Mandy

When they realise that their daughter "Mandy" (Mandy Miller) isn't so responsive to sound, they take her to a physician who tells them that she is profoundly deaf, and will most likely never be able to learn to speak either. Parents "Christine" (Phyllis Calvert) and "Harry" (Terence Morgan) are determined to keep her with their family, so move into his parents large home in a still largely bombed out area of London. Her early years pose less of a problem for her caring family, but as she gets older and begins to become frustrated with her inability to react to the outside world and her playful contemporaries, they decide that perhaps some form of more formal education is required. They've heard good things of the slightly maverick "Searle" (Jack Hawkins) who is trying to use sonics to introduce the concepts of sounds to other children, and so they take her there. Never having been away from her parents though, she struggles to adapt - and that puts quite a strain on a marriage that is divided as to how best to proceed. This is one of those films that tugs at the heart strings. It's not sentimental, nor is it melodramatic - it just illustrates how an ordinary family struggles to deal with the stress of having a child who has to live her life differently amidst a society that is unaware of her disability. Sometimes that puts her at greater risk, or requires a greater patience from those around her. That very relentlessness is captured well here by both Calvert and Morgan, and there's also a sub-plot between Hawkins and his trustees (Edward Chapman) that demonstrates a clinical reluctance to challenge existing thinking and experiment with new methods. There is also a look taken at just how difficult is is for adults to maintain relationships when constantly frazzled, and at just how toxic gossiping tongues can be when nerves are frayed. Hats also have to come off to the young Miller, who delivers personably here and who elicits sympathy, yes, but also a degree of appreciation of her character's own courage as she strives to conform without having the faintest idea what it is that she is "missing". Thoughtful and at times provocative and it still has relevance seventy years later.

The modernity, imagination and psychology present in this film surprised me. For those unfamiliar with 1940s and 1950s British cinema, much of it is quite conventional and most characters follow archetypes. At the time, British cinema lagged behind French cinema.

This film also has archetypal characters to a degree, but focuses on children and disability in a unique way. It has strong women and incredible directing of actors. So much of the film hinges on displaying realisations and moral questioning, wordless reactions. It hinges on people changing and evolving. The film has a real sense of humanity and vulnerability.

It has a delicate visual flair, a use of space and lighting. Two round lights bouncing off a pair of glasses. A child running through a large, wide empty hallway filmed with a short focal length. A wisp of smoke trailing over a face through a dissolve.

Phyllis Calvert deserved more recognition for her acting and didn't have the career she deserved. Mandy Miller's subtle, vulnerable performance for a child actress is a rare feat. Jack Hawkins is stunning as ever. It pains me that Alexander Mackendrick's directing didn't flourish. Mandy and The Lady Killers showed he could have been an interesting voice in modernist, New Wave cinema in the 60s. Unfortunately, his career was in turmoil by the late 50s. At the very least, we can cherish what he made at the summit of his craft.

This story is an excellent film from one of Britain's most talented directors - Alexander Mackendrick. When a family has to deal with the reality of a deaf child, it throws their lives into turmoil as they face their own misconceptions and try to work out what is best for the child. This movie documents the changes that could have occurred to any family in similar circumstances. The parents are not perfect but do their best to work things out and this is part of the reason I liked the movie. It is honest and the parents try to do what is right, albeit a big adjustment. The deaf child is Mandy, a bright and happy little girl who the parents realize hasn't started to speak a number of months on. This leads them to take her to a doctor who diagnoses the condition as congenital deafness. According to the doctor, nothing can be done. The parents, played by Phyllis Calvert and Terence Morgan, are shocked and are afraid for her future. They immediately take her to the grandparents' home where she can be kept alone and given private tutoring. Subsequently, they meet a specialist who suggests that the girl be placed in a school where she can learn more effectively under the guidance of a proper teacher in the company of other children. There is a rift between the parents who have different views about sending her away. There are other differences they encounter along the way. The father also suspects that an affair is going on between the specialist (Jack Hawkins) and the mother, Phyllis Calvert. The acting is superb all-round and the child, played by Mandy Miller, shows the strain that she too must face from her parents' disagreements and her own problems interacting with others. The movie is heart-wrenching but also offers hope. I thought this was an excellent film that treats the subject in a thoughtful and intelligent way.

I have not seen this movie since I was a child, I am now 40 years old, but it still comes back to me. I loved this movie. I may have seen it twice as I remember it so well. I think it impressed upon me the ability children have to shine through adversity, and the need to believe that they really can make it, if given the right encouragement, in the right way, at the time that is right for them! I think it was a well acted and well thought out story line, with a heart rending performance by Mandy Miller. I would dearly love to see this movie again!

The Mandy of the title truly is the star of the film, as almost all of the adults underplay their scenes with her to help her shine brighter.

When Mandy's parents find out she is deaf, they have differing ideas on what to do next. Mother, Christine, wants to send Mandy to a special school for deaf children so she can learn to read and write - and perhaps speak - and be as much like other children as possible. But her father, Harry, is somewhat ashamed of his daughter and would rather keep Mandy hidden away at his parents' house with only a governess to teach her the finger alphabet. After seeing how she reacts with other children, Christine realises that for Mandy's sake she must get her to the school, and leaves Harry. Watching Mandy's progress in the school provides some fascinating insight into ways of teaching and, contrary to Harry's thoughts, she does progress, with help from headmaster Searle. A second storyline is developed here as people increasingly believe that Christine is having an affair with Searle, when in fact they are both only interested in the good of the child.

A real "four tissue" movie, 10/10.