The Miracle Worker

With Penn's direction, it feels like a transition for American cinema. The scenes with the family are shot and acted in the flat, purposeful style of the traditional studio picture. When Bancroft and Duke are alone, though, the film comes to life with physical intensity, as Penn shoots their violent struggles like exploding action sequences, reducing dialogue to gritty, naturalistic grunts and cries. The dream sequences' blown-up graininess is a striking visualization of faded memories, too.

In perhaps the best adaptation of this fantastic play, Bancroft and Duke shine equally as the brilliant teacher and her amazingly fast-learning pupil, respectively.

B+

I can't believe this was originally made as a play. Imagine two actresses having to replicate the physicality and frustration in the best scenes of this movie night in, night out. A relentless and brutal watch, even by today's standards.

This is the case of a film where I think a certain amount of trite sentimentality in the writing is utterly overpowered by titanic performances from Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. Despite having starred in the Broadway production, Arthur Penn had to fight to keep them. I can't picture this film without them. In addition to the ferocious physical performances, Bancroft in particular turns in a difficult and subtle performance that I really don't think the film would work without.

An ostensibly inspiring tale of a string of well-meaning assaults that I did not enjoy witnessing.

Beautiful stark contrasting b/w cinematography, superb performances by Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke in a touching movie about dedication and endurance, but above all about the power of communication, the need for connection and ambition for knowledge

The melodrama is often thick, but the performances by the two leads are so impressive that they push through. That breakfast scene is one of the most exhausting things I've ever seen.

Touching!

Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke collaborate like few performers can, drawing us into their challenged rapport and keeping us stuck to their triumphs and catastrophes. Neither role lacked hefty challenges and both actresses surrendered exceptional career-making and ultimately Oscar-winning performances.

Powerful performances here, but never quite works as a movie.

Good film not without issues, but the central relationship is a really interesting one. When other characters are dealing with each other they do so woodenly, but get Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft alone together and there's a brute energy and physicality that unfurls with time. The resolution is far too neat, and would have benefited from a less black to white sense of transition. But Annie is an interesting character, who succeeds in charging the movie with strong emotion.

As some reviewers here wrote, The Miracle Worker really is outstanding in it's physical intensiveness which is exhausting and graceless - and maybe it should be that way. So is the performance of Anne Bancroft which is just, well, plain unpleasant to watch. Patty Duke really gives that uncomportable feeling of her character. I'm just not sure if I like all that straightforward discomfort and melodrama, that treats the subject with emotional brutality and in a heavy-handed manner.

Really intriguing to watch the relationship between Sullivan and Keller and great performances from Bancroft and Duke. Highly recommended.

There's not much in terms of violence here, but there are great heaps of raw pain -- of not only Helen Keller, but of her family, as they lived in a time when nobody knew what to do with the severely handicapped. Very powerful drama that is harder to watch sometimes than most horror films

Everyone other than Bancroft and Duke give pretty miserable performances, but those two are so astounding and central to the film that they more than make up for it. A fantastic story and a very heartwarming film.

The very first lesson, folding a napkin, was a highlight of the movie. Stunningly acted, marvelously edited, directed and choreographed. Bancroft's and a girl's general physicality were intensive and pleased an eye. The story itself draged time to time and it was a bit too melodramatic.

very shocking movie, the art of Persian dubbing was also very important in my scoring.

anne bancroft can't spell "discipline" lol

Keller's struggle is very well articulated in this film, but it seemed to drag on.

1112: What a good job! strong drama, emotional earthquake, happy end. good job.

Impressively present for a movie that in every technical aspect seems behind it's time. The story is strong and the physicality of the scenes are intense. Bancroft with her round glasses and Irish accent comes off a little nazi, but her appearance and fanatical determination only helps to ground the rather oppositional decisions of the family she is trying to help. It may not draw upon very universal themes, or arrive at anything but "Tough love is good!", but it's about as solid a drama as any.

It's a classic. And Anne Bankcroft was a hotty in her day.

An incredibly moving account of Helen Keller's journey from death/blind child to the world of understanding and communication thanks to the efforts of a stern teacher. The storytelling is presented in a mixture of traditional and experimental movie making, fueled by riveting performances from Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft. At times feels very staged, with overly dramatic ACTING, but that makes sense considering it was an adaptation of a play.

I am who I am because of this movie. Classic!

Apesar da estrutura teatral e o fato de nunca ter dado muita bola para o Penn, Duke e Bancroft estão em um duelo de titãs fenomenal - acho que só equiparável no cinema com Burton e Taylor no Virginia Woolf.