head in
her hands. She appears glum, even depressed as she recalls these events. "She
was so active before. She was such a force."
- Brenda recalls the decision to place her mother in a nursing home. We see
Brenda sitting close to her mother. "How are you today, Mama?" Her mother
groans in response. BRENDA: "It is as if she has regressed from being an adult
to being a child. There must have been a moment when we crossed." Brenda kisses
her mother, hums to her, rubs her hair, pats her hand. She sings "Hush Little
Baby." Her mother manages a vacant smile. We see a scene from a home movie:
her mother stands at the door of their house in winter. She waves at the camera.
The screen goes white.
- Brenda holds up an old photograph : "Granny Loomis, Buffalo, New York. Carrie
Dryer." She explains that this woman was her mother's grandmother. Brenda
reads the writing on the back of the photograph: "John Stevenson, killed in
a collision in the air, the air, in the air near Philadelphia." Brenda explains,
"John Stevenson was my mother's first love, who died when she was 20 years
old. She married my father when she was 28." Brenda looks puzzled. "Why is
John Stevenson's history written on the back of Carrie Dryer's photograph?"
We see a closeup of Carrie Dryer, the woman on the photograph. BRENDA: "Who
is there to remember what Carrie Dryer said to Ellamae Loomis about her love
affair with John Stevenson?" Suddenly a blush appears on the cheeks of the
woman in the photograph. BRENDA: "What are you without your memory?" The screen
goes white.
- Brenda opens a folder of material. She explains that a friend of hers, a
research psychologist, sent her information about Alzheimer's Disease. She
holds up one document and reads from a chart: "Functional assessment stages
in normal aging and Alzheimer's Disease." Brenda studies the document: "Let's
see where you are today." As she reads, we see scenes of her mother being
bathed and dressed by nursing home staff. BRENDA: "Stage six. Severe decline.
Requires assistance bathing. Difficulty putting on clothing properly. Stage
7: Ability to speak limited to from one to five words." Brenda visits her
mother. Her mother laughs and touches her daughter's face, then kisses her.
Back in the studio, Brenda concludes, "That's where she is today." She looks
toward the camera. "She's way down here on the bottom of this chart. Not much
left." She continues, "All intelligible vocabulary lost, all motor abilities
lost, stupor, comatose." Brenda sits next to her mother in the nursing home.
Her mother rests her head on Brenda's shoulder. Brenda looks toward the light
coming from a window. She hums the tune, "Down by the Riverside."
- Brenda looks toward the camera. "This scares a lot of people. How ugly the
sufferer becomes. My sister cries when she goes to see my mother. I guess
it's because she figures she's gone. I'm not so sure." Brenda sits next to
her mother. She touches her gently. BRENDA: "She'll creep back into her body
and surprise you." Brenda sings from the French tune "Alluetta." She touches
her mother's mouth when she says the French word bouche, and her mother repeats
the word, as if questioning her. Closeup of Brenda; she looks right into the
camera and says, "I love you." In the nursing home Brenda kisses her mother.
- Brenda recalls a time she and a friend took her mother to the musical Oklahoma.
When the play began the main character sang the opening song that begins "Oh,
what a beautiful morning." As we hear her sing the words, we see old home
movies of her mother in a boat on the water. In the studio Brenda say, "And
my mother turned to us and in this really full voice said, 'Couldn't you just
die?' " Brenda punctuates the last statement by throwing up her arms. Back
to the nursing home, as her mother throws up her arms almost in the same way.
Then we see home movies and the scene again of her parents cavorting on the
lawn. In the nursing home her mother laughs. Then in the studio Brenda notes
that when she leaves, the nurse almost always asks, "Did your mother recognize
you?" Brenda in a closeup: "And I say, 'I felt she did.' " In the nursing
home mother and daughter embrace. "I know a song. You know this song?" Brenda
sings for her again. The last image in the nursing home shows Brenda tenderly
looking up into her mother's face. This image dissolves to show a photograph
of Brenda and her mother taken when Brenda was a child. She looks up tenderly
into her mother's face. This image dissolves and the graphic "For Ellamae"
appears on the screen.
Discussion Questions and Sample Worksheet
Text of The Great Circle
of Life: A Resource Guide to Films and Videos on Aging, copyright ©
1987, 1999, 2005, Robert E. Yahnke. All photographs copyrighted by Robert E.
Yahnke. All rights reserved. Contact author for permission to copy
photographs or reprint portions of text.