![the miracle worker breakfast scene the miracle worker breakfast scene](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/69/b2/38/69b238e98a09f38c37d3459859dfc55d.jpg)
Arthur Penn's adaptation of William Gibson's play tells that story.
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What you might not know about is her childhood struggle. The deaf, mute, blind girl who overcame her impairments to achieve greatness.
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The black and white atmospheric setting and subtle music and Arthur Penn's restrained direction are hallmarks. Patty Duke and Ann Bancroft are amazing in this film. By the way, watch the wonderful scene where Annie works to get Helen to eat her food in a civilized. But hidden deep in the recesses of that active brain is something that needs to be reached. The other is trying to work after years of the family giving in to what Annie calls a "tyrant." The family is a southern patriarchal one and she butts heads with the father time after time. The obvious one is breaking through to Helen. She is Annie Sullivanand the rest is history. One day a school in Baltimore is contacted and a teacher is sent to work with Helen. She throws tantrums, eats food off other's plates, slaps, kicks, and is generally destructive. Helen is like having a tornado in the house. They have tried everything they can but to no avail. The Keller family takes on the responsibility of raising her with all the pitfalls involved. Helen was born fully functioning until a brain fever takes her vision and her hearing. This, of course, is the Academy Award winning film of the Helen Keller story. The Miracle Worker after 46 years is still a towering inspirational story as fresh today as it was on Broadway in its debut. Anyway you slice it they were deserved winners. Remember also that Bancroft and Duke did it 719 times on Broadway and more in fact if they took the play on the road. Bancroft trying to control the sightless and deaf Duke is enough to make anyone exhausted just from watching it. Personally I think the two of them won it for the staggering sheer physicality for the roles. Still it did allow both to take home Oscars for The Miracle Worker. There's no way Patty Duke was a Supporting Actress, most of the film and the most dramatic moments are with the two of them on the screen together. The Academy in its infinite wisdom decided that Anne Bancroft rated competing in the Best Actress category while Patty Duke was in the Supporting Actress field. Her perspective on life was truly a unique one. Then again, losing sight and sound at such an early age, Helen never developed the prejudices we normal people have. What argument could the most chauvinistic male possibly make as to why she shouldn't have the right to vote? All stuff not calculated to go over in a place like Alabama. She was a member of the International Workers of the World, she was a confirmed pacifist, she campaigned for women's suffrage. For a girl from Tuscumbia, Alabama Helen Keller's views are pretty left wing. Later on much after the film action is concluded, Helen Keller did develop vocal skills as well. It's taken with complete accuracy from Helen Keller's own autobiography. 46 years after this film came out, it's still a defining moment when she does break through to her.
![the miracle worker breakfast scene the miracle worker breakfast scene](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XjX1VrJddvc/mqdefault.jpg)
THE MIRACLE WORKER BREAKFAST SCENE LICENSE
The play with a bit of dramatic and casting license tells accurately the story of the difficulty in teaching and training young Helen to speak through sign, to make her first learn that those finger motions that Bancroft keeps using on Duke's hand have a meaning. All four of these people repeated their contributions for the film version as Hollywood players filled the rest of the parts of the film. The play written by William Gibson, directed by Arthur Penn ran on Broadway during the 1959-1961 season for 719 performances and starred Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen. Her breakthrough in communication is the subject matter of the award winning play, The Miracle Worker. She walked in darkness and silence, still she communicated to the world. Condemned by meningitis or scarlet fever as an infant to lose both sight and hearing, her soul locked in a dark corner, she overcame and adapted to become one of the most admired people ever to walk the earth. Helen Keller (1880-1968) in any age, in any time would be one of the most remarkable stories in human history.