''Out of Darkness'' is a 1994 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring singer-actress Diana Ross. The movie was distributed and released by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on January 16, 1994, in the United States, Germany, Spain, France,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, Italy and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Plot

In the film, Ross's character, named Pauline Cooper, is a former medical student who becomes ill with

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

and loses 18 years of her life due to the sickness. After her release from a mental ward, Pauline returns home to live with her mother and struggles to rebuild her life with help from doctors, nurses, and a new experimental medication that will help aid her back to health but refusing to set foot in the outside world. Enter heart of gold psychiatric worker, Lindsay Crouse who resolves to help Pauline face up to herself and what lies beyond the front door.

Gibraltar Chronicle The ''Gibraltar Chronicle'' is a national newspaper published in Gibraltar since 1801. It became a daily in 1821. It is Gibraltar's oldest established daily newspaper and the world's second oldest English language newspaper to have been in pri ...

newspaper; Entertainment Guide section; 30/08/1995; Page 17 Throughout the movie, Pauline seeks to better herself in a world that she felt had shunned her. The story is open-ended, concluding with Pauline seeing a homeless woman rummaging through junk cans and talking to herself, leaving Pauline in tears. The question of whether this will be Pauline's future or was a fate Pauline had avoided but to which she could still fall victim to was not answered, only raised.

Cast

* Diana Ross as Pauline "Paulie" Cooper * Ann Weldon as Virginia Cooper * Rhonda Stubbins White as Zoe Price *

Beah Richards Beulah Elizabeth Richardson (July 12, 1920 – September 14, 2000), known professionally as Beah Richards and Bea Richards, was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was also a poet, playwright, author and activist. Rich ...

as Mrs. Cooper *

Carl Lumbly Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dick Hallorann in '' Doctor Sleep'', NYPD detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama ''Cagney & Lacey'', CIA agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC esp ...

as Addison Haig * Chasiti Hampton as Ashley Cooper *

Maura Tierney Maura Therese Tierney (born February 3, 1965) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom '' NewsRadio'' (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama '' ER'' (1999–2009 ...

as Meg *

John Marshall Jones John Marshall Jones is an American actor, best known for portraying Floyd Henderson on The WB sitcom ''Smart Guy''. He is currently the spokesperson for Pizza Hut. Career Since 2021, Jones has had a recurring role as U.S. Air Force General Nel ...

as Albert Price * Rusty Gray as Bartender (credited as Rusty Schmidt for the film) *

Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...

as Kim Donaldson * Juanita Jennings as Inez *

Patricia Idlette Patricia Idlette is an American actress known for her role as Kiffany in Showtime's ''Dead Like Me''. She also appeared in four episodes of '' Battlestar Galactica'' as politician Sarah Porter, and as Melanie Blackstone in the miniseries '' A ...

as Policewoman

Production

The film was rated PG-13 and rated M in Australia. The movie was made by several different production companies; these included Ross's Anaid Film Productions Inc., Andrew Delson Company, Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises Inc. and Empty Chair Productions Inc. In an attempt to improvise the "walk" of a homeless indigent, Ross discreetly placed an orange between her skirted thighs and proceeded to hobble along on cue. The effort required to keep the concealed orange in place, and without using her hands, resulted in a gait so uncanny that Ross's director, Larry Elikann, later quizzed her about how she walked the "walk." But according to Ross herself, as she related to the audience of ''

Inside the Actors Studio ''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel C ...

'' on February 19, 2006, she never did disclose the simplicity of her little ruse.

Awards

Ross earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film at the

52nd Golden Globe Awards The 52nd ceremony of the Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1994, was held on January 21, 1995, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The nominations were announced on December 21, 1994. Winners ...

in 1995.

References

External links

* 1994 television films 1994 films 1994 drama films Fictional portrayals of schizophrenia Films about schizophrenia 1990s English-language films American drama television films Films directed by Larry Elikann 1990s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub