David and Lisa

A darling on the art house circuit in 1962, David and Lisa is the very model of an early independent film—shot in black-and-white, featuring adult subject matter and language, and starring unknowns in the leading roles. Keir Dullea stars as 17-year-old David, "the new guy" at a psychiatric home for disturbed adolescents. The fastidious David is both aloof ("I loathe clubs") and has definite mother issues, as well as a pathological fear of being touched. Janet Margolin costars as 15-year-old Lisa, a childlike schizophrenic who speaks only in rhyme ("I'm a lump and I like to jump"). The two form a surprising, tentative bond that blossoms into a healing love. In addition to being an unconventional love story, David and Lisa is a humane film that offers a plea for tolerance. Based on the book Lisa and David by Dr. Theodore Isaac Rubin, the film may not stand up to close analysis 45 years later, but it does feature excellent performances, including Howard Da Silva (best known as Benjamin Franklin in 1776) as David's compassionate and very patient psychiatrist. Director Frank Perry received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, while his wife Eleanor's script was nominated for Best Screenplay. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)