the miracle worker a play by william gibson

As a result, the studio viewed the film as a risky prospect and granted Penn only a tight budget of $1,300,000 (of which $200,000 was spent in purchasing the rights to the play). However Arthur Penn (who had also directed the stage production) insisted on using Bancroft. ( July 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)ĭespite Anne Bancroft's award-winning performance as Anne Sullivan in the Broadway production, United Artists executives wanted Elizabeth Taylor to be cast in this role in the film adaptation. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification.

Michelle Rees as Mercy (Maranatha Baptist University play).

John Bliss as Admissions Officer (uncredited).

Dale Ellen Bethea as Martha (uncredited).

A battle of wills ensues as Anne breaks down Helen's walls of silence and darkness through persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness, starting by teaching Helen to make a connection between her hand signs and the objects in Helen's world for which they stand. In response, they send Anne Sullivan ( Anne Bancroft), a former student, to the Keller home as a tutor. Unable to deal with her, her terrified and helpless parents contact the Perkins School for the Blind for assistance.

Young Helen Keller ( Patty Duke), blind and deaf since infancy due to a severe case of scarlet fever, is frustrated by her inability to communicate and subject to frequent violent and uncontrollable outbursts. The Miracle Worker also holds a 96% score from the movie critics site Rotten Tomatoes. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Arthur Penn, and won two awards, Best Actress for Anne Bancroft and Best Supporting Actress for Patty Duke, the latter of whom, at age 16, became the youngest competitive Oscar winner at the time. The film went on to be an instant critical success and a moderate commercial success.

Gibson's secondary source material was The Story of My Life, the 1903 autobiography of Helen Keller. The screenplay by William Gibson is based on his 1959 play of the same title, which originated as a 1957 broadcast of the television anthology series Playhouse 90. The Miracle Worker is a 1962 American biographical film about Anne Sullivan, blind tutor to Helen Keller, directed by Arthur Penn.

The miracle worker a play by william gibson