Without Pity: A Film About Abilities

1996 American TV series or program

Without Pity: A Film About Abilities

Written by| Michael Mierendorf
Directed by| Michael Mierendorf
Narrated by| Christopher Reeve
Country of origin| United States
Production
Executive producer| Sheila Nevins
Producer| Michael Mierendorf
Running time| 55 minutes
Production company| Michael Mierendorf Productions
Original release
Network| HBO
Release| October 8, 1996 (1996-10-08)

Without Pity: A Film About Abilities is a 1996 American television documentary film narrated by Christopher Reeve. This documentary celebrates the efforts of those with disabilities to live full, productive lives. It originally premiered on HBO on October 8, 1996.

## Summary

[edit]

The viewers meet a cross section of Americans in the film. A young woman with cerebral palsy who cares for her baby, while a man with cerebral palsy lives successfully on his own after 40 years in a Colorado institution. The film takes a trip to school with a remarkable 6-year-old boy without arms or legs, visits the workplace of a blind computer expert, and meets a professor with polio who teaches the history of discrimination against people with disabilities. A young man recently made paraplegic discusses his daily battle with depression and his determination and motivation to overcome it and get on with his life.[1]

This film applauds the resilience and potential of people with disabilities and their need to be determined to be self-sufficient.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Reeve Narrates 'Without Pity'". Reading Eagle. October 6, 1996. p. TV2. Retrieved October 29, 2013.

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

1970s|

* The Body Human / The Great Whales: National Geographic Special (1978)
* Scared Straight! (1979)

1980s|

* The Body Human: The Magic Sense (1980)
* The Body Human: The Bionic Breakthrough / Steve Allen's Meeting of Minds (1981)
* Creativity with Bill Moyers / The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982)
* The Barbara Walters Specials / The Body Human: The Living Code (1983)
* A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers / America Remembers John F. Kennedy (1984)
* * Cousteau: Mississippi / The Living Planet (1985)
* Laurence Olivier: A Life (Great Performances) / Planet Earth / W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
* Agnes, the Indomitable DeMille (Great Performances) / Smithsonian World / Unknown Chaplin (American Masters) (1987)
* Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (American Masters) / Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam / Nature (1988)
* Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me (American Masters) / Nature (1989)

1990s|

* Bob Fosse: Steam Heat (Great Performances) / Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre (American Masters) / Smithsonian World (1990)
* The Civil War / Edward R. Murrow: This Reporter (American Masters) (1991)
* Abortion: Desperate Choices / MGM: When Lions Roared (1992)
* Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers / Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993)
* I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School / Later with Bob Costas (1994)
* Baseball / One Survivor Remembers / Taxicab Confessions / TV Nation (1995)
* Survivors of the Holocaust / Time Life's Lost Civilizations (1996)
* Biography / The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century / National Geographic Special: Tigers of the Snow / Without Pity: A Film About Abilities (1997)

2010s|

* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown / Inside the Actors Studio (2013)
* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown / Vice (2014)
* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2015)
* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2016)
* Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (2017)
* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2018)
* Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2019)

2020s|

* Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (2020)
* Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (2021)
* Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (2022)
* Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (2023)
* My Next Guest with David Letterman and John Mulaney (2024)

Between 1998–2012, the award was bestowed as Outstanding Nonfiction Series.

* v
* t
* e

HBO documentaries

Former|

| 1990s|

* Shock Video (1993)
* Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War (1993)
* One Survivor Remembers (1995)
* Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (1995–2023)
* Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case For Reasonable Doubt? (1996)
* Paradise Lost (1996)
* Without Pity: A Film About Abilities (1996)
* 4 Little Girls (1997)
* City Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal (1998)
* Private Dicks: Men Exposed (1999)

|

2000s|

* The Iceman Confesses (2001)
* Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000)
* Just, Melvin: Just Evil (2001)
* Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen (2001)
* American Standoff (2002)
* Jim Brown: All-American (2002)
* Born Rich (2003)
* Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
* Thinking XXX (2004)
* Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team (2005)
* All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2006)
* When the Levees Broke (2006)
* Autism: The Musical (2007)
* Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi (2007)
* I Am an Animal (2007)
* Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007)
* Cat Dancers (2008)
* The One Percent (2008)
* Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
* Boy Interrupted (2009)
* By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009)
* China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (2009)
* Good Hair (2009)
* The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (2009)
* The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (2009)
* One Minute to Nine (2009)
* Reporter (2009)
* The Trials of Ted Haggard (2009)

