Johnny Belinda
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Movie Reviews of Johnny Belinda
Movie Review: "Stop puttin' those grrrand idears into her head"
Summary: 5 Stars
Jane Wyman one the Best Actress Oscar - and rightly so too - for her sensitive and touching portrayal of a deaf mute who blossoms under the attentions of a compassionate young doctor on a Nova Scotian farm. Dealing with the themes of rape, teenage pregnancy, single-motherhood and small town intolerance, Johnny Belinda was probably quite sensational for the late 1940's, the period in which it was made.
The film begins as the gentle Dr. Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres) moves to a windswept coastal Nova Scotia town to escape from a spoiled relationship. One night, he is asked to deliver a calf and upon visiting the farm Black McDonald (Charles Bickford), she meets Belinda (Jane Wyman) a young deaf girl, whose unofficial name is "dummy" and is treated like some kind of serving wench.
Apparently her mother died giving birth to her and since then her Aunt Aggie (the great Agnes Moorehead), has been holding it against her. Neither her father nor her aunt ever actually believes that there's a sharp mind and deep emotional intuition behind Belinda's innocent façade. But Robert sees something quite magical in the girl and he takes the time to teach her sign language and how to read lips when no one else will.
Her progress is astonishing, and soon she's altered from a dirty and overworked rapscallion into an attractive and spirited young woman. In fact, she's so pretty that she even attracts the attentions of the town's local bad boy Locky McCormick who gets rotten drunk one night and brutishly rapes her in the McDonald's barn. Belinda internalizes the experience, keeping it a secret.
When Robert takes Belinda to see a specialist in the city, he discovers that she is pregnant Unfortunately Belinda ends up pregnant, a fact that Robert discovers when he takes her to a hearing specialist in the big city. Because Belinda won't name the man who attacked her, the townspeople - who are mostly a bunch of god-fearing, intolerant old biddies - quickly assume that Robert is the father.
Everything comes to a head when Locky realizes he is the father of the baby now named Johnny Belinda and tries to talk his fiancé Stella (Jan Stirling) into obtaining custody. What could have been an unadulterated, over-the-top weepy is actually played out in an understated and minimalist way.
Wyman avoids going for the grand gestures, playing Belinda with a mixture of quiet sensitivity and respect, and her supporting cast are equally as strong, especially the wonderful Agnes Moorehead who steadily warms to her vulnerable young niece as the story progresses.
Of course, due to the censorship restrictions of the time, the handling of the darker themes are a rather whitewashed - we never actually see Belinda when she is pregnant and her delivery of Johnny is so shrouded in mystery it merely looks like she is laying in bed with a severe case of the flu. But the issues of the rape and its consequences are shockingly audacious. Also, the actions taken by the townspeople "on behalf of" Belinda, whom they see as some kind of feral animal, are especially bleak.
Johnny Belinda definitely belongs to the stunning Ms. Wyman. She really manages to capture the sensitive heart and soul of Belinda. But the picture is also notable for its stunning exterior shots, the landscapes which run down to the sea's edge, village streets, fishing boats and weathered barns look as though they might be indigenous to Cape Breton Island and they really give you the feel that you are actually struggling to live a hand-to-mouth existence along with these people. Mike Leonard June 06.
Movie Review: A Wonderful All-Around Film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great storytelling and movie-making rolled into one and I can see why it was up for so many Academy Awards in its day (when they rewarded the best movies.)
Jane Wyman seems to get the most attention here but I was totally impressed not only with her but all the actors, the director and the photographer. All excelled in this film, I thought - a great effort all-around.
Wyman and Lew Ayers were terrific in the leads, playing endearing characters who were easy to become involved with and root for in this story. Wyman, like Dorothy McGuire in "The Spiral Staircase" (1945) and Alan Arkin in "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" (1968), plays a deaf mute effectively with haunting, expressive facial features. I hope people don't overlook Ayers' extremely warm performance as the doctor who truly cares for this woman. Ayers plays a very decent man and does it with a lot of dignity.
Charles Bickford was powerful, too, as Belinda's father and ditto for the always-entertaining Agnes Moorhead, playing Belinda's sister. I can't leave out the "villains," either: Stephen McNally, who really looks his part, and his reluctant bride Jan Sterling, an underrated classic-era actress.
Jean Negulesco's direction provided numerous interesting low and high-angle camera shots and cinematographer Ted McCord made the most of it, including some great facial closeups. To be honest, I am not familiar with either of these two names but I was very impressed with their work here. Oh.....having Max Steiner doing the music didn't hurt, either!
The film gets a little melodramatic at times but it's never overdone. The story flows nicely. No scene - pleasant or unpleasant - overstays its welcome. You get a cohesive blend of heartfelt sentiment, romance, drama and suspense.
In addition, the DVD transfer of this film is magnificent. I would like to have seen some behind-the-scenes features with the disc, but the film was so good I am not complaining.
Movie Review: The things that move us deeply...
Summary: 5 Stars
I dont have many words for this review. It wont be necessary for me to get into the plot and story line, because im sure you have a general idea by now, after reading these reviews, what "Johnny Belinda" is about. The only thing i can best express is the power of certain films such as this, through my current emotions and feelings. I shed allot of tears during this great and powerful film... the acting was superior, along with the direction and cinematography. Jane Wyman's performance as the deaf girl was quite heavy, to watch her transform from a sad soul, to a happy and caring woman, (with the help of Lew Ayers, the doctor) was uplifting. The fathers performance was top notch as well... all the cast was superb. This is an example of film making done solely for the viewer, for the love of the art form itself, and for the desire to make powerful movies which resonate within us for decades...
I am only 41, so i didnt grow up watching most of the early films like this, my memories are of "Cool Hand Luke" and "The longest yard", etc, etc.. but i do remember being engrossed by many old black and whites when they came on TV. I have stopped looking for films that move me from films that are made nowadays. I am very clear that the real treasures come from decades way before our present time. Dont get me wrong, there are some classics made presently... but even those as brilliant as they are dont have the same affect on me as the great black and whites of the 40's, 50's and 60's.
These film classics reach into my heart and soul and are often medicine for the pain and madness that surrounds the human family today, and we all need to feel that there is still hope..
Peace
Movie Review: There's a reason it's known as a classic...
Summary: 5 Stars
I had seen bits and pieces of "Johnny Belinda" over the years but just watched it all the way through last night. And I am so glad that I did.
What a marvelous, stunning movie. Jane Wyman certainly deserved the Oscar she received for her performance as the girl who was born able to hear but lost her hearing and ability to speak because of an unspecified illness when she was a very young child. The expressiveness of her face, without ever uttering a word, was a wonder throughout the movie.
Lew Ayres was low-key but just right in his performance as the caring, platonic friend of Belinda's who helped Belinda find her place in a hearing/speaking world. Charles Bickford played her father perfectly. Agnes Moorehead should have won an Oscar for her portrayal of the crusty aunt with a warm, caring heart. Jan Sterling played the beautiful secretary/new wife perfectly. And there couldn't have been better casting for the villainous rapist/murderer than Stephen McNally.
The cinematography was gorgeous with crisp outdoor scenes and authentic small village/farming/milling period scenes.
This has ended up being one of my favorite movies and I am sure I will be watching it many times in the future.
Movie Review: Remarkable performance from Wyman
Summary: 5 Stars
Jane Wyman rightly became a movie superstar with her Academy Award-winning performance in this film. Belinda is a deaf mute young woman who is thought of as "the dummy" by her family and the local townspeople in the Canadian fishing village in which she was born and raised. A young doctor (Lew Ayres) believes Belinda isn't dumb at all and thinks he can help improve her life by teaching her sign language. Belinda proves to be a good student, surprising even her own father (Charles Bickford). As the doctor continues to open up new worlds to Belinda a bond forms between them. All of Belinda's new-found joy and discovery is shattered by the dispicable act of a local fisherman and town bully (Stephen McNally). For a film from this time period, Johnny Belinda tackles some pretty tough territory. Artistically, it holds up rather well, with many of its scenes filmed on location. Apart from Wyman's tour de force performance, the cast also includes great performances from Bickford, Agnes Morehead as Belinda's aunt, and Jan Sterling as Lew Ayres's maid and the object of her unrequited love. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Johnny Belinda is a film that has stood the test of time.