Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

kidboots This is the sort of film the British do so perfectly - little films with actors (not superstars) who can fit into their roles as though born to them and stories with pathos and feeling but no sticky sentimentality. "Mandy" was another movie memory from my childhood, one that I always thought would be a memory but fortunately I had the opportunity to view it again recently. I can remember the emotion I felt at the scene when Mandy, by feeling the vibration she makes on a balloon produces the b,b,b, sound just as the teachers despaired that she would ever be able to advance. Mandy Miller was a marvellous little actress whose father had been an electrician at the Ealing Studios and she was discovered when she and her sister toured the studio. She found fame much like Hayley Mills did in the 1960s but was never allowed to feel (by her family) that she was anymore special or gifted than any other child. I suppose "Mandy" proved a film she could never get away from because she retired as a teenager to an early but happy and long lasting marriage. I will always be grateful she made "Mandy".This film has an almost documentary feel to it as it explores the problems and emotions of the Garland family who come to the realization that their baby girl, Mandy, is deaf and dumb. They eventually go to live with Harry's (Terence Morgan) parents who treat Mandy with gentleness and understanding but not like a real child. Christine (the wonderful Phyllis Calvert - is there no part she couldn't play) wants a better future for Mandy and over Harry's head enrols her at a special school run by the radical Dick Searle (Jack Hawkins).The ground breaking methods the school uses seems to produce miracles but Mandy finds it hard to cope. At six she is thought a bit old as a beginner and she has been too sheltered, while her once loving parents are beginning to bicker. An incident at a local park reduces Mandy to "wild animal behaviour" that determines Christine to move nearer the school and enrol her as a day pupil. This film is so full of heart inspiring moments - when Mandy finally finds her voice, in another fit of screams, but the teacher can harness the sounds and Mandy can now begin to learn. There is a subplot going through it that has Christine and Searle thrown together and finding (on Searle's part) that he has deeper feelings for Christine. All blown out of proportion by a nasty superintendent, Mr. Ackland (Edward Chapman who played the creepy lodger to perfection in "The October Man") who wants Searle out of the job and feels a trumped up scandal is the best way to do it. The ending is guaranteed to make a strong person weep as Harry's father realises that the school has made a huge difference to Mandy, and as he says to his wife "you have been interfering all along, now it's my turn"!!Jack Hawkins listed "Mandy" as one of his favourite films and felt it was the turning point in his career, not only helping him define his own philosophy on life but boosting him from success to stardom. When he found himself later in life dealing with his own crippling disability (throat cancer) he drew strength from remembering his role in "Mandy".

edwagreen Superb film with Phyllis Calvert as the mother who knew that her deaf mute child needed instruction rather than being kept away from other children.Calvert is joined by an excellent cast to show how deaf mute children need that guidance, understanding, love and devotion if they are to succeed.What makes this an extraordinary film is that we're not only working with the child, but trying to put down the vicious gossip of an affair between her teacher and the Calvert character. Here there is not only a misunderstanding, but a vicious plot by a head in the school who doesn't like teacher Jack Hawkins, and with the help of the former's vicious secretary, schemes so that he can rid of Hawkins.One can never forget the fear in the child who was played so well by Mandy Miller. She was absolutely terrific in evoking the emotions of a child in a silent world.

George Wright This story is an excellent film from one of Britain's most talented directors - Alexander Mackendrick. When a family has to deal with the reality of a deaf child, it throws their lives into turmoil as they face their own misconceptions and try to work out what is best for the child. This movie documents the changes that could have occurred to any family in similar circumstances. The parents are not perfect but do their best to work things out and this is part of the reason I liked the movie. It is honest and the parents try to do what is right, albeit a big adjustment. The deaf child is Mandy, a bright and happy little girl who the parents realize hasn't started to speak a number of months on. This leads them to take her to a doctor who diagnoses the condition as congenital deafness. According to the doctor, nothing can be done. The parents, played by Phyllis Calvert and Terence Morgan, are shocked and are afraid for her future. They immediately take her to the grandparents' home where she can be kept alone and given private tutoring. Subsequently, they meet a specialist who suggests that the girl be placed in a school where she can learn more effectively under the guidance of a proper teacher in the company of other children. There is a rift between the parents who have different views about sending her away. There are other differences they encounter along the way. The father also suspects that an affair is going on between the specialist (Jack Hawkins) and the mother, Phyllis Calvert. The acting is superb all-round and the child, played by Mandy Miller, shows the strain that she too must face from her parents' disagreements and her own problems interacting with others. The movie is heart-wrenching but also offers hope. I thought this was an excellent film that treats the subject in a thoughtful and intelligent way.

calvertfan The Mandy of the title truly is the star of the film, as almost all of the adults underplay their scenes with her to help her shine brighter. When Mandy's parents find out she is deaf, they have differing ideas on what to do next. Mother, Christine, wants to send Mandy to a special school for deaf children so she can learn to read and write - and perhaps speak - and be as much like other children as possible. But her father, Harry, is somewhat ashamed of his daughter and would rather keep Mandy hidden away at his parents' house with only a governess to teach her the finger alphabet. After seeing how she reacts with other children, Christine realises that for Mandy's sake she must get her to the school, and leaves Harry. Watching Mandy's progress in the school provides some fascinating insight into ways of teaching and, contrary to Harry's thoughts, she does progress, with help from headmaster Searle. A second storyline is developed here as people increasingly believe that Christine is having an affair with Searle, when in fact they are both only interested in the good of the child.A real "four tissue" movie, 10/10.