The Miracle Worker (1962)

100% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(8,262 ratings)

Based on William Gibson's Broadway play and retaining its acclaimed cast, Arthur Penn's The Miracle Worker tells the true story of Helen Keller (Patty Duke), an Alabama girl struck blind and deaf as a baby after an elevated fever. Enter Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft), a partially-blind woman… More Based on William Gibson's Broadway play and retaining its acclaimed cast, Arthur Penn's The Miracle Worker tells the true story of Helen Keller (Patty Duke), an Alabama girl struck blind and deaf as a baby after an elevated fever. Enter Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft), a partially-blind woman assigned the task of teaching Helen sign language. After first separating Helen from her over-protective parents (Victor Jory and Inga Swenson), Annie begins the arduous process of teaching the girl. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Arthur Penn
Written By: William Gibson
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jul 28, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Mar 6, 2001
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice
The centerpiece is a one-room, nine-minute war of attrition, as a tutor (Anne Bancroft) imposes table manners on her feral charge (Patty Duke). It's a heaving, shin-cracking donnybrook, done with complete commitment.
, Variety
Where the picture really excels, outside of its inherent story values, is in the realm of photographic technique.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Anne Bancroft is superb as Annie Sullivan, the teacher who finally reached into Helen Keller's darkness, and Patty Duke is chillingly real as the young Helen.
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy
Two well-deserved Oscars grace this unflinching portrait of selfishness in direct resistance to selflessness.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Outstanding movie based on life of Helen Keller.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke give intense, powerful Oscar-winning performances in Arthur Penn's successful screen version of the Helen Keller story, based on William Gibson's play.
Derek Adams, Time Out
It's a stunningly impressive piece of work, typically (for Penn) deriving much of its power from the performances.
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
Beautiful black-and-white cinematography, startling performances, and harrowing physicality… the cathartic final scene is nothing short of transcendent.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Notable not just for its earnestness and two outstanding performances (both won Oscars) -- it's also got one of the longest catfights in cinema history.
Scott Renshaw, Apollo Guide
Portrays a literal war for a girl's soul, making that war so ugly that it's impossibly beautiful.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Potentially soft material is handled with just the right severity; marvelously acted.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The eight-minute sequence featuring a physical fight between Bancroft and Duke as the teacher attempts to teach the pupil some manners stands as one of the most electrifying and honest ever committed to film.
, Film4
Much aided by its magnificent central performances, Penn's adaptation works like a dream as a film...Despite the subject matter, Penn manages to resist the temptation to manipulate our emotions.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Adriel L

Few get to men and women's hearts than this movie. When it does, it goes deep and buries itself so that when years later after seeing it, it's still pretty much there to incite again the momentous experience. Power is the word that describes, from the characters that… More
Few get to men and women's hearts than this movie. When it does, it goes deep and buries itself so that when years later after seeing it, it's still pretty much there to incite again the momentous experience. Power is the word that describes, from the characters that everyone with a heart will care about, and the retelling of the one of the most brilliant stories ever told, not mere fantastical tale, but something that really actually happened.
Lucas M

Terrific scrrenplay, just like Penn's direction, The Miracle Worker (1962) presents outstanding actings by the main actress and that enrich more the film. Fresh.
Jeremy S

Brilliantly acted and confronting
Jennifer X

very good adaptation of the play.
jay n

gripping story and powerful acting not just from the leads but the entire cast.
Leigh R

Fanatstic.
Dean M

Enthralling, humourous and touching true inspirational story of courage and hope for deaf & blind culture with Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan.
Andrew F

I watched it in school. The acting is great, and it is really touching at the end.
Dimitris S

The time when Hollywood used to create such wonderful weaving stories has passed and Penn-Bancroft will always preserve the status of real drama.Patty Duke on a career performance and of the last great cinematographies in old Hollywood.
Lee K

I just rented this because the wife wanted to know who the person behind those stupid blind jokes was. I am not a fan of old movies , yet this one is one of my faves. awesome acting jobs from the whole cast especially from Patty Duke ( helen) An inspirational story.
monty h

A truly great movie. And being a true story just makes it amazing. Anne Bancroft as teacher Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as deaf and blind child Helen Keller are simply unbelievable in this movie. They both won Oscars for their roles and once you see this film you will easily see… More
A truly great movie. And being a true story just makes it amazing. Anne Bancroft as teacher Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as deaf and blind child Helen Keller are simply unbelievable in this movie. They both won Oscars for their roles and once you see this film you will easily see why. A classic in every sense of the word. James:"Sooner or later, we all give up, don't we?" Annie: "Maybe you all do, but it's my idea of the original sin". James: "What is?" Annie: "Giving up!" Annie: "It's less trouble to feel sorry for her than it is to teach her anything better".

Read all 11 featured audience ratings

Cast

Anne Bancroft
as Annie Sullivan
Patty Duke
as Helen Keller
Victor Jory
as Capt. Keller

Inga Swenson
as Kate Keller
Andrew Prine
as James Keller
Kathleen Comegys
as Aunt Ev

See full cast

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