Johnny Belinda

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88%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,430

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Johnny Belinda Photos

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Movie Info

In this acclaimed drama, Belinda McDonald (Jane Wyman), a young deaf-mute woman living off the coast of Canada on Cape Breton Island, becomes close to the new local doctor, Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres). When Belinda is raped by a customer at her family's farm and becomes pregnant, many suspect Dr. Richardson. Seeking to start over in a new location with Belinda, he leaves town to find a new home, but more conflicts ensue, further jeopardizing their happiness.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Jean Negulesco
Release Date (Streaming):

Nov 21, 2016
Runtime:

1h 42m
Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Cast & Crew

Jane Wyman
Belinda McDonald

Lew Ayres
Dr. Robert Richardson

Charles Bickford
Black MacDonald

Jan Sterling
Stella McCormick

Agnes Moorehead
Aggie MacDonald

Stephen McNally
Locky McCormick

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Critic Reviews for Johnny Belinda

[Jane Wyman] converts a potentially turgid melodrama into an absorbing story of simple folk in an isolated Cape Breton Island village.

December 2, 2020 | Full Review…

Newsweek Staff
Newsweek
Quote not available.

February 18, 2012 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Nell Minow
Movie Mom
Wyman delivers an impressive, Oscar-winning performance relying solely on her expressions.

June 25, 2018 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Jean Negulseco's melodrama is a moody, well-crafted if outdated saga with a star-making performance from Jane Wyman as a deaf-mute girl, who's raped and bears an illegitimate child.

February 8, 2008 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Try all you want to make yourself jaded over this, but in the end poor little Belinda wins us all over in the end.

February 23, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5

Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Quote not available.

September 23, 2005 | Rating: 1/5

Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy
Powerful Jane Wyman performance and Oscar caliber production overall.

December 28, 2004 | Rating: 5/5

Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
A touching, moving film that takes its time and doesn't rely on strident melodramatics to tell its story.

December 12, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies
Quote not available.

November 7, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Quote not available.

July 30, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

TV Guide

View All Critic Reviews (10)

Audience Reviews for Johnny Belinda

May 28, 2019

A gem. Jane Wyman's Oscar-winning performance is one of American cinema's best. The rushed finale is the film's only flaw.

Aldo G Super Reviewer
Nov 15, 2013

Wyman is quite convincing as a deaf-mute girl who is forced to deal with a family that reacts violently to her condition.

John B Super Reviewer
Jul 29, 2010

While the ending to "Johnny, Belinda" is surprisingly understanding and Jane Wyman's star making and Oscar winning performance is lovely, it's still a pretty dumb movie. The way deafness is handled in the picture is quite silly, and the events (rape and murder and misunderstanding in Canada) comes out a wash. See this film for the acting and a portrait on how misunderstood conditions were handled on screen back in the 40s.

Steven C Super Reviewer
Apr 04, 2010

As a child this film, so bold and brass for its time, scared me with its depiction of the rape of a deaf girl. Still tragically complicated and ultimately a cultural masterpiece, Johnny Belinda not only possesses the qualities that made the exceptional Miral Worker a phenomena, but also the ruthless libel that has occured all throughout history, and is fairly missing from the movies of the time.

Spencer S Super Reviewer