The Miracle Worker

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The Miracle Worker

1962

1h 46m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Blind and deaf after suffering a terrible fever as a baby, young Helen Keller (Patty Duke) has spent years unable to communicate, leaving her frustrated and occasionally violent. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents (Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine) contact a school for the blind, which sends half-blind Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) to teach Helen. Helen is initially resistant, but Annie gradually forms a bond with her and shows Helen ways of reaching others.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 28, 2010

4/5

Outstanding movie based on life of Helen Keller.

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Nick Pinkerton

Village Voice

Nov 12, 2008

The centerpiece is a one-room, nine-minute war of attrition, as a tutor (Anne Bancroft) imposes table manners on her feral charge (Patty Duke). It's a heaving, shin-cracking donnybrook, done with complete commitment.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Feb 9, 2006

It's a stunningly impressive piece of work, typically (for Penn) deriving much of its power from the performances.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Mar 2, 2025

8/10

It’s at once infuriating, saddening, inspirational, and triumphant; and during each of these phases, it’s also highly, unforgettably emotional.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Sep 19, 2021

3.5/4

This is a work that's raw, uncomfortable, and in-your-face.

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Janet Graves

Photoplay

Dec 15, 2020

Simple, powerful, unsentimental, this version of the stage hit is a real movie.

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Simon T

@MovieTart Jun 22, 2026

Arthur Penn's melodramatic screen version of his own Broadway production is hampered by being overpitched throughout. The original stage actors have become so used to playing to the back row that it all comes across as clunky and sentimental. It's a pity because the story it tells is potentially very affecting, as much a journey for Helen Keller's family and her damaged tutor (an over-ripe Anne Bancroft with a bad Oirish accent) as it is Patty Duke's Helen. On the plus side, Ernesto Caparros' black-and-white photography and Laurence Rosenthal's fine melancholy music help give it the layers it otherwise lacks.

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thiago S

@Thiagostone May 4, 2026

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Ronnie M

@spuncake Nov 7, 2025

This movie easily rates 100% ....The acting, directing and the story are exceptional.

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Blobbo X

@Blobbo Nov 2, 2025

A must-see (which is slighty ironic).

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jacob c

@RT09118617 Mar 22, 2025

An absolutely terrific, powerful and moving film about Helen Keller, featuring brilliant, Academy Award-winning work from Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke.

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Kellie G

@RT51701606 Mar 20, 2025

Perfect tandem performances from Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke.

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Arthur Penn

Director

Anne Bancroft

Annie Sullivan

Patty Duke

Helen Keller

Victor Jory

Captain Arthur Keller

Inga Swenson

Kate Keller

Andrew Prine

James Keller

The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - It Has a Name

2:16

Now Playing

The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - Let's Play a Game

3:50

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - Helen's First Lesson

2:10

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - She Knows!

3:34

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - Helen Kisses Annie Goodnight

1:48

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - Annie Is Reminded of Her Past

2:13

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - I Want Complete Charge

2:07

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - She Wants to Talk Like You and Me

1:41

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - Helen's Table Manners

2:09

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The Miracle Worker: Official Clip - She Can't See or Hear

1:45

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Synopsis

Blind and deaf after suffering a terrible fever as a baby, young Helen Keller (Patty Duke) has spent years unable to communicate, leaving her frustrated and occasionally violent. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents (Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine) contact a school for the blind, which sends half-blind Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) to teach Helen. Helen is initially resistant, but Annie gradually forms a bond with her and shows Helen ways of reaching others.

Director: Arthur Penn
Producer: Fred Coe
Screenwriter: William Gibson, William Gibson, Helen Keller
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., United Artists
Production Co: Playfilm Productions
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 1962, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2010
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Mono

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