The Miracle Worker (1962)

A blind and deaf child (Patty Duke) seems uncontrollable in her behavior and is indulged by her parents (Victor Jory, Inga Swenson). They send away for a teacher (Anne Bancroft) in the hope she will be able to give her structure. But the teacher must battle not only the stubborn child but her indulgent parents. Based on the play by William Gibson and directed by Arthur Penn (BONNIE AND CLYDE) with Bancroft and Duke repeating their stage roles. It's hard not to be affected by Helen Keller's story. It's an inspirational movie but in this case inspirational is not a dirty word. There's no sugar here, it's a pretty tough minded film. The performances by Bancroft and especially Duke are superb although why wouldn't they be considering how many times they'd done it on stage. It's a stark straightforward film and the striking B&W cinematography by the Cuban Ernesto Caparros (who remarkably only shot 5 films) lends a muted elegance to the film. With Andrew Prine and Beah Richards.