Helen Keller was not only blind and deaf and mute, but she was one stubborn child. She meets her match in Annie Sullivan, the Irish teacher who once suffered herself from blindness. Helen’s parents hire Annie to teach Helen, who has no manners and is, at times, very difficult to handle. Anne Bancroft won an Oscar for a leading actress in a drama for her role as Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Helen Keller. They both give remarkable performances in this movie.
Although there is nothing in this film which crosses our level of acceptability, and although we are awarding the Dove Seal for all ages, we must note that parents need to be cautious with young children watching it. The intense scenes of Helen fighting Annie by slapping her and throwing things might be a bit much for them. On the other hand, older children will find it fascinating and may want to go to the library to learn more about Helen Keller and her remarkable life.
