I wanted to but couldn't!

Don't Believe the Hype

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Inspired by true events, this curiously titled drama focuses on the rape of a deaf-mute girl and her subsequent ostracism, thought to be incompetent as a mother by the citizens of the her small town. While the film was nominated for an incredible twelve Oscars back in its day, the film is best known nowadays for Jane Wyman's Best Actress win and she does not disappoint. Wyman conveys volumes without uttering a word and while Lew Ayres is ineffectual as a young doctor who teaches her sign language, the movie has a couple of very strong supporting female performances from Agnes Moorehead and Jan Sterling, both of whom go from just tolerating Wyman to actively sympathising with her. Ripe with melodrama, the overall story is far less engaging here than the individual performances and the film takes an inexplicable amount of time to warm up; the rape does not occur until over half an hour in with lots of awkward comic relief along the way such as Ayres talking to himself and Wyman's father learning how to sign the word 'butterfly'. That said, the film has distinct novelty value as a 1940s movie to broach the subject of rape, and while Production Code was no doubt the chief factor, the film benefits greatly from how the rape is implied but never explicitly shown. Whether it is credible how quickly Wyman bounces back from the rape is another question altogether, but with her limited education, the film handles this quite nicely. She is so innocent and so altruistic in her thinking that she can only smile when she learns that she will soon become a mother.

It is a good movie. The photography is beautiful and the performances are all quite good, though Jane is all wide-eyed and demure. Not a lot of variety there. The courtroom scene at the end is just not dramatic and that is the film's weakest part.But the thing that will always hurt this film now is that by 2012 we learned that it is not possible for a woman to become pregnant because of rape so the dramatic edge is gone. It seems like a more innocent world today. Think, back then a woman not only had to feel the humiliation and anger from rape but had the fear of being pregnant. Such an easier world we live in now that that can no longer happen.

To me the Academy Awards are much more a matter of industry politics than real artistic achievement. Here, however, that's definitely not the case. Wyman's deaf mute is one of the more moving portrayals that I've seen in some 60-years of movie watching. She manages to express more with her eyes alone than most actresses do with their entire emoting. Thanks to Wyman, it's a rare glimpse into a delicate soul, though I do hope she wasn't being paid by line of dialog.In fact, the entire cast is outstanding, though visually McNally and Sterling approach caricature in his dark looks and her blonde cheapness. Of course, the topics of rape and a wedlock baby were pretty explosive stuff for the Production Code of the time, but the writers handle the material deftly. At the same time, the murder of MacDonald (Bickford) is often overlooked in terms of the Code. After all, the murder goes unrecognized in the courtroom accounting and in that sense goes unpunished even in an expanded moral sense.Something should also be said about director Negulesco's compelling visual compositions. Happily, so many of the interior frames are arranged richly in detail, while the moody landscapes reflect a perceptive artistic eye. All in all, we get both an atmospheric fishing village and a series of eye-catching visuals both of which expertly complement the storyline.No need to echo more aspects of this much-discussed film, except to say that Hollywood managed here to overcome one of the industry's biggest pitfalls—a kind of soap opera that's truly touching without being sappy. Thank you, Warner Bros.!

