Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

sol- Rendered blind and deaf by disease during her infancy, a young girl is gradually taught how to communicate by a compassionate teacher in this drama based on Helen Keller's life. The film is atmospherically shot in stark black and white by Arthur Penn, a director smart enough to realise that the physical interactions of his protagonists are pivotal for a film about a girl who cannot see or hear; the most intense scene has virtually no dialogue as co-leads Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke wrestle in the family dining room. Both actresses are very good too - Bancroft in particular - and it is a shame that the same cannot be said of the supporting cast. Inga Swenson is so histrionic as Keller's mother that she is hard to watch, with only Victor Jory as Keller's insensitive father offering a more over-the-top turn; the opening pre-credits scene in which they discover Keller's condition is particularly melodramatic stuff. Andrew Prine is also dull as Keller's brother. Fortunately, much of the screen time is taken up by the lead actresses gradually coming to understand each other in the only way that a deaf and blind person could. The film is quite thought provoking along these lines, highlighting the difficulty of functioning in a world in which one cannot communicate or understand what is going on, and while one does have to endure a second rate supporting cast, it is worth it.

evanston_dad This lean film adapted by William Gibson from his own stage play gets right down to business. This is not a biopic about Helen Keller or Annie Sullivan. We learn some background details about both that give their characters some context, but no more time than necessary is spent on them. Instead, this film is almost exclusively about Sullivan's time with Keller's family spent teaching Keller to communicate and her eventual breakthrough. It's an incredibly physical film -- since Keller couldn't hear, see, or speak, touch was the only sense through which she could communicate, and her family allowed her to slam, smack, and pound her way through life until she got what she wanted. Sullivan at first meets her at her own level, throwing her down into chairs, smacking her back when smacked herself, tackling her to the ground. Anne Bancroft, as Sullivan, and Patty Duke, as Keller, are sensational in these scenes and director Arthur Penn captures them with an insistent intensity. The whole film has an unsettling quality even when nothing unsettling is happening on screen, mainly due to Penn's decision to give the film the look and sound of a horror movie, with creepy, film-noir cinematography and eerie sound design.Bancroft and Duke both won Oscars for their performances, while the film brought nominations to Penn as Best Director, Gibson for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Ruth Morley for her black and white costumes.Grade: A

SplitPersonality1 Previous experience with this film: I knew the basic premise of the story, and vaguely remember seeing part of the movie on television when I was about ten years old. At that time, a black and white movie about "some girl" did not hold my interest.General Notes: The Miracle Worker, like many movies based on an encouraging true story, goes straight for the heartstrings. It has all of the elements of a movie that appears routinely on the Lifetime network. Character with disability. Check. People that do not understand said character with disability. Check. One person willing to defy normal conventions to help person with disability. Check. Overly dramatic score filled with sweeping strings. Check. However, this movie is saved by two things; the fine acting of Anne Bancroft, and this film's focus on the teaching methods used on Helen Keller.Positives: Anne Bancroft's performance is nothing short of brilliant. She definitely earned her Oscar portraying the stubborn, strong-willed Annie Sullivan. Patty Duke as Helen Keller was good as well, although I am not sure is was Oscar-worthy. The two worked very well together on screen, particularly in the famous tantrum scene. Helen pinches, bites, pulls hair, slaps and throws silverware in defiance of her teacher. Anne Sullivan is trying overcome several years of a family letting a child tyrant do whatever she wants. Watching this scene is like watching the proverbial irresistible force meeting the immovable object. The movie focuses on Helen Keller's inability to understand that objects have names. Annie Sullivan shows Helen sign language, but for most of the movie, it doesn't mean anything. She is just repeating the finger patterns without comprehension. Throughout the film, you see Annie Sullivan's many struggles to reach her student. When Helen finally understands, it is quite rewarding.Negatives: The lighting and camera-work. I am not sure why this was filmed in black and white. At times, the character's faces were framed in perfect silhouettes. At other times, the shadows were too large and distracting, as if the lights were placed in the wrong position. Also, the sweaty close-ups were a bit jarring as well. Not too much of a negative, but it was evident that was originally a play. Much of the dialogue seemed out of place for a film, but would work on the stage. Helen Keller's parents. Victor Jory seems to yell almost all of his lines. In fact, my notes state "Father – a bit yelly". Inga Swenson was a bit too melodramatic. In the opening scene of the movie, there is lots of screaming at the discovery of Helen's affliction. I didn't quite know what to make of it and was worried that the entire move was going to go down that path. I am glad it didn't.Mixed: The use of superimposed images. At times it worked, but I think it was a bit overdone. The best one was a dream sequence early in the film. Anne was in the foreground and her dream was very fuzzy in the background. It was well done, but it seemed like a technique that would be at home in a movie made in the 1930s, not in 1962.Overall: A solid feel-good movie that showcases two very fine actresses with great on screen chemistry. I would recommend this movie and give it a solid rating of 7.

SnoopyStyle It's late 19th century Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen Keller (Patty Duke) is blind and deaf after a bout of scarlet fever as a baby. Her parents are unable to help the frustrated Helen who is getting more violent. The family is on the verge of sending her to an asylum but they call on the Perkins School for the Blind to help. Former student Anne Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) is sent. She had nine operations on her eyes. It's a struggle to connect as Anne tries to break into Helen's world. Mother Keller (Inga Swenson) spoils Helen. Captain Keller (Victor Jory) wants peace. Older brother James (Andrew Prine) seems to be callous but really has simply given up trying.I remember seeing the play as a kid. It's just great. Both actresses are terrific. The dinning room struggle is one of the most compelling action scenes. It's so simple and yet so powerful. The violence is something more jarring than the play. The performances and the material combine to make something that is an instant classic.