The Miracle Worker

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No, no. They don't want that.

Lay it over there.

First, I'm going to

cut out this border.

H-Helen?

H-Helen!

Stop!

Helen!

Stop it, Helen.

Why she stick her

fingers in my mouth?

Because she mad at you talking all

day when she can't hear nothing.

If she can't hear, then how she

know talk coming out of my mouth?

I think she tying to talk.

Now she gone crazy,

eating herself.

You stop that.

Helen, stop it.

Helen. Helen!

Stop it. Ohh!

Help! Help!

Helen's trying to kill us!

She tying to kill us again!

Helen?

Helen.

Stop it, Helen. Stop it.

Stop it.

OK, OK, give

mother the scissors.

Helen.

Helen, give mother

the scissors.

Helen.

OK.

OK.

There, now.

OK.

That's my pretty girl, huh?

Well, Father,

I hope you got

your story ready.

What story is that?

The one you're going to tell when

the little savage kills somebody.

"Your honor,

I had no idea that poor deaf and

dumb child could be so violent."

Your sister is none

of your concern, James.

Don't you have some occasion

you need to dress for?

Why don't I ever meet any

of your young friends, James?

How can I invite people here?

But surely your friends don't think

that Helen is any reflection on you.

Helen is the real

head of this house.

She's probably just pretending

she can't speak or hear

so she don't have

to answer to anyone.

Your jealousy of that

helpless child is intolerable.

Auntie.

Oh, well, here we are.

Here's Father

and Aunt Ev.

Ha ha.

I saw James.

I hope the two of you

weren't quarreling again.

No, no.

Oh, Katie, we all love Helen,

but surely you must see what an

effect she is having on your household.

Why, James and Arthur can

barely speak a civil word,

and all your time is

given over to the girl.

You hardly ever have

time for your new baby.

James is right.

You and Arthur must do

something... and soon.

What can we do, Evelyn?

The only thing left to do is

to take Helen to an asylum,

and Kate would

never stand for it.

Well, have you tried...

We have taken her to

every hospital in 2 states.

No one holds out any hope.

what about that Dr.

Chisolm up in Baltimore?

I read an article in your

very own newspaper, Arthur.

They say he has cured

many cases of blindness that

other doctors have given up on.

Now, why not write to him?

And have Kate's

heart broken again?

I'm prepared for my heart to

break any number of times, Captain.

I'll write to him myself

if you like, Katie.

There isn't going

to be any cure,

and the sooner we

accept that fact,

the better off we'll all be.

I will never

accept it, Captain.

I can't.

I'm going to the printers.

Now look. I can't turn

my back for a moment.

Arthur, Helen knows a lot more than you

think about what goes on in this house.

Nothing is solved by running

all over the county every

time some quack doctor

gets his name in the papers.

Nothing is solved by running

to the office, either.

Hmm.

Kate, darling,

what can anyone do?

The kindest thing we could do

would be to find a sanitarium

in a beautiful spot where

she could be taken care of.

No. No, never.

Oh! She tore off my buttons.

Ohh!

It's eyes.

She wants the doll... She

wants the doll to have eyes.

I'm sorry, Evelyn.

Just tell me what it'll cost to have

the buttons replaced, and I'll...

I know she does.

Oh, don't mind about that.

What are a couple of buttons

if it makes Helen happy?

I'll sew them on if you like.

Is that what

you're trying to do?

Make Helen happy?

Nothing makes her happy.

Everything you give her

only makes her worse.

She can have these little

things that make her happy.

Oh, Helen!

The baby!

Helen...

Listen, you cannot do

things like that, OK?

Why? She can have the little

things that make her happy.

If you won't send her away,

then we must find some

way of confining her.

What, you want to lock her away in

the attic like some sort of mad woman?

She wants to talk.

Helen, come here.

It's OK.

Aah!

It's OK. Look, I know.

All right.

I'll write to Dr. Chisolm.

Dr. Chisolm could do

nothing for the girl and

referred them to Dr.

Alexander Graham Bell.

As the girl is young, and the parents

are not willing to send her to us,

I have put you up for

the role of governess.

Governess?

Or nursemaid.

We both knew you'd get rid

of me one of these days.

You've accomplished

so much here.

But when you first came to us,

you couldn't even spell your name.

Are your eyes

still so painful?

No. It's my ears, sir.

Tell me about the child.

Is she bright...

or dull?

Can she be taught?

She's given to

tantrums, they say.

So am I.

Maybe you should warn

the Kellers about me.

I've told them nothing of your history

except your qualifications for the job.

Here is the money

for your train ticket.

And here is a gift

from all of us,

with our love.

We're going to miss you.

This is my last chance

to counsel you, Annie.

You lack tact

and the talent

to bend to others.

You're hard to fool

and harder to please,

but all the same,

we are proud of you.

We're off to meet

the train again.

Well, I hope the

girl is on this one.

Oh, she will be.

Well, we'll see

you at supper, then.

Giddy up.

Your mother's not here, child.

I'm here, though.

I'm your father.

I'm your father.

I used to swing

you through the air,

and you weren't even

2 years of age yet.

I wonder if you

remember any of that...

or any of us.

Here you are.

There's a piece

of candy for you.

Mm-hmm.

You want your mama,

don't you, missy?

Captain Keller, wouldn't

like this if he saw

it, but what's one little

candy going to hurt?

Watch your step, sir.

Ma'am.

Don't worry about it, sir.

Miss Sullivan?

Yes.

I'm James Keller.

I had a brother, Jimmie.

Are you Helen's...

Half brother. Do

you have a trunk?

Yes.

Henry, Percy.

Miss Sullivan.

I'm so relieved. We were beginning

to get a little bit worried about you.

The man who sold me that ticket

ought to be tied to the tracks.

I'm Katherine Keller.

I'm Helen's mother.

You didn't bring Helen.

I was hoping you would.

Well her father wanted to spend

the afternoon with her, actually.

They so enjoy

their time together.

Kate, you should be ashamed.

Miss Sullivan, you'll find

that in the south we make up

these little stories

just to amuse each other.

I hope you won't mind.

How much can a blind and deaf

child learn, gice Sullivan?

I don't know.

Does she communicate

with you at all?

Oh, well, I always know what she

wants if that's what you mean.

No, you don't.

All anybody knows

that if you give Helen

a piece of candy, she'll

be quiet for a while.

Can you teach her to sit

still, gice Sullivan?

I'd have to teach

her language first.

Language?

If she doesn't know words, how could

she know why you want her to sit still?

Miss Sullivan, perhaps you were

misled as to Helen's condition.

She can neither see nor hear.

But if it is her

senses that are impaired

and not her mind,

she must have language.

Language is more

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