Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Marz88 So much physical violence: Patty Duke on Anne Bancroft (with seemingly no restrictions on how much she was allowed to swing her (heavy) arms around!); and Anne on Patty (but Patty mostly deserved the beatings - hahaha!). Violence was also inflicted on the viewer's ears by the parents' over-acted yelling and screaming. Unbelievably annoying. How most people in the 1960s could think that was normal, and how people today can watch it and then give it such a high score on IMDb is difficult to understand....and whether Patty was fighting with Anne or not, why have sooooo many breakable items around the house for "Hellen" (Patty) to break? It felt like such a silly oversight, that it seemed as if the set decorator and/or director realized their error only after they shot the scenes. I'm sure many of us watching the movie wanted to knock Patty out cold for breaking so much - and for nearly scratching out Anne's eyes (for real) on a couple of occasions. I did think Anne's performance was good - probably deserving that Oscar win.

grantss A moving story, covering the childhood years of blind-deaf Helen Keller and how her tutor Annie Sullivan helped her.Does require a fair bit of perseverance, however. The first half is quite painful to watch, as Keller does random, almost malicious things, without any sign that her behaviour will change. This also involves a few "fight" scenes between her and Sullivan, scenes that seem to go on far too long and are far too frequent.Add in an incredibly irritating, overacted performance by Victor Jory as the stupid-yet-very opinionated father - his idea of acting seems to be shouting very loudly, all the time - and the movie is set to be a massive test of patience.Gets better, however, and the ending is quite emotional.

preppy-3 Adaptation of the play (based on a real story) of Anne Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) trying to teach a young deaf and blind girl named Helen Keller (Patty Duke) how to communicate. Bancroft and Duke played the roles on stage and were (thankfully) allowed to recreate them in the film.This film is a little too pat to me (especially in the rushed happy ending) and it belies it's stage origins every once in a while but it was still worth watching. It pulls no punches in showing how Keller had to be sometimes brutally taught to obey. The fight for authority in the dining room was harrowing to watch. I can't imagine how the actresses did that night after night on stage! The directing is serviceable and the supporting cast is good but this should be seen just for Duke and Bancroft. They both won well-deserved Academy Awards for their performances. When they're on screen you just can't take your eyes off them. So--not a masterpiece but a very good film of a true life story. I give it an 8.

TheLittleSongbird The Miracle Worker, what a movie! A true miracle if there ever was one! Basically a truly moving biopic of blind, deaf and dumb Helen Keller, without being too sentimental. Making this work are superb direction from Arthur Penn, a beautifully written screenplay and gorgeous black and white cinematography. Not to mention the impeccable performances. Patty Duke is remarkably good as Helen, but Anne Bancroft is absolutely outstanding as her remarkable teacher Annie Sullivan. It can be unsettling at times, as are several masterpieces I've seen, but it is very moving and even thought-provoking. Overall, it is a miracle. 10/10 Bethany Cox