In tribute to Patty Duke's passing earlier this year, I decided to watch the late actress's Academy Award-winning turn in The Miracle Worker. Duke portrays Helen Keller in this acclaimed adaptation, with Anne Bancroft playing Ann Sullivan, Helen's teacher (Bancroft also won an Academy Award for her role). Together they lead a phenomenal ensemble who leave audiences breathless from beginning to end with their fine dramatic performances.
The film features exquisite camera work from veteran director Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde), and there are many scenes that look as if they have been shot while the director was lying on the floor. This had the effect of making me feel as though I was watching the story play out through a child's perspective, much like a child Helen's age. The fight scenes between Ann and Helen are epic in emotion, especially given the lack of dialogue during these scenes. They are incredibly realistic and it was hard to believe these were actors employing rehearsed actions. I especially admired the cinematic shot during a scene that Ann is singing Helen to sleep. The scene shows Ann sitting at left, but the bulk of the view is of the bed with a resting Helen. The way the camera shoots this scene suggests a child looking up from the floor. There has been so much emotion and activity in the fight scene preceding this moment, that the scene exudes tranquility and innocence. Inga Swenson, who plays Helen's mother, gave an equally commanding performance, effectively expressing her desperate concern for her blind daughter's potential while also struggling to temper her smothering and at times misguided love.
The showstopper comes at the end of the film when Helen finally learns to associate objects with their proper name, the beginning of her ability to leave a world of darkness and join the human race. Despite its age, it remains an inspiring story. The Miracle Worker is a fast moving, well developed tale about regret, redemption, and the power of perseverance.
