A Visionary Drama

A Visionary Drama

Bruce Von Stiers

Take one doctor doing experimental nerve research. Throw in a ballet dancer and a state run, authoritative health care system. Mix those things together and you have the foundation for the drama film Noble Vision.

David Lang is a neurosurgeon. He is doing research on repairing damaged and severed nerves in the human body. But his research is not recognized yet as being viable as it's only been tested on animals. That presents a problem when David has an opportunity to perform the surgery on a person.

Nicole Hudson is a ballerina. She is the lead in a Broadway ballet titled Triumph. What she doesn't know is who her phantom admirer is who sends her flowers and uplifting messages. But, as the film reveals, David is the admirer. He sees in Nicole the freedom that he would like to have. That is, freedom of restrictions and being able to do what you want.

David's wife Marie is up for a partnership in a medical practice. She is a doctor who is a proponent of strictly following the rules and regulations, especially where Carefree, the state's mandated health care system, is concerned. Marie feels David is taking too big a risk with his unapproved research. And when David tries to get his research approved by Carefree, he is shot down by a committee made up of people who don't understand the significance of his research. As the doctor heading the committee says, David's research is just too expensive.

Adding to the story, there is problem with the funding for the Carefree program. Doctors aren't toeing the line, reigning in costs like they are supposed to. And there's a sticky situation where the state's Lieutenant Governor may be involved in a scandal. The governor needs to get Carefree back under control and show its working like it's supposed to.

A freak accident at the theater causes Nicole to have severed nerves, making her become blind. David feels that if he can perform this experimental surgery on Nicole, he can restore her sight.

There are a lot of plot elements that are separate yet are part of the bigger story of the film. The state's Commissioner of Medicine, which oversees Carefree, is Warren Lang, David's father. The head of the hospital that David does his research at is his brother Randy. And David's wife Marie also has privileges at the same hospital.

When David goes ahead and performs the initial surgery on Nicole, after being ordered not to, there is hell to pay. The rest of the film deals with the aftermath of that surgery and the impact it has on all of the lives affected.

Michael Rubenstone played Dr. David Lang. He's played a fireman, a bartender, a paramedic and a Tupperware man in previous roles.

Rayna Wilson played Nicole Hudson. She is an actor and dancer. She is currently working with the En Pointe Ballet in Noblesville, Indiana. The ballet company provided dancers for various scenes in the film.

Afton Shepard played Dr. Marie Lang. She starred in the crime drama No Place. D. Paul Thomas played Dr. Warren Lang. He co-starred in the thriller Threat of Exposure. William Simmons played Governor Mack Burrow. David Wesley Marlowe played Randy Lang.

Other actors appearing in the film included Jennifer Johansen, Leanne Johnson, Dija Renuka and Cassandra Schomer. Robert Moore appeared in a few scenes as a dancer who is on stage with Nicole during rehearsals and performances.

Dan T. Hall and Philip Paluso directed the film. Among the films Hall has directed are Happy Nomad Girl and Greek Fire -Demon Spirit. Hall was also the producer of this film. Paluso's credits include the thriller Scaler, Dark Spirit and the drama Just The Truth.

The screenplay was written by Gen LaGreca. It was based on her novel of the same name, Noble Vision. She was also the Executive Producer for the film. The film was a product of the Winged Victory Foundation, headed by LaGreca, that celebrates inspiring ideas to “shape a free society” through works of fiction.

One thing I liked about the ending credits was that they listed just about everybody involved with the film, including all of the extras and behind the scenes people.

Noble Vision is not strictly a high drama. Nor is it strictly a romance film. To me, it's somewhere in between. It's not a Hallmark romance, but it also doesn't quite fit the soap opera drama mode. It was a pretty decent story. I was kind of rooting for David, and Nicole, but wasn't too sure how the story would play out. The thrust of the film could have had the film turn out a couple of different ways. I really enjoyed the film. The acting was well done and the dancing segments, although not very long, were very good.

The film won the Best Feature Film from last December's Global Film Festival Awards. Rayna Wilson won Best Actress award for the film from the same festival. And it won Best Drama Feature from the 2024 Second Sight International Film Festival.

Noble Vision is available for streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku, Vudu and Tubi.

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