Based on Joseph P. Lash's book "Helen & Teacher", this television-made movie chronicles the continued struggles of a young adult Helen Keller, falling in love for the first time and persuaded to talk in public, 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 her placating her. Also, Keller's reluctance to speak in public is suddenly thwarted, and soon she's on the vaudeville circuit ("Helen Keller Speaks!"), appearing for a fee. 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 officially joined the Brat Pack) does a wonderful job at conveying the sweetness and warmth in Helen's personality, her realistic fear of upsetting her mother, and her devotion to Sullivan. Otherwise, the overlit film is full of cheap, blurry sentiment, with a stodgy direction by Alan Gibson that is distinctly un-miraculous--even the extras in the audience at the end look as if they'd rather be some place else. Winningham and Danner make it worth-watching, but the pedestrian handling nearly renders the results inconsequential.
Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues
(1984 TV Movie)
Written in connect-the-dots fashion--but saved by the performances...
21 March 2008