Director Negulesco and his whole creative team worked together as one in a concerted effort to make this into the fine example of the Cinematic Arts of the Late 1940's Post War Era. Where it would be easy to turn this Play into corny near-Melodrama or an overly preachy and sanctimonious lecture to the public at large; it is well maintained inside rather understated parameters.Instead, in JOHNNY BELINDA (Warner Brothers-First National, 1948), we have a fine, sensitive and one of a kind film that ANYONE can enjoy regardless of age, sex, race or station in life. The choice of players in the story is most strikingly right-on in creating realistic screen portrayals; sprung from the written page.Starting with Miss Jane Wyman who, without benefit of having any dialogue, creates a multi-faceted Personality of many, mostly unseen qualities; who is forced to live in a silent world and is pigeon-holed into being thought of as a low intellect persona non grata.Making fine use of a wide array of excellent facial expressions, body language and pantomime; Miss Wyman is able to get her character's personality and plight across to the audience just as well or even better than use of the spoken word would have accomplished.IT is apparent from the scene when we first encounter the character of Belinda in the barn scene, assisting her Father (Mr. Charles Bickford) with the lantern; that a modified version of Silent Film Acting Technique was to be employed. We use the term "modified" as what we see in her speechless acting is refined, somewhat subdued and lacks that bigger than life "Operatic" grandeur that characterized so many performers of the Silent Screen Era had displayed. Emil Jannings, Greta Garbo, the Barrymores (Ethel, Lionel & John), Valentino and (especially) Lon Chaney were all leading exponents of the form; which would come to be seen as "Overacting" or "Ham", once sound was added to the Cinematic Equation.Miss Wyman's natural beauty and hauntingly unforgettable eyes are the main means of conveying a depth of personality that no one in the World seemed to recognize. No one, that is, until: Enter new town Doctor, Robert Richardson (Mr. Lew Ayers).Mr. Ayers characterization is one of that who is truly noble and serious about upholding that Hippocratic Oath, to which he has pledged his undying support. But alas, he is also a truly red-blooded young man (if you get my drift) and has all the needs and desires that makes the male what he is by nature.The good Doctor first of all, notices the plight of the poor, neglected Belinda and pities her; but takes positive action in seeking to have her Father, Mr. Black McDonald send her to Special School for Classes for the Deaf. The Classes work and it becomes obvious during the interim that Dr. Richardson is falling in Love with the handicapped young Lady. AS for Belinda, she has been smitten ever since her first meeting with the young Dr. Richardson and almost immediately shows indications of her own infatuation. But the road is never easy as neither the Town nor Belinda's Aunt Aggie (Agnes Moorehead) approve of any relationship between the Town Doctor and Miss Belinda McDonald; even they suggest that there are improprieties going on between the two. Of course, as we the viewers with the nearly omnipotent point of view know that it is not true.Another local resident, Locky McCormick (Stephen McNally) has been seen as pushy, gruff, disrespectful and totally ruthless. He has been a threatening, bullying monster in his dealings with Mr. McDonald's Grain Mill; but he suddenly takes notice when Belinda begins to fix her self up, communicates via signing and begins to enter in with and participate in community activities, such Community Dances.Locky gets Belinda off by herself, and when his dalliance is not met with enthusiasm or any acceptance even; he rapes her. She is left pregnant; through no fault of her own. Once again, the Town busy-bodies declare that it is Dr. Richardson who is the bad guy here.Meanwhile, Locky who has been wooing a young local Lass, announces their engagement. And just who is the Lucky Girl? It's Towns girl, Stella (Miss Jan Sterling, in about as fine a performance as she ever gave).The Baby is born and named Johnny (hence the title!) and again, the local gentry start the whispering campaign; this time in plotting to have the baby legally taken from the young Mother. But the pompous and arrogant Locky McCormick just can't stay away and when he blurts the truth to Mr. McDonald, the blackguard Locky kills him.When the Murderous Rapist later attempts to take the baby Johnny, Belinda shoots him dead and is put on trial for Murder, herself. After a veritable Mt. Everest of circumstantial evidence piles up against her and things seem to be the most grim, the goodness in the now Mrs. McCormick (Jan Sterling, remember?) has a change of heart and confesses in Open Court that her husband had bragged to her that the baby Johnny Belinda was his son.IN a wonderfully quaint and beautifully filmed fade-out scene, Belinda and Dr. Richardson leave together; to Live Happily Ever After! THE END! A WARNER BROTHERS-FIRST NATIONAL PICTURE.THE mounting of the Production, set in the Canadian Maritime Province of Nova Scotia was done on the California Coast of the Northern Part of the State; but not once did our mind say, "California", but rather we could feel a chilling Noreasterly blowing in or the damp and penetrating fog chilling our bones and penetrating our joints.Although a work of Fiction, the Play's Storyline does bear a striking resemblance to the real life story of Helen Keller; who of course was both blind and deaf. Perhaps the story of the deaf & blind girl served as inspiration. POODLE SCHNITZ!!