Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story is a 1995 American television film directed by Jeff Bleckner. It aired on NBC on February 6, 1995, and stars Glenn Close, Judy Davis, Jan Rubeš, and Wendy Makkena. The film won several awards in 1995, such as three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, and later received a GLAAD Media Award in 1996.

Plot summary The film recounts the events in the life of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer which led to her retirementCammermeyer's website from the Washington National Guard under the U.S. military's gay exclusion policy.Lisa Tendrich Frank It begins in 1988, when Cammermeyer, a decorated nurse and officer, meets painter Diane Divelbess and accepts her lesbian identity. After she discloses this during a security clearance interview, the Army starts discharge proceedings. The film shows her legal challenge and the support she receives from family and colleagues under the pre‑"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.

Cast and crew Name Role/Credit Glenn Close as Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer / Executive producer Judy Davis as Diane Divelbess Jan Rubeš as Far Wendy Makkena as Mary Newcombe Susan Barnes as Captain Kern Eric Dane as Matt Ryan Reynolds as Andy Molly Parker as Lynette Jim Byrnes as Vet Alison Cross Writer Jeff Bleckner Director David Shire Theme music composer Glen MacPherson Cinematography Geoffrey Rowland Editor Richard Heus Producer Cis Corman Executive producer Neil Meron Executive producer Barbra Streisand Executive producer Craig Zadan Executive producer

Background In 1989, Army nurse Margarethe Cammermeyer disclosed her homosexuality during a security clearance interview and was discharged under military regulations. She became the highest‑ranking officer removed for sexual orientation. In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and in 1994 a federal judge in Seattle ordered her reinstatement. Her case and its public attention led to the production of the television film.

Production The film was produced in 1995 for NBC by Barbra Streisand in her television producing debut, with Glenn Close, Cis Corman, Neil Meron, and Craig Zadan as executive producers. Alison Cross wrote the script after meeting Cammermeyer and her family in Seattle, and Jeff Bleckner directed. Filming took place in Vancouver, with Cammermeyer visiting the set to advise Close on military detail.

Release Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story premiered on NBC on February 6, 1995.

Reception Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called the film "tedious" and lacking dramatic tension, while reader Dave Hutchinson, in a letter to the editor, noted Glenn Close’s performance and described Cammermeyer as a role model rather than a stereotype.

The New York Times critic John J. O'Connor wrote that, despite the limits of the television movie format, Serving in Silence featured strong performances by Glenn Close and Judy Davis. He described Close’s performance as showing "unwavering integrity" and Davis as giving Diane a "hard‑as‑nails vulnerability."

Jonathan Taylor of Variety described Serving in Silence as an issue‑oriented television movie that, despite strong lead performances by Glenn Close and Judy Davis, was "safe" and "staid" and lacked passion.

Legacy Margarethe Cammermeyer, according to The Seattle Times, earned a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Washington in 1991, serves on Whidbey’s hospital commission, and was inducted into the Washington State Nurses’ Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

Source material The film is based on Cammermeyer’s memoir Serving in Silence (Viking Books, 1994), co‑written with Chris Fisher. Publishers Weekly described it as "one of the finest military coming‑out books published so far." .

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. Artios Awards Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week Valorie Massalas Peabody Awards NBC, Barwood Films Ltd., Story Line Productions Inc., and Trillium Productions Inc., in association with TriStar Television Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Barbra Streisand, Glenn Close, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Cis Corman, and Richard Heus Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Glenn Close Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special Judy Davis Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special Jeff Bleckner Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special Alison Cross Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production Geoffrey Rowland GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Television Movie Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Glenn Close Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Judy Davis Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Glenn Close Writers Guild of America Awards Original Long Form Alison Cross

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