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Clive Wearing - The man with no short-term memory

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    [PIANO]
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    NARRATOR: One man is
    consigned to live entirely
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    within the present, with
    terrible consequences.
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    Clive Wearing has the worst
    case of amnesia ever known.
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    20 years ago, he
    lost his memory,
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    and now his wife, Deborah, is
    the only person he recognizes.
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    [PIANO]
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    [DOORBELL]
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    [LAUGHING]
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    DEBORAH WEARING:
    Clive really only has
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    less than 30 seconds memory.
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    And sometimes, it's as little
    as perhaps seven seconds.
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    It's as little as a sentence.
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    I'm going to see
    your sister, Adele.
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    Her daughters got
    married recently--
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    CLIVE WEARING: Oh, I see.
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    DEBORAH WEARING:
    --in New Zealand.
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    And so they're having a party.
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    CLIVE WEARING:
    Funny how the ladies
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    acquire a different title
    when they get married.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Do you know
    who I'm going to see tomorrow?
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    CLIVE WEARING:
    Buckingham Palace.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: No.
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    Really, guess.
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    CLIVE WEARING: I don't know.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: You don't know?
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    Adele.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Oh, I see.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Do
    you know why I'm going?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: She's having
    a party at her house tomorrow.
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    CLIVE WEARING: It's
    her birthday, is it?
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    DEBORAH WEARING: No.
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    CLIVE WEARING: No?
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    DEBORAH WEARING:
    Do you know why?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: It's
    to do with her daughter.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Oh, I see.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Do you know why
    her daughters having a party?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Guess.
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    CLIVE WEARING: No idea.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: She's
    just got married.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Oh, I see.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: She's
    just got married.
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    And do you know what country
    she just got married in?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No idea.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: In New Zealand.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Oh, I see.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: The sentence
    he is in, he will probably have
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    forgotten the sentence before.
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    You ask him a question and
    he'll give you an answer,
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    but while he's giving
    you the answer,
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    he's already forgotten
    the question,
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    that's how short it is.
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    I'm going to see
    your kids tomorrow.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Your
    going to go see my kids?
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    DEBORAH WEARING:
    Yeah, your children.
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    CLIVE WEARING: What
    are they up to now?
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Do you
    know what they're up to now?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Guess what
    you think you they're up to.
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    CLIVE WEARING: No
    idea, couldn't guess.
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    I don't know what
    their O-Levels were.
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    They hadn't got an O-Level
    last time I was conscious.
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    So I didn't know what possible
    things they could do, did I?
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    And I couldn't possibly guess.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: Where
    do you think they are?
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    CLIVE WEARING: No idea.
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    I don't know where I am.
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    DEBORAH WEARING: All he
    has is void behind him.
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    CLIVE WEARING: Must by my death.
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    I've never seen a
    human being before.
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    Never had a dream or a thought.
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    The brain has been
    totally inactive.
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    Day and night, the same.
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    No thoughts at all.
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    And as far as I'm
    concerned, the doctors
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    have been totally incompetent.
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    I've never seen a
    doctor the whole time.
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    Oh, look who's come!
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    [LAUGHING]
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    Oh!
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    Lovely.
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    Oh, wonderful!
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    DEBORAH WEARING: That
    was a very musical kiss.
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    I'm dizzy.
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    I don't know which part of
    the room I'm standing in now.
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    [LAUGHING]
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    CLIVE WEARING: Can we dance?
Title:
Clive Wearing - The man with no short-term memory
Description:

This is an edited version of the BBC documentary 'Man without a memory' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDNDRDJy-vo). It shows the essence of Clive's disability (and it's pretty sad to watch too!).
Post-view question to ponder: do you think Clive is happy?
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Video Language:
English
Duration:
03:04

English subtitles

Revisions

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