Good concept, poorly executed.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

When Patty Duke died recently, I read several of her obits and also many comments online about her work which mainly praised her performance in The Miracle Worker. That's when I realized while I'd seen her in many TV shows and some movies, I'd never seen her in perhaps her most compelling and important role, that of the deaf-blind child Helen Keller she played both on Broadway and in this film version, for which she won the Oscar at age 16 which made her the youngest of such at the time during the early '60s. She's matched every way with Anne Bancroft who also got an Oscar not to mention a Tony previously as her sympathetic but very tough instructor Annie Sullivan who herself had been sightless when growing up. Director Arthur Penn and screenwriter William Gibson, adapting from his play, imbue their work with some fine cinematic touches as in close-ups and some location shots while Duke and Bancroft carry out their confrontations. While my mom had previously seen this, she admitted it was so long she had forgotten some of it. Both she and I really enjoyed this so on that note, The Miracle Worker is highly recommended. P.S. One of the nice surprises was seeing Inga Swenson-who I previously knew as Gretchen Kraus on the late '70s/early '80s sitcom "Benson"-as the mother of Helen.

The second feature of Oscar-winning director Arthur Penn (BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967), THE MIRACLE WORKER is a riveting and inspirational true story of the American deaf-blind author and lecturer, Helen Keller (Duke), and her visually impaired governess Anne Sullivan (Bancroft), who painstakingly breaks in the impregnable carapace of the disobedient Helen, and miraculously manages to teaches her how to communicate with the outer world and express her feelings through sign language.The brunt of the film's infectious potency derives from the high-octane delivery of the two leads, Duke and Bancroft reprise their roles from their award-wining Broadway play to this brilliant Black- and-White movie adaptation, against the disadvantage that both were nearly a decade older than their respective characters' real ages when the story took place, especially for Duke (who has just passed away this year at the age of 69, R.I.P.), on her cusp of adolescence, she was born in 1946, to portray a 7-year old child is too much a stretch for her, fortunately, the role is in the main a Herculean physical endeavour, covered up by her ragged garment and soiled face, her assiduous imitation pays off wondrously, it boldly resists viewer's expectation and inspires extolment.Ms. Bancroft, not quite a household name among cinema-goers at then, comes on board with her take-no-prisoners modus operandi, do whatever she can to drag Helen out of her "wild child" caprice, and it is only an outsider from the family can do, without compassion. Here, an overlong battle between her and Duke with regards to table manners can be hailed as one of the most intensely choreographed fighting sequence ever occurred on screen, all takes place in one single dining room, where dramatised tug-of-war is livened up to slapstick antics, which are not to induce laughter, but a compelling tension so viscerally sensed by viewers. All the more, Bancroft also has to come to terms with the vacillation from Helen's family, and her own traumatic past experience in an asylum with his diseased brother, where Penn and DP Caparrós deploy some unique camera tricks to a haunting and harrowing effect.The epithet "Oscar-winning actress" is an apt reward to Bancroft and Duke, but in a perfect world, Inga Swenson's heartfelt turn as Helen's loving mother Kate should also have reaped some recognition, only if Duke could have been pushed to the leading category, which would leave the spot for Ms. Swenson, a Joanne Woodward lookalike, whose career never really took off. By sheer contrast, the old hand Victor Jory, who plays the domineering father, really gets on one's nerves for chewing up the scenery.The vastly gratifying epiphany is the moment when Helen finally understands the true function of the "bridge", created by Anne, to link her closed heart with the world around her, the connection between the signed language and the items she can feel tactilely, it is so obvious in the eyes of a common sighter, but, for Helen, and all those with similar disabilities, it takes a sea change of progress. Without additional flourishes, the movie comes to its halt when Helen earns the key to embrace her life, the one would turn out to be quite extraordinary!.Cinema is an art-form catering to those who can see, something we viewers always take for granted, but indeed we should always be grateful to that, that's a golden takeaway from this hallmark theatrical piece of cinema.

Based on a true story, this is the film version of the stage play about the relationship between a deaf, blind, and mute girl and her teacher. The film is generally entertaining, but everything from acting to direction is overdone. It seems Penn thought he was still working on the stage. He has his cast overact and scream as if he wants to make sure that the deaf people in the back row of the theater can catch it all. Bancroft and Duke both won Oscars because these are the types of showy performances that win Oscars. The grainy and out of focus flashback scenes to Anne Sullivan's childhood are meant to be artistic but come across as cheesy.

