The other night I attended the Austin, Texas premier of the  film Johnny Got His Gun.   It was a special event for me as a percentage of the gross proceeds from the Paramount Theater premiere and all future showings of the film are going to the Fallen Patriot Fund of which I am the Executive Director.  The Fallen Patriot Fund was established by the Mark Cuban Foundation to help the families of U.S. military personnel who were killed or seriously wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Financial resources are vital to enhancing the sustainability of the family unit who has suffered a loss because their loved one sacrificed himself/herself for freedom.  The fund has distributed over 3.5 million dollars to eligible soldiers and families in need since the beginning of the Iraqi conflict.

Johnny Got His Gun was written in 1938 by by  novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. It revolves around the character of Joe Bonham, a young soldier serving in World War I.  Joe awakes in a hospital bed after being hit by a mortar shell. He gradually realizes that he has lost all of his mobility and his senses except for touch. He has lost his arms, legs, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, both jaws and all of his face. He has lost all but his mind and the ability to tap his head on his pillow in Morse code to communicate.

Johnny Got His Gun was first brought to film in 1971.  It starred Timothy Bottoms as  Joe Bonham.  It was nominated for a Golden Globe.

The remake unlike the original is done as a monologue.  It stars Austin native Ben McKenzie as Joe Bohham.  He handles the dificulty of portraying the character and the difficulties of a monologue with ease.  Despite being a one man show he really does draw you into the other characters who he senses around him and dreams of in his past.  I highly reccomend this fllm if it comes to your area.  Please visit the  movie web site to learn more about the movie and upcoming openings.