Helen Keller is, as we all know, one of the most famous silent figures of all time. Although the real Helen Keller eventually learned to speak (an astounding achievement, given that she was both blind and deaf), the film The Miracle Worker takes place when she is just a child, before she had progressed that far. In fact, she's pretty much a wild child, completely detached from the world around her, until her tutor Anne Sullivan (played by the incomparable Anne Bancroft) manages to break through to Helen by helping her understand the connection between sign language and physical sensations (running water, for example, or the doll she holds in her hand). The Miracle Worker has long been considered an actor-proof play -- it doesn't matter how good or bad the performances are, people are going to cry. But Patty Duke puts in a wonderful showing as Helen Keller, reprising her role from the critically acclaimed Broadway production and earning herself an Academy Award in the process.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
