MovieChat Forums > The Miracle Worker (1962) Discussion > Overacting?

Overacting?

posted 19 years ago by milhouse_van_houten
24 replies | jump to latest

ok, i love Anne Bancroft, but isnt this one of the most overacted films in history.

anne bancroft and patty duke's performances were so overdone!

and they won oscars?!

[–] jcarter-21 19 years ago

This is one of the best duel acting performances of all-time! I think that overacting is better than under acting but Anne Banecroft and Patty Duke were phenomenal! I would even give them a Golden Globe for best Ensemble cast. Everyone on that movie is awesome! They deserved there Oscars, hands down.

Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more cowbell!-
Christopher Walken

[–] JR541 19 years ago

Thats because they were doing it the same way the play was performed and in older players the actors often have to over act or emote in order to get thier point across so that all in the theater can hear or see it.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] brefane 19 years ago

Speaking of overacting, what about Victor Jory and Inga Swenson as Helen's parents?

[–] Jeffthinx 17 years ago

When you look in the dictionary under the word "overacting", you see a picture of Victor Jory's face. Whew! He was WAY over the top! It was annoying!! I found myself flipping the volume up and down around him. Very tiresome. Otherwise a powerful film...still...after more than 45 years.

Ciao, e buon auguri

[–] Coryraisa 16 years ago

Yeah, the parent's actors overacted a bit...esp. the actor who played Helen's dad always seemed to be shrieking and sometimes in the scenes where Arthur and Kate argued, they would put their faces right up to each other and shriek their lines with their mouths wide, wide open and their eyes huge.

But Anne Bancroft did a wonderful job with Annie...Anne Bancroft even LOOKS a lot like Annie Sullivan. I've read that the real Annie Sullivan had straight almost-black hair and brown eyes.

And Patty did a good job with Helen; she esp, did wonderfully with making her eyes appear blank and blind.

[–] TigerlilyBramble_of_WillowBottom 16 years ago

Bancroft and Duke were perfect. The parents overacted so much, especially the mom. The scene where they find out Helen's blind is hilarious.

Otherwise it's just malfeasance for malfeasance's sake.

[–] Viv70 16 years ago

I'm afraid I can't agree with you on this point.

Patti Duke may have done some deliberate over-mugging in the scene in which Helen is imitating Anne's facial expressions - but, this is primarily done for humorous effect and, hardly qualifies as over-acting.

Bancroft and Duke both give superb performances and their Oscars were well-deserved, IMO.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] killer_instinct93 16 years ago

Just think, they acted these roles so well that they made people believe in a true story that's not even true.

[–] Prom_Queen_Carrie 16 years ago

What? They didn't overact at all! It's just they had a lot of heavy scenes to do that required the necessary heightened acting for them but it wasn't OVERacting anything. The parents were overacting maybe.

But Anne Bancroft was I thought restrained and Patty Duke was certainly not overacting, in fact I didn't see acting when she was onscreen because she sooooo convincing that I was in awe.

When people play disabled characters onscreen ,usually you see the wheels turning. Never with Duke in this film. She was so believable and the look on her face and the subtle tear of emotion tha stains her face after she has shown everyone what she could do what what I call the very opposite of overacting.

"I'm loud and I'm vulgar and I wear the pants in the house because somebody's got to!"

[–] WarpedRecord 16 years ago

I'm going to have to agree with you, milhouse. Now can I give you a wedgie?

I too love Anne Bancroft, but her performance was way overdone here. But even worse were Patty Duke and the actors playing her parents. This is a well-intentioned, important film, but it comes across a bit too much like "Mommy Dearest." Clearly they were playing to the deaf and blind audience.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]