THE SOUND AND THE SILENCE: THE ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL STORY Produced by Kim Todd and Luciano Lisi Green Star Entertainment/Atlantis Films/ South Pacific Pictures, 1992. VHS cassette, 89 min., $189.00 Distributed by Magic Lantern Communications, #38 - 775 Pacific Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6L 6M4. Grades 4 and up/Ages 9 and up Reviewed by Michele F. Kallio. Volume 21 Number 5 1993 October This marvelous film, developed for TV by Jon Glascoe, is a delight to the eye from start to finish. The film follows the life of Alexander Graham Bell from his early childhood in Scotland, where the young Alex first discovered the joy of the sights, smells and sounds of nature, but especially the sound. His mother, Eliza, played beautifully by Brenda Fricke, is a learned person, whose hearing disability does not stop her from fully enjoying her life and family. In a joyous scene in the film, young Alex learns that by holding his lips to his mother's temple she can hear the vibrations of words. This is an excellent film, well acted, with appropriate visual treats for the historian. Filmed on location, it is truly a delight to the eye. Bell's father Melville, though a gruff old man, does lead his son to realize that there are no limitations in life - that everything can be overcome, and this becomes Alex's lifelong motto. Melville Bell is best remem­bered as the inventor of Visual Speech. In his travels we follow Alex to Brantford, Ontario, and Boston, Massachusetts. This film is easily the equal of anything glitzy Hollywood and the large American studios can turn out. This New Zealand/ Canada co-production is a must for every library. Highly recommended. Michele F. Kallio is a former teacher-librarian in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick.