Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues

The original Miracle Worker with Bancroft and Duke is one of my all-time favorite movies. However, I did not care for the '79 remake, so when I saw this movie begin on cable, I expected more of the same.

What a great surprise! Somehow the movie manages to capture the magic of people connecting, overcoming, living. The acting is subtle and solid, the writing lyrical and vibrant. While it does not have the drama of the original Miracle Worker, its steady pace, cinematography and selective focus on Sullivan's and Keller's life make it an astonishingly good movie. I highly recommend it for anyone in the mood to be inspired.

I barely remember Blythe Danner playing the Annie Sullivan role. It's Mare Winningham's performance as the legendary blind-deaf Helen Keller that I remember most because of how she approached the role. Winningham's performance as Keller is unforgettable and only a slight indication of her talent as an actress. I'll never forget Helen typing away on a braille typewriter. After Keller discovers how to sign into the hands of her lifelong teacher, Annie Sullivan, she continues to write and communicate with the world through her writings. Keller is one of those legendary American figures that must be handled with care and Winningham approaches her with that gentle understanding.

Adaptation of Joseph P. Lash's book "Helen & Teacher" continues the struggles of a young adult Helen Keller, falling in love for the first time and being persuaded to appear in a public forum (ostensibly to spread her message of good will but also to help pay the household bills!). Living with her mother and a winded, ailing Anne Sullivan, Helen experiences the pangs of love and heartbreak over a well-meaning young man who is effectively scared off after a talk with teacher/caregiver Anne. Blythe Danner plays Anne Sullivan as a tough old bird with a lot of worldly wisdom, but who may have lost touch with her own femininity--and Helen's as well. We never see Anne tell Helen about her private chat with the handsome suitor, we only see Anne placating her. Also, Keller's reluctance to go public for money is suddenly thwarted, and soon she's on the vaudeville circuit: "Helen Keller Speaks!" The movie doesn't hang together as dramatic storytelling because the writer is always two steps ahead, pushing the narrative forward before we have a chance to be moved. Thankfully, Mare Winningham (a year before she joined the Brat Pack) does a wonderful job at conveying the sweetness and warmth in Helen's personality; her fear of upsetting her mother and her devotion to Sullivan are convincing, this despite the film's cheap, blurry sentiment and stodgy direction from Alan Gibson. "The Miracle Continues" is distinctly un-miraculous--even the extras in the audience at the end look as if they'd rather be some place else--and yet Winningham and Danner make it worth-watching. ** from ****

Helen Keller's life was not a Lifetime: Made for Television film. It was better than this and deserved better than this. I love Mare Winningham and I love Blythe Danner, but I did not love either in this horrid film. Winningham treated Keller as if she were a trained puppy and Danner treated Sullivan as if she were the puppet-master, all controlling, all demanding. Their relationship was deep, complicated, intricate and close. Too bad it was never portrayed as anything else but simplistic and one dimensional. Want to learn about Helen Keller? Read her autobiography (The Story of My Life). Want to know about the relationship between Helen and Anne? Read "Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy" by Joseph Lash. Skip this film whatever you do.

I haven't seen this film in a long time. But I remember really enjoying it and that it surprised me how good it was. The production values are generally TV quality. On the other hand, the story is very effective and personal. This was a portion of Keller's life that had not been portrayed often. Mare Winningham and Blythe Danner seem ideal for these roles. I wish it was more readily available for repeat viewing.

I didn't know that Keller went on to such heights of education and socialization. Considering where she came from, the amount of normalcy that she achieved is incredible. But it should never be forgotten that this was due to Annie Sullivan dedicating (and to a large degree substituting) her life so that Helen might have one. What dedication! What devotion! What patience with another struggling human being!