Belinda

This was an unusually atmospheric melodrama with four powerful performances from Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Agnes Moorehead and Charles Bickford--not to mention two supporting players, Stephen McNally and Jan Sterling who shine in their roles. McNally is the town bully who rapes Belinda, a mute girl being coached to understand sign language by resident doctor, Lew Ayres. The plot thickens when Belinda's father (Charles Bickford) finds out and the story spins toward a taut, melodramatic climax. All of it is raised to a higher level by the quality of the writing, acting and direction. Other top female performances that year (1948)included Olivia de Havilland (for 'The Snake Pit') and Barbara Stanwyck ('Sorry, Wrong Number'). That Wyman won over such competition is a testimony to her brilliant performance. A moving melodrama, absorbing and extremely well acted by the entire cast. A TV version was done more recently but, like most remakes, it paled in comparison.

The former star of the Dr. Kildare films, Lew Ayres, was put on the outside of the film industry after he filed to be a Conscientious Objecter during WWII. Most people seem to ignore the fact that even tho' he did so, he also signed up to serve in the most dangerous duty on the battlefield, as a Medic and as a Chaplin's Assistant. Lew was sent to the South Pacific, New Guinea and the Phillipines, all hot spots. That shows a lot of heroism to me.

"Johnny Belinda"(1948) starred Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Agnes Moorehead and Charles Bickford, with Jan Sterling and Steven McNally. They make a well-rounded cast for a for an excellent movie.

Jane portrays a deaf mute, Belinda, who tho' bright but has no one to teach her to communicate. Lew is Doctor Richardson, who comes to town to help the people of the Isle of Cape Breton. They are stand-offish and he is rejected. Belinda and the Doctor become friends and he begins to teach her to use sign language and give her other instructions.

While the Doc is away on a trip, Belinda is raped by one of the towns 'upstanding' folk. When the Doc returns he takes her to be examined by another doctor who fills him in that she is expecting. Of course, Doc Richardson is blamed.

Jan Sterling, who tries to seduce the Doc and Steven McNally, as the brute, add to this cast and the movie.

And you've got to see how this situation is handles.

Jane Wyman won the 1948 Oscar. Lew Ayres, finally, got the kind of part he deserved. And, the fans, received a movie worth watching.

Outstanding and forgotten masterpiece from the late-1940s that led the way in 1948 with a dozen Oscar nominations, but somehow lost most of its steam as the Academy Awards were handed out. The titled character (Jane Wyman in a well-deserved Oscar-winning part) is a beautiful young lady who sadly happens to be deaf and mute. She is treated as an outcast by those within her Nova Scotia village's landscape. Her father (Oscar-nominee Charles Bickford) and aunt (Oscar-nominee Agnes Moorehead) love her very much, but become easily frustrated when they have trouble communicating with the youth on their small farm. When kind doctor Lew Ayres (yet another Oscar-nominee) comes to town he begins to teach Wyman how to read, teach her sign language and teaches her about life and love. Naturally those within the community despise the new outsider (they have never cared for Wyman and her family either). Jan Sterling comes to hate the doctor as she is turned down by Ayers and town bully Stephen McNally commits a horrific act by raping Wyman one night in her father's barn. A pregnancy occurs and the townspeople believe that Ayers is the culprit. Now those unfriendly people in the community wish to take Wyman's new-born child for their own, believing that Wyman is not fit to be a mother. Jean Negulesco (Oscar-nominated for direction) was a film-maker that never got too cute. He let his performers dominate the action and "Johnny Belinda" is no exception here. His subtle direction just adds to everyone else in the film. "Johnny Belinda" sometimes plays more like a stage play than an actual motion picture (this is a compliment by the way) and that just adds to the emotions and realism that are displayed throughout this fine movie. 5 stars out of 5.

Every great actress has one signature role, the film for which she's forever identified because of the amazing impression she leaves on the screen. Rosalind Russell has Hildy Johnson in "His Girl Friday," Judy Garland has Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," and Jane Wyman has Belinda MacDonald in "Johnny Belinda." Without saying a word, Wyman speaks volumes as the lonely deaf mute who learns about love and tenderness from doctor Lew Ayres as well as fear from bully Stephen McNally. She shines in every scene and creates one of the most touching characterizations ever put on screen. Moments such as her discovery of music and her sign-reading of the Lord's Prayer are beautifully done with a skill exceeding those of the best silent screen stars. Her Oscar was richly deserved.

Wyman, though, is not alone in creating this great film. Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead and Jan Sterling all give complex, layered performances that make each character believable and memorable. And "Johnny Belinda" would probably not be as powerful or moving without the exceptional black-and-white photography and Max Steiner's lovely score, one of his finest, which underscores every moment. Warner Bros. deserves extra credit for taking on a delicate subject (the rape of a deaf character was hardly typical screen fare in the 1940s) and handling it in a tasteful manner.

Ultimately, the movie is a showcase for Jane Wyman who rightly became Warner Bros.' top female star upon its release. She and the film are unforgettable.

"Johnny Belinda" is a triumphant story on several levels. The first is obvious - a beautiful but edgy story for 1948 about a deaf mute (Jane Wyman), the ignorance of many around her, and the discrimination against her when she has a child out of wedlock. The child is the result of rape, but no one knows that.

The second is the incredible acting by the entire cast: Jane Wyman (who at 31 looks like a teenager), Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorhead, Steven McNally and Jan Sterling. They are each in their own way very powerful.

The third is the fantastic direction by Jean Negulesco, who really seemed to have his heart and soul into this.

The fourth is the vindication of Lew Ayres, whose career was over when he became a conscientious objector in World War II. He was MGM's Dr. Kildare but the series quickly became Dr. Gillespie. People understood conscientious objectors better in the Vietnam era; during World War II, it wasn't understood. Ayres did serve as a medic in World War II. When he came back, Warner Brothers cast him in this, and he won an Oscar.

The story of a lonely young woman living on a farm in the desolate Cape Breton and the doctor who takes an interest in her, teaching her sign language, is a beautiful one. The screenplay by Irma Von Cube and Allen Vincent is stunning. This film swept the 1948 Oscars, and with good reason. Highly recommended.