....must one (wo)man have Before he (she) can hear people cry ?(Dylan)
Emily may be deaf ,but as a spoiled child from the high society ,she is mainly deaf to her less fortunate fellow men,as her father and family were (the short Christmas flashback may seem irrelevant but it makes sense in that context).Good doctor Alan Ladd -a very Borzagesque character- is her contrary:he was not born silver spoon in hand ,he made it by the sweat of his brow and afterward ,he did not let the Poor down.Emily does not realize it ,but Dr Merek Vance is first a soul doctor.He tells him so several times but she's so selfish she is only busy looking after herself.The turning point in her life is the night the physician,with her by his side,saves a child's life .You can go as far as to say that ,beyond that point,she is not "deaf" anymore.
This is a fine melodrama,with a stellar cast including one of the future stars of the genre ,Susan Hayward as Emily's sister.
Like this? try these......
"Magnificent Obsession" J.M .Stahl,1935;Douglas Sirk,1954.
"Green light" Frank Borzage ,1937
"Doctor's wives " Frank Borzage ,1931