Johnny Belinda (1948)

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 | Sign Language | Deaf | Deaf Mute | Mute

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:

Jane Wyman's Oscar acceptance speech is reportedly the shortest on record for Best Actress: "I won this award by keeping my mouth shut and I think I'll do it again." 'John Mills' bowed and said nothing after winning Best Supporting Actor for playing a mute in _Ryan's Daughter (1971)_.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Dr. Robert Richardson: There's only one shame - failing a human being that needs you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Freshman (1990)

Retribution and