not an easy role to play

A few weeks ago on Dr.Phil they had on a family that had triplets that are blind and deaf plus another child 2 yrs. older. They were about 3 yrs. old now if I remember right. The parents were absolutely going crazy!!!There is a woman that is going to give them special help at a reduced rate and several big donations have been given, also. They will also go to the school that Helen Keller attended for evaluation and to check if there are any other problems such as mental retardation, etc.
That made me think of this movie, as I have not seen it, but read the book on her. I was glad it was on TCM last night, but would you believe I feel asleep the last hour. I should have recorded it and will watch for it again. The acting is terrific and deserved the awards.--------Donna

Patty Duke is so unbelievably great in this. I totally agree that the scenes without words -- the fights at the dinner table, for instance -- are so powerful. I think that's because, on one level anyway, they get into Helen's world -- one in which you can't speak. To get what you want, you can only push back, throw things, fight or run and crawl away. Just imagine having to do it without hearing your opponent coming--and blindfolded too.

To me, it's both a miracle and also easy to believe that Helen Keller became so distinguished in later life. I just can't imagine the depth of her loneliness and frustration before she learned words. Deprivation was her natural state. Not to hear, not to see, not to understand or have any communication other than a few basic signs. The outside world must have seemed like chaos.

So she held onto what she knew -- and what she knew was how to get some basic comforts, like food and hugs. The indulgences her family gave her were the only rhyme or reason she knew -- and when Anne takes those things away from her (esp. in the dinner scene) her behavior is so wilful that she SEEMS like she's the demon seed. But actually, Helen yearned to understand and communicate in a world that made sense. When she finally understood words, that unbreakable will that went into defying Anne Sullivan suddenly was channelled into learning what the world really was about, and how to join it. She hungered for that. And so in a way, because she hungered for understanding, to replace the chaos, she hungered for order ...

In that way, eventually becoming an outstanding member of society makes sense. She'd been shut out so long, that when she COULD join and communicate, she did it sensitively and beautifully.

Her sheer will to survive astounds me--and the brilliance to use the tools of survival when they were finally given to her.

Well, I love the movie.