The Miracle Worker (1962)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This wonderful, tear-jerking and eventually heartwarming, compelling true story of the early (the breakthrough) years of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan, who stubbornly helps the belligerent violent child to overcome the frustration due to her handicaps (blind, deaf, and dumb) and learned to communicate (e.g. through sign language) is an essential biographical drama which earned Academy Awards for both Anne Bancroft (Best Actress Oscar on her first nomination) as Annie and Patty Duke (Best Supporting Actress on her only nomination) as Helen; both actresses were reprising their roles from the play, for which Bancroft had received a Tony Award.The film's director Arthur Penn (his first nomination), its screenplay (William Gibson's only recognition from the Academy) adapted from Keller's own book, and B&W Costume Design (also Ruth Morley's only) were also nominated for Oscars. Victor Jory plays Helen's stern father, Inga Swenson the loving mother that had spoiled her 'helpless' daughter to brink of institutionalization, and Andrew Prine plays the brother that sometimes suffered from a lack of attention.

Many of the previous comments and reviews of "The Miracle Worker" have detailed the amazing story of Helen Keller (1890-1968)----a child born with normal vision and hearing who became blind and deaf at nineteen months of age due to a tragic illness. Annie Sullivan rescued this remarkable child from a life of virtual isolation. As a result, Helen became an honor graduate of Radcliffe College (1904), a world famous author-lecturer and a greatly admired inspirational role model for the disabled.This story is best known to us through the play and film---both starring Anne Bancroft as Annie and Patty Duke as Helen.The play won the Tony Award for the best play of the year in the 1959-1960 season (running for 719 performances), and Bancroft received the best actress Tony Award for her leading role. The play garnered two other Tony Awards-----including best director for Arthur Penn.The film was similarly honored with Oscars to Bancroft (best actress) and Duke (best supporting actress) for 1962. They reprised their earlier stage roles. It also received Oscar nominations for Penn (best director) and William Gibson (best adapted screenplay).But lest we forget----the very first presentation of the Helen Keller story in a visual medium came on Feb. 7, 1957. It was the 19th episode during the first season of Playhouse 90----one of the greatest gems of the Golden Age of Television. This is where the Gibson-Penn collaboration first began. It had a different cast then---Teresa Wright played Annie and Patty McCormack was Helen. McCormack was then 11 years of age when she played the considerably younger real Helen, whereas Duke was almost 13 when she first appeared in the play. The Playhouse 90 version was introduced by Mickey Rooney, who pointed out that this was an original story by Gibson that had never been seen before. Wright received an Emmy Award best actress nomination but lost out to Polly Bergen in the Playhouse 90 broadcast of "The Helen Morgan Story." I recently had the good fortune to be in New York City and visited the remarkable Paley Center for Media on West 52nd Street---one of the city's truly outstanding destinations. Among its many archival treasures is the Playhouse 90 "The Miracle Worker." I saw it again for the first time in over 50 years, and would like to offer a few comments about it.In my opinion, Wright's portrayal of Annie surpassed Bancroft's. Wright projected an impressive young woman who also had warmth and humor. She made Annie a believable person with real strengths and weaknesses. Bancroft's performance always seemed structured, edgy and essentially an actor's creation rather than a stab at reality---without Wright's humanity and empathy. I wonder whether Wright was ever offered the opportunity to reprise her role in the play when it was cast. McCormack presented a Helen that occasionally exhibited a mischievous streak in addition to frustration and anger. I don't recall that aspect as clearly in Duke's performance. Also, McCormack was somewhat closer in age to the real Helen when the events of the depicted story actually occurred. Both gave us stunning performances for child actors.The week following Playhouse 90's "The Miracle Worker," Mickey Rooney starred in its production of Rod Serling's "The Comedian." It won the Emmy Award for 1957's Best Single Program of the Year. "The Miracle Worker" had not even been nominated for this award. Today, nobody remembers "The Comedian." But most everyone knows and admires "The Miracle Worker" in all its versions.When you have the opportunity, check out the Playhouse 90 broadcast at the Paley Center for Media. You will find it to be an experience that is well worth your time. It will provide you with interesting and compelling performances of Annie and Helen that differ in many ways from those most of us are familiar with from the much better known play and film.

Incredibly, though the film opened in 1962, my grade school teachers somehow must have known someone who knew someone and managed to show our assembly the film just two years later, and I recall being so impressed that someone could help someone with a handicap, that to this day my life is still directly influenced by being a part of the deaf and handicap community.Of course the highlight of the film is the 12-minute dining room struggle between a wild Helen and Annie - filmed 20 years before anaerobic exercise became popular, and you can bet that not all the sounds heard are those of a Foley artist - no doubt both actors had their share of bruises after that scene! An incredible true story and a film worth it's Academy Awards, and probably one of the last great Hollywood films to be made in Black and White.Glades2

Arthur Penn's exhilarating 'The Miracle Worker' is a fascinating story based on the account between Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller. One couldn't even begin to imagine what Helen Keller's dark and soundless world must have been like and what a challenge it must have been for Annie Sullivan to guide her and bring some light into her silent world. 'The Miracle Worker' very effectively tells the story giving us some of the most memorable cinematic sequences such as the dining scene where Annie teaches Helen some manners. Another sequence that deserves mention for its fine simple execution is the recurring nightmare of Annie. There's some fine camera-work involved.The highlights of 'The Miracle Worker' are the sequences between Annie and Helen. Needless to say, the movie is carried by the two phenomenal lead actresses: Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. This is reportedly Duke's first movie and what an incredible debut, that too for such a young actress! Bancroft is sublime and transcendent. This will (or perhaps already has) go down as one of the greatest performances by a lead actress. The supporting cast perform well even though they are clearly overshadowed by the leads.The only minor quibble I have is the background score. Such loud background music was a common thing in movies of the 60s. However, in this case, it can easily be overlooked due to the powerful story and performances.On a final note, 'The Miracle Worker' is an enlightening, uplifting and important film that deserves to be viewed. There have been several remakes and interpretative movies over the years following but nothing has topped Penn's movie.