Right after that scene to establish that Helen Keller is indeed completely blind and deaf we get an expertly scored, shot and edited credits sequence. We're given vignettes of Helen's early life with no sound effects and only the score. This reminded me of the famous credits sequence from Fahrenheit 451. However, where Fahrenheit 451 had a perfect device to world build and reference its themes and narrative, The Miracle Worker has to rely on half measures. A film obviously would be poorly served if they were to attempt to draw an audience into the world of Helen Keller by presenting neither sound or image so they need to settle with cutting off one or the other and they chose, for the opening credits, sound. However, I think this works. First off the movie only periodically attempts to try and depict things from Helen's perspective (more on that later), preferring most of the time to take her family, or Annie Sullivan's perspectives. So using sight is effective as we can better see Helen from the perspective of her family: a pitiable wretch fumbling and stumbling through a world she is incapable of comprehending. This is of course a fallacious perspective on Helen, but its important to establish and understanding of their perspective as it is the dominant perspective that Annie arrives to challenge.
Annie Sullivan, being Helen's teacher, is probably the character best fitting the role of protagonist. After the opening credits and a brief scene establishing the family's need for help raising Helen The Miracle Worker only occasionally leaves Anne's side, and throughout the film we learn of her own struggles due to her near blindness and troubled childhood living in an asylum. Initially this may seem a problematic choice as the play the film was adapted from was based upon Helen Keller's own autobiography, however there really is no better choice for the medium of film. Without completely alienating the audience with limited or absent visuals and sound it is impossible to fully immerse the audience in Helen's perspective. So, the obvious winning move is not to play, but that's not the move the film takes. I mentioned above it occasionally attempts to show things from Helen's perspective, and not only succeeds but does it so subtly that a casual viewer may not even notice that's whats going on but are affected by it all the same. During scenes where Anne is attempting to teach Helen words for things, and especially the scene where they first meet, we're often given extreme closeups on the character's hands to the exclusion of all other shapes and images. Without blinding the audience or somehow forcing us to physically feel something that isn't there we can begin to understand Helen's primary mode of sense and understanding. All she knows is the things she can touch, smell, or taste, and if that's all the audience see that's all we know, and we're subtly pulled into her realm of understanding. Of course this film can't completely depict Helen's perspective, we're privileged with the context of most of the movie being told from Annie's complete perspective. However, these moments aid in a nuanced understanding of the situation and lend the film a stylistic flourish that really makes it stand out.
This isn't to say that The Miracle Worker is only stylistic and interesting when it's trying to show us Helen's perspective. The entire film from start to finish demonstrates a complete mastery of visual language. The many, dialogue free, sequences when Annie is attempting to teach Helen are absolute masterpieces, and should be mandatory viewing for anyone looking to work in the film industry. Everything from the camera's positioning and movement, to the blocking of the actors, to the performances all coalesce into an absolutely engrossing and visceral experience that kept my eyes glued to the screen and emotionally impacted. Additionally, we see a few flashbacks of Annie's childhood throughout the film that are amazingly stylishly and effectively presented. They are invariably depicted as grainy out of focused sequences superimposed over sequences in the main narrative. By making these flashbacks grainy and out of focus the The Miracle Worker is effectively communicating that, not only are these sequences memories, but they are Annie's memories as their unclear visuals reference her own severe, though not complete, visual impairment.
So The Miracle Worker is visually stylish and good at communicating point of view, but how exactly does that influence the effects of the film and why does that make it so much better than the other dramas I've reviewed for this blog. Two words: emotional engagement I don't think I've ever cheered or cried more watching a movie at home alone (except for maybe E.T. but I'm sure I'll get to that movie on this blog at some point). It's astounding how effective The Miracle Worker is at engaging and manipulating your emotions. The experience is undeniably and unflinchingly visceral as it shows you the frustration, violence, little successes, and failures, in Annie's war to bring Helen out of her shell. And when the famous moment happens at the water pump it's an enormously cathartic moment and one of those moments in film where if you have a heart at all you will shed at least one tear (My count was probably up to 4 or 5). Seeing the joy of learning light up Helen's face as she excitedly asks to be taught the names of the things around her is so joyous, infectious and pure you have no choice but to feel as she does. This success is of course due in no small part to the performances. Everyone in this film does a completely flawless job, Annie is the perfect mix of stern, and exasperated with just enough of a hint of motherly love to make you believe she really cares for Helen. Speaking of Helen the young actress portraying her provides an astoundingly true performance, and manages to effectively communicate her motivations and thoughts through action alone.
The Miracle Worker is unquestionably my favorite film that this blog has exposed me to. Pretty much every other movie I've enjoyed from this project I've seen before. This one really is a revelation for me, and I loved every second of it. Next up is another favorite of mine the original The Pink Panther (1963)
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