OK I know this film is in B&W and nearly 50 years old but nevertheless I believe it deserves another review now.Those who have not heard of this film or yet seen it I believe should get it out on rental right away and see what films that truly deserve a fistful of Oscars are like.SPOILER STARTS: The film, the true story of Helen Keller a young girl who is unsighted, unspeaking and unhearing. Her parents simply did not know how to cope with the situation and eventually managed to get the services of a 'live in' teacher, Annie Sullivan, who herself was only 20 years old and had been blind from birth. However Annie, after many operations, did become partially sighted.Until Annie arrived the parents of Helen simply let her roam the house and grounds doing whatever she wanted, probably because they did not know how to handle her and it was easier for them to let Helen 'go her own way'.When Annie Sullivan arrived the household was turned upside down because she refused to allow Helen the freedom she always had and she set to teaching this basically wild, uncontrolled and very unhappy girl. Neither would Annie allow herself to be dictated to by Helen's family.The parents were seriously considering putting Helen into an asylum until Annie arrived. However Annie had been brought up in an asylum with her brother, who had been left disabled from TB. Her brother died of Scarlet Fever in the institution.SPOILER ENDS To see what happens to Annie and Helen I feel everyone should watch the film.There is one scene however which I feel was probably the most difficult scene ever to have been made for the silver screen. It is the scene that takes place in the dining room. The myriad of emotions that must have been coursing through Anne Bancroft (Annie) and Patty Duke (Helen) during the making of this scene must have been phenomenal.SPOILER BEGINS: Helen's parents allow her to eat off any and everyones plate whilst they were eating there meals rather than sitting her down and teaching her how to eat from a plate and a spoon etc.Annie is having none of it and she makes Helen's family leave her alone with Helen. There is a battle between her and Helen which would make D'Day pale into insignificance and lasted the rest of the day.The battle was to make Helen learn to sit at the table and eat from her plate with a spoon. A simple task you may say, but there was an almighty clash of wills between Helen and Annie and neither would surrender.SPOLER ENDS Again you must watch the film to see how it all ends.This scene I believe is the most wonderful scene that has ever been produced and both Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke must have been utterly exhausted by the time the scene had finished. Although the scene must have been shot in stages you could still see from the expressions on the participants faces and their fight for breath that it took every last ounce of energy and strength out of them. The trust and rapport both Anne and Patty had between them must have been astounding.The scene itself lasted over 20 minutes and it was oh so poignant and harrowing.Patty Duke played the part of the very young Helen Keller and it was her movie acting debut. Patty will never be able to surpass the role she played in The Miracle Worker because she can never improve on absolute perfection. For a young girl so young and inexperienced in the cinema world she was totally mesmerising. She won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Suppoorting Role for her part and if she had not I for one would have wanted to know why.The Miracle Worker was remade in both 1979 and 2000, both for TV. In the 1979 version Patty Duke this time played Anne Bancroft's part of Annie Sullivan which Anne portrayed in the 1962 version. Unfortunately the 1979 version appears unavailable in DVD.The beautiful, late Anne Bancroft played the part of Annie Sullivan and was very much deserving of the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role Although she will always be remembered as Mrs Robinson in the wonderful movie The Graduate to me The Graduate is only her third best role.Without a doubt her best roles were as Annie Sullivan in the Miracle Worker, Helen Hanff in 84 Charing Cross Road, opposite Anthony Hopkins and The Graduate opposite Dustin Hoffman, in that order.POTTED BIO OF HELEN & ANNIE Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan remained life long friends and later companion to Helen Keller until Annie died in 1936 at the age of 70. Annie's ashes were placed in the Washington National Cathedral.Helen Keller lived to the ripe young age of 87 and died on 1 Jun 68 just a few days before her 88th birthday on the 27th.Helen became an author, political activist, suffragette, pacifist and was very outspoken in her opposition to war.She was the first unseeing, unhearing person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.When she died in 1968 her ashes were also laid to rest in the Washington National Cathedral, right beside her life long friend and teacher Annie Sullivan.How different Helen's life might have been if it were not for the intervention, skill, love, compassion and sheer determination of Annie Sullivan.I am not ashamed to admit it, this film fact based movie brought more than a tear to my eyes.Plutus1947