2010s|

* 12th & Delaware (2010)
* The Battle for Marjah (2010)
* A Small Act (2010)
* Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011)
* Citizen USA: A 50 State Road Trip (2011)
* His Way (2011)
* Love Crimes of Kabul (2011)
* The Loving Story (2011)
* There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011)
* 41 (2012)
* Crossfire Hurricane (2012)
* Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
* Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2012)
* 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus (2013)
* An Apology to Elephants (2013)
* Casting By (2013)
* Fall to Grace (2013)
* Gideon's Army (2013)
* Life According to Sam (2013)
* Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden (2013)
* Six by Sondheim (2013)
* Valentine Road (2013)
* Vice (2013–2018)
* Banksy Does New York (2014)
* Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (2014)
* The Case Against 8 (2014)
* Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (2014)
* Love Child (2014)
* Private Violence (2014)
* Saving My Tomorrow (2014)
* 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets (2015)
* Citizenfour (2015)
* The Diplomat (2015)
* Everything Is Copy (2015)
* A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015)
* Going Clear (2015)
* How to Dance in Ohio (2015)
* J. Cole: Road to Homecoming (2015)
* The Jinx (2015)
* Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
* Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (2015)
* Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop (2015)
* Abortion: Stories Women Tell (2016)
* Brillo Box (3 ¢ Off) (2016)
* Class Divide (2016)
* Mariela Castro's March: Cuba's LGBT Revolution (2016)
* Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper (2016)
* The Trans List (2016)
* Unlocking the Cage (2016)
* Baltimore Rising (2017)
* Becoming Warren Buffett (2017)
* Beware the Slenderman (2017)
* Bright Lights (2017)
* Cries from Syria (2017)
* The Defiant Ones (2017)
* Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) (2017)
* If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017)
* J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only (2017)
* Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
* The Newspaperman (2017)
* Rock and a Hard Place (2017)
* Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison (2017)
* Spielberg (2017)
* Traffic Stop (2017)
* Arthur Miller: Writer (2018)
* Atomic Homefront (2018)
* Axios (2018–2021)
* Believer (2018)
* The Final Year (2018)
* King in the Wilderness (2018)
* May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers (2018)
* The Number on Great-Grandpa's Arm (2018)
* The Price of Everything (2018)
* Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (2018)
* Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age (2018)
* The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018)
* The Apollo (2019)
* At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal (2019)
* Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2019)
* The Case Against Adnan Syed (2019)
* I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter (2019)
* Ice on Fire (2019)
* The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019)
* Leaving Neverland (2019)
* Running with Beto (2019)
* United Skates (2019)
* What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019)
* Wig (2019)

2020s|

* 40 Years a Prisoner (2020)
* 537 Votes (2020)
* After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News (2020)
* Agents of Chaos (2020)
* Alabama Snake (2020)
* The Art of Political Murder (2020)
* Autism: The Sequel (2020)
* Baby God (2020)
* The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)
* Bully. Coward. Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn (2020)
* Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story (2020)
* Crazy, Not Insane (2020)
* How To with John Wilson (2020–2023)
* I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020)
* McMillions (2020)
* The Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
* Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020)
* The Perfect Weapon (2020)
* Showbiz Kids (2020)
* Siempre, Luis (2020)
* The Soul of America (2020)
* Stockton on My Mind (2020)
* The Swamp (2020)
* Transhood (2020)
* The Vow (2020–2022)
* The Weight of Gold (2020)
* Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
* Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth (2020)
* Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020)
* Adrienne (2021)
* Allen v. Farrow (2021)
* Black and Missing (2021)
* Black Art: In the Absence of Light (2021)
* Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes (2021)
* A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks (2021)
* Covid Diaries NYC (2021)
* The Crime of the Century (2021)
* The Day Sports Stood Still (2021)
* Dear Rider: The Jake Burton Story (2021)
* DMX: Don't Try to Understand (2021)
* Exterminate All the Brutes (2021)
* Fake Famous (2021)
* The Forever Prisoner (2021)
* Four Hours at the Capitol (2021)
* In the Same Breath (2021)
* Insecure: The End (2021)
* Jagged (2021)
* Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss (2021)
* The Lady and the Dale (2021)
* The Last Cruise (2021)
* The Legend of the Underground (2021)
* Life of Crime 1984-2020 (2021)
* Listening to Kenny G (2021)
* Level Playing Field (2021)
* Mr. Saturday Night (2021)
* The Murders at Starved Rock (2021)
* Nuclear Family (2021)
* NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (2021)
* Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (2021)
* Our Towns (2021)
* Painting with John (2021–2023)
* Pray, Obey, Kill (2021)
* Q: Into the Storm (2021)
* Reopening Night (2021)
* Revolution Rent (2021)
* Simple as Water (2021)
* The Slow Hustle (2021)
* Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump (2021)
* Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)
* The Super Bob Einstein Movie (2021)
* Tiger (2021)
* Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021)
* 38 at the Garden (2022)
* Branson (2022)
* Camilo: El Primer Tour De Mi Vida (2022)
* Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (2022)
* Edge of the Earth (2022)
* Endangered (2022)
* Escape from Kabul (2022)
* Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (2022)
* Game Theory with Bomani Jones (2022)
* George Carlin's American Dream (2022)
* Hostages (2022)
* How to Survive a Pandemic (2022)
* The Howard Stern Interview: Bruce Springsteen (2022)
* Icahn: The Restless Billionaire (2022)
* The Invisible Pilot (2022)
* The Janes (2022)
* Katrina Babies (2022)
* Mama's Boy (2022)
* Master of Light (2022)
* Mind Over Murder (2022)
* My So-Called High School Rank (2022)
* Pelosi in the House (2022)
* Phoenix Rising (2022)
* The Princess (2022)
* Say Hey, Willie Mays! (2022)
* Sex Diaries (2022)
* Shaq (2022)
* Spring Awakening: Those You've Known (2022)
* Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep (2022)
* This Place Rules (2022)
* Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)
* A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (2022)
* Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall (2022)
* Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo (2022)
* We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)
* When We Were Bullies (2022)
* Year One: A Political Odyssey (2022)
* A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2023)
* 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (2023)
* After the Bite (2023)
* All That Breathes (2023)
* All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2023)
* Angel City (2023)
* Being Mary Tyler Moore (2023)
* BS High (2023)
* Burden of Proof (2023)
* The Golden Boy (2023)
* How Do You Measure a Year? (2023)
* The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023)
* Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed (2023)
* Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)
* Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (2023)
* Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023)
* Moonage Daydream (2023)
* Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning (2023)
* Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023)
* Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (2023)
* Savior Complex (2023)
* The Stroll (2023)
* Telemarketers (2023)
* Time Bomb Y2K (2023)
* You Were My First Boyfriend (2023)
* Breath of Fire (2024)
* Chimp Crazy (2024)
* Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024)
* Faye (2024)
* God Save Texas (2024)
* Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2024)
* MoviePass, MovieCrash (2024)
* Night is Not Eternal (2024)
* Quad Gods (2024)
* Ren Faire (2024)
* A Revolution on Canvas (2024)
* Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. (2024)
* Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play. (2024)
* Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
* Surveilled (2024)
* The Synanon Fix (2024)
* The Truth vs. Alex Jones (2024)
* Wild Wild Space (2024)
* An Update on Our Family (2025)
* Billy Joel: And So It Goes (2025)
* Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print (2025)
* Enigma (2025)
* The Mortician (2025)
* My Mom Jayne (2025)
* Pee-wee as Himself (2025)
* Surviving Ohio State (2025)
* The Yogurt Shop Murders (2025)

Current and upcoming|

| Current|

* Hard Knocks (since 2001)
* The Shop (since 2018)
* 100 Foot Wave (since 2021)
* Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (since 2024)

|

Upcoming|

* Seen & Heard (2025)
* The Larry David Story (TBA)
* Eyes on the Prize docuseries (TBA)

This article related to a made-for-TV documentary film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

This disability-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template