The Worst Film Ever

Excellent but underrated film

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

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

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.

A moving story, covering the childhood years of blind-deaf Helen Keller and how her tutor Annie Sullivan helped her.Does require a fair bit of perseverance, however. The first half is quite painful to watch, as Keller does random, almost malicious things, without any sign that her behaviour will change. This also involves a few "fight" scenes between her and Sullivan, scenes that seem to go on far too long and are far too frequent.Add in an incredibly irritating, overacted performance by Victor Jory as the stupid-yet-very opinionated father - his idea of acting seems to be shouting very loudly, all the time - and the movie is set to be a massive test of patience.Gets better, however, and the ending is quite emotional.

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

This is an autobiographical movie of Helen Keller (1888-1968).She becomes blind and deaf as a baby, and her life, and the lives of her parents is a battle after that.They hire a woman called Annie Sullivan (1866-1936), who has also been blind, to tutor the child.She does much more than that.The child is difficult , but Annie won't give up, no matter what.The Miracle Worker (1962) is directed by the great Arthur Penn.I borrowed the DVD from the library on his 88th birthday on Monday and liked the movie a lot.The screenplay is based on William Gibson's play from 1959.Anne Bancroft gives a powerful performance as Annie Sullivan.Bancroft was a masterful player of both dramatic and comedic parts, and here she gives a terrific dramatic performance.But there's a little comedy in her acting as well, just look at the good girl-bad girl scene, where she does some funny facial expressions.Patty Duke isn't any worse as Helen Keller.It's just amazing how she plays that very demanding part.There's a lot of physicality in both Anne's and Patty's performances, so it certainly wasn't an easy movie for either one of them.They both won an Oscar they deserved.Victor Jory and Inga Swenson are marvelous as Helen's parents, Captain Arthur Keller and Kate Keller.Andrew Prine is brilliant as James Keller.Kathleen Comegys is wonderful as Aunt Ev.The movie has lots of memorable stuff.All those teaching scenes are ones, where there's a lot of violence with a lot of face slapping and such.But Annie finally gets to her, teaching her letters and the meaning of things.One beautiful moment is when Annie sings Mockingbird to Helen.It's most touching in the end to watch the breakthrough at the water pump.This is a classic that will stay in your mind.