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The Miracle Worker Videos

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Movie Info

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.
  • Genre:
    biography, drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Arthur Penn
  • Producer:
    Fred Coe
  • Writer:
    William Gibson, Helen Keller
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Playfilm Productions
  • Sound Mix:
    Mono

Cast & Crew

Anne Bancroft
Annie Sullivan
Patty Duke
Helen Keller
Victor Jory
Captain Arthur Keller
Inga Swenson
Kate Keller
Andrew Prine
James Keller
Kathleen Comegys
Aunt Ev
Beah Richards
Viney, Keller Maid (uncredited)
Jack Hollander
Mr. Anagnos of Perkins School in Boston (uncredited)
Arthur Penn
Director
William Gibson
Writer (Play)
William Gibson
Writer
Helen Keller
Writer
Fred Coe
Producer
Laurence Rosenthal
Original Music
Ernesto Caparrós
Cinematographer
Aram Avakian
Film Editor
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News & Interviews for The Miracle Worker

The Weekly Ketchup: "Ghostbusters 3" Close To Fruition, Direct-To-Video Sequels Galore, "Ghost Rider" Screening Or Not Screening. Who Knows?
In Other News…Anne Bancroft, Britney Jr. and Michelle Rodriguez
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Critic Reviews for The Miracle Worker

All Critics (25) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (1)

  • Outstanding movie based on life of Helen Keller.

    December 28, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Nell Minow

    Common Sense Media

  • 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.

    November 12, 2008 | Full Review…

    Nick Pinkerton

    Village Voice

  • Where the picture really excels, outside of its inherent story values, is in the realm of photographic technique.

    October 18, 2008 | Full Review…
    Variety

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

    February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

    Derek Adams

    Time Out

  • Beautiful black-and-white cinematography, startling performances, and harrowing physicality… the cathartic final scene is nothing short of transcendent.

    October 17, 2005 | Rating: A- | Full Review…

    Steven D. Greydanus

    Decent Films Guide

  • Quote not available.

    May 11, 2002 | Rating: 4/5

    Nell Minow

    Movie Mom
View All Critic Reviews (25)

Audience Reviews for The Miracle Worker

  • Jan 02, 2016
    Even with a slight tendency towards melodrama, this is a wonderful film that impresses with a gorgeous cinematography, beautiful direction (the mise-en-scène is exceptional), two superb Oscar-winning performances and an incredible 8-minute fight to "housebreak" a feral child.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 04, 2014
    Intense from the get-go, in both style and acting; still cinematographically modern in a lot of ways and dominated by a fiery performance by Anne Bancroft. It struck me as unusual for a film of its era to start SO in media res, with the stakes already so high and the parents already so distraught, but it's for the better. Stark and powerful, even if it slows into a somewhat repetitive groove after a while. Definitely see it once, it's a classic, winner of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscars... given that it's largely a two-hander of a script, it kind of makes you wonder how it wasn't nominated for Best Picture, too, but 1962 was a deep year... Lawrence of Arabia (winner), To Kill a Mockingbird, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Music Man and The Longest Day got that nomination, which means that other great films like The Manchurian Candidate, Days of Wine and Roses, Long Day's Journey Into Night and Birdman of Alcatraz also didn't get the nod. There's one argument in favour of the return to (up to) 10 nominees for the big prize! I digress, though; The Miracle Worker is a fine film and may well have cast the die for future "inspirational caregiver, teacher, etc." films.
    Daniel P Super Reviewer
  • Dec 24, 2013
    This story has always amazed me. How do you teach someone with no sight and hearing to have an appreciation for the broader world and be able to be highly functioning as a human being. This is the story about how it came to happen and Anne Bancroft is an excellent choice for someone to bring it to life.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Jan 11, 2012
    Few get to men and women's hearts than this movie. When it does, it goes deep and buries itself so that when years later after seeing it, it's still pretty much there to incite again the momentous experience. Power is the word that describes, from the characters that everyone with a heart will care about, and the retelling of the one of the most brilliant stories ever told, not mere fantastical tale, but something that really actually happened.
    Adriel L Super Reviewer
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