Million Dollar Babies is the story of the Dionne Quintuplets, five identical girls born in Canada in 1934. They were the first set of surviving quintuplets ever. Their parents were poor (it was the Depression, after all), and the babies were born naturally, at home... two months premature. Their mother, Elzire, about died just giving birth. And when it was all over, the local "country" doctor, Dr. Dafoe, figured the babies wouldn't make it through the night.
But they did. And they kept beating the odds and growing and... okay, so happy ending, right? Oh, no.
In the beginning, Dr. Dafoe seemed like an okay sort of guy. He was a bit obsessed with keeping the Dionne farmhouse sterile, but what do you expect? He was a doctor; the quints were preemies. Maybe it wasn't wrong of him to ask that the Dionne's five older children be sent away because they were germy. Maybe it wasn't wrong of him to prohibit the babies' parents from touching the children or holding them in those early days.
Outside the farmhouse, the news began to spread that five babies had been born in one night. Some didn't believe it; others didn't see the significance. But a radio personality in the United States got wind of the story, and came to interview the family, bringing along baby supplies for the girls. When the Canadian government found out about the quints -- and found out that people from the United States had provided aid before they did -- they immediately decided to step in. They offered money, but Oliva Dionne, the father, took another offer -- some people in Chicago wanted the Dionnes to move there. They, in turn, would pay for the babies' health needs... so long as the babies could be observed at the World's Fair. Oliva wouldn't have done it if he wasn't desperate, but he could barely afford to feed his family already, much less feed five new little mouths.
When the Press heard about Chicago, they absolutely howled "exploitation!" The Dionnes were dubbed bad parents. The Canadian Government saw this as their chance for some good PR. They would rescue those babies from the evil, exploitative Dionnes, that's what they would do! A bill was signed into action and the babies were taken away.
Within a year, a brand new hospital had opened across the street from the Dionne farmhouse. The man in charge of the state-of-the-art establishment was none other than Dr. Dafoe, who had developed a very deep attachment to the girls. The Dionnes were told they could visit the quints whenever they pleased, but it seemed that whenever they tried, they were thrown out for various reasons... they might be carrying germs, it was past visiting hours, whatever.
As if it wasn't bad enough that the now almost-one-year-old babies were separated from their parents, the hospital now catered to curious onlookers and tourists. A viewing area was set up -- each day, the quints were paraded around outside in a special play area surrounded by windows where people could watch them. This continued for years. Quintland, the place was called. Shops and vendors popped up, and tourist children could buy balloons and ice cream before seeing the five little girls.
Dr. Dafoe's downward spiral toward insanity continued. He seemed to think the girls were his very own children. He was called a "miracle doctor" by some, and reveled in the attention and his new celebrity status. Offers came for the quints -- product endorsements. Many of them asked for Dafoe's cooperation, and he made lots of money off the ads. There was even a movie made, which mocked the Dionne parents while painting Dafoe as a hero. The ads went to pay for the girls' care; the government, which had taken away the girls and promised to aid them, was not only not paying for their care, but they were making money off them as well.
In Quintland, the girls, now about five years old, were being treated like "trained monkeys." In addition to the public showings, the girls were made to follow a rigid schedule, one that was completely ridiculous. When their mother came to visit, the girls barely knew her. They called Dr. Dafoe "Papa Dafoe" and would go to him before they'd go to their parents. The one nurse who actually cared about the Dionne parents was fired by Dafoe.
Though their reputation had been shattered by the press, the Dionnes fought to get the quintuplets back. Every day they saw the crowds swarm Quintland across the street. Their other children went without new clothes while the quintuplets were making hundreds of thousands of dollars (none of which the Dionnes saw). Oliva Dionne, who had once been a kind, loving man, became a bitter man.
Eventually, a lawyer agreed to help the Dionnes. He was able to build a case for them based on a lot of things -- including the fact that the quints were being exploited... and that they were perfectly healthy now, so there was no reason to keep them in the "hospital" run by Dafoe. Little by little, things began to turn around. The famous U.S. radio personality, who had, in the beginning, hurt the Dionnes' reputation, now came to their aid. Editorials appeared in the newspaper, decrying the actions of the Canadian goverment. Now people seemed to be angry that the quints had been taken from their parents. The government took stock of the situation, and decided that A) The whole thing was making them look bad, and they couldn't have that! and B) Public interest in Quintland seemed to be dwindling anyway.
So they kicked out Dafoe and let the Quints go back to their parents.
Dafoe was crushed, though it's impossible to feel sorry for that man. He'd lost his little girls, sure, but they weren't his to begin with. In a sense, he'd stolen them.
Sadly, the girls did not just magically have a normal home life after they were reunited with their parents. They'd been corrupted for five years in an abnormal environment. Not only that, but Oliva had, at some point, gotten that $$$ glint in his eyes. When he realized his daughters could help their family build their dream house and that the family would never have to worry about money again, he started scheduling shows for them... public appearances. And so the exploitation continued...
Babies being taken, little girls locked away, parents denied rights, governments overstepping their bounds, newspapers dragging innocent names through the mud, children being corrupted.... And it's all a true story.
Seriously. Saddest TV-Movie ever. It is available on DVD in both English and French.
7/9/2006
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