Johnny Belinda (1948)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

Irma von Cube (screenplay) and
Allen Vincent (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 September 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

She was alone with terror - and torment!

Plot:

In post-war Cape Breton, a doctor's efforts to tutor a deaf/mute woman are undermined when she is raped, and the resulting pregnancy causes scandal to swirl.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Mute | Sign Language | Deaf Mute | Island

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Jane Wyman	...	Belinda McDonald
Lew Ayres	...	Dr. Robert Richardson
Charles Bickford	...	Black McDonald
Agnes Moorehead	...	Aggie McDonald
Stephen McNally	...	Locky McCormick
Jan Sterling	...	Stella McCormick
Rosalind Ivan	...	Mrs. Poggety
Dan Seymour	...	Pacquet - Storekeeper
Mabel Paige	...	Mrs. Lutz
Ida Moore	...	Mrs. McKee
Alan Napier	...	Defense Attorney

Runtime:

102 min | West Germany:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12705) | West Germany:16 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Fort Bragg, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Johnny Belinda" by Elmer Harris opened at the Belasco Theater and ran for 321 performances.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The adoption papers from the council misspell the possessive "its" as "it's."

Quotes:

Stella McCormick: He's a... something even you can't pronounce!
Locky McCormick: Probably something not fit to mention.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Freshman (1990)

The true gem of the 40s.Oh,Johnny,what a movie!

I have read some great things about this movie before I saw it and I am very glad to say-it was all true!The screenplay,based upon the stage play by Elmer Harris,is fascinating,and all the characters are absolutely believable-at times you would say that you actually know these people.Their habits and beliefs are beautifully presented,so are all the beauties and drawbacks of village life.This is a touching drama with elements of romance about a modest doctor who sees hidden potentials and talents in a deaf-mute girl Belinda McDonald and does his best to show her and her family that she could live a normal life.He treats her as a human being and an intelligent girl which she is.He also helps her father and aunt to realize how smart and sensitive Belinda actually is.Things change for the worse after she was raped by a village rascal Locky.When the doctor finds out she is pregnant,the scandal is inevitable... I won't tell you the rest,you just have to see this magnificent movie.The direction is flawless,even though Negulesco is a relatively unknown director of the 40s(there were Huston,Ford,Wilder,Capra,Lang,Mankiewicz,etc.)Still,he manages to draw viewers' attention to important things-he used the script very well.Every member of the cast is the story of his own,but I simply must point out Jane Wyman.A strikingly beautiful woman,whom I saw before only in The Lost Weekend,was really mesmerising.Her stellar performance represents the best-played challenged person ever,and one of the most deserved Oscars in Hollywood history.You can see every her feeling and thought on her pretty face-I was swept off my feet by her power of expression.The scene in which she prays in sign language over her father's deathbed is among the most poignant ever made.I was lost for words when I saw it.The great accomplishment of the great actress.Lew Ayres portrayed the doctor marvelously-he experienced the same hell as Belinda,and still,he stood by her all the way.Certainly,one of his best roles.This is the first movie in which Jane Wyman and Agnes Moorehead starred together-they continued their partnership over the years.Agnes did great and also deserved the Academy award for her role of strict,but good aunt Aggie.(Claire Trevor got the Award,because she portrayed an alcoholic-a pure cliché.)Charles Bickford was very good as the patriarch who does all he can to keep his family together.He and Jane make beautiful father-daughter chemistry on screen.Other actors gave their own contribution to make this film a true masterpiece,which it is.This is a must-see for any classic film-lover and another proof that you can learn many,many things about life from classic movies.Every man carries the substance that makes him human inside his own heart.This is a monumental movie.