Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf and blind Helen Keller into the light of learnedness.Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf and blind Helen Keller into the light of learnedness.Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf and blind Helen Keller into the light of learnedness.
- Won 3 Primetime Emmys
- 3 wins & 5 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPatty Duke, who won an Oscar as young Helen Keller in the 1962 version, played Anne Sullivan in the 1979 TV version and won an Emmy for it.
- GoofsIn the final scene, Anne's hair is completely straight. In the rest of the movie, it is very curly.
- ConnectionsEdited into Intimate Portrait: Patty Duke (2001)
Featured review
One may wonder why this redo was necessary, but in 1979 we were still a few years away from videocassette rentals and Turner Classic Movies. In order to see Arthur Penn's version of "The Miracle Worker", one had to wait until a local television station picked it up for airing. That being said, this color adaptation of William Gibson's play by the author doesn't draw viewers in like the original did. The performances aren't luminous, there's nothing for us to discover for ourselves--it's too straightforward, too "television". The location of the Kellers' Southern home seems wrong, the color photography is ugly (save for the opening scene, which has a nice look), and the movie drags its feet for the first 20mns or so. The family asides with Captain Keller, his wife and son, housekeeper and newborn baby were the weakest link in Arthur Penn's original, and the characters fare no better here. Duke Astin, as well, takes some time adjusting to her role; her Irish brogue is odd, her look is disheveled and, at times, she seems to be doing an impersonation of Anne Bancroft! "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert initiated the project, with herself cast as a very lanky Helen Keller; she's fine, and she helps makes the finale work, but there's no real reason to watch this version when the original is now readily available. Five Emmy nominations with three wins, in what must have been a slow year. ** from ****
- moonspinner55
- May 27, 2024
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