Running time 106 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $500,000 Box office $2.5 million (rentals) The Miracle Worker is a 1962 American about, blind tutor to, directed. The by is based on his, which originated as a 1957 broadcast of the.

The Story of My Life is a personal account of Helen Keller's life, from her early days to those as an adult. It includes how she came to meet her teacher Ann Sullivan, and learnt to communicate using the manual alphabet. It then goes on to chronicle her days as a college student. (Summary by Maria). Micrografx Picture Publisher 6.0 Download here. An autobiography of Helen Keller published when the author was still in her early 20's.

Gibson's original source material was, the 1902 of. The film went on to be an instant critical success and a moderate commercial success. The film was nominated for five, including for, and won two awards, for and for. The Miracle Worker also holds a perfect 100% score from the movie critics site. Contents • • • • • • • • Plot synopsis [ ] Young Helen Keller (), and since infancy due to a severe case of, is frustrated by her inability to communicate and subject to frequent violent and uncontrollable outbursts as a result.

Unable to deal with her, her terrified and helpless parents contact the for assistance. In response they send (), a former student, to the Keller home to tutor her.

What ensues is a battle of wills as Anne breaks down Helen's walls of silence and darkness through persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness. In the midst of the battle, Anne ultimately teaches Helen to make a connection between her hand signs and the objects in Helen's world for which they stand. Cast [ ] • as • as • as Captain Arthur Keller • as Kate Keller • as James Keller • Kathleen Comegys as Aunt Ev • as Viney (uncredited) • Jack Hollander as Mr. Anagnos (uncredited) • Michael Darden as Percy (uncredited) • Dale Ellen Bethea as Martha (uncredited) • as Admissions Officer (uncredited) • as 1st Crone (uncredited) • as 2nd Crone (uncredited) • Helen Ludlam as 3rd Crone (uncredited) Production notes [ ] Despite the fact had won the for her performance in the production, executives wanted a bigger name cast as Anne Sullivan in the film adaptation. They offered to budget the film at $5 million if was cast but only $500,000 if director Arthur Penn insisted on using Bancroft. Penn, who had directed the stage production, remained loyal to his star. The move paid off, and Bancroft won an Oscar for her role in the film.

Also despite the fact that had played Helen Keller in the play, she almost did not get the part. The reason was that Duke, 15 years old at the time, was too old to portray a seven-year-old girl, but after Bancroft was cast as Anne, Duke was chosen to play Helen in the movie. For the dining room battle scene, in which Anne tries to teach Helen proper table manners, both Bancroft and Duke wore padding beneath their costumes to prevent serious bruising during the intense physical skirmish. The nine-minute sequence required three cameras and took five days to film.

The film was shot at in, and. Kelpie The Legend Documentary Storm. It was remade twice for, in 1979 with Patty Duke as Anne and as Helen and in 2000 with and in the lead roles. The film ranked #15 on.

Reception [ ] In his review in, Bosley Crowther observed, 'The absolutely tremendous and unforgettable display of physically powerful acting that Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke put on in William Gibson's stage play The Miracle Worker is repeated by them in the film... But because the physical encounters between the two... Seem to be more frequent and prolonged than they were in the play and are shown in close-ups, which dump the passion and violence right into your lap, the sheer rough-and-tumble of the drama becomes more dominant than it was on the stage... The bruising encounters between the two... Are intensely significant of the drama and do excite strong emotional response. But the very intensity of them and the fact that it is hard to see the difference between the violent struggle to force the child to obey... And the violent struggle to make her comprehend words makes for sameness in these encounters and eventually an exhausting monotony.

This is the disadvantage of so much energy. However, Miss Bancroft's performance does bring to life and reveal a wondrous woman with great humor and compassion as well as athletic skill. And little Miss Duke, in those moments when she frantically pantomimes her bewilderment and desperate groping, is both gruesome and pitiable.' Rates the film 4½ out of a possible five stars and calls it 'a harrowing, painfully honest, sometimes violent journey, astonishingly acted and rendered.' Opined, 'It's a stunningly impressive piece of work... Deriving much of its power from the performances. Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft spark off each other with a violence and emotional honesty rarely seen in the cinema, lighting up each other's loneliness, vulnerability, and plain fear.

What is in fact astonishing is the way that, while constructing a piece of very carefully directed and intelligently written, Penn manages to avoid sentimentality or even undue optimism about the value of Helen's education, and the way he achieves such a feeling of raw spontaneity in the acting.' Awards and honors [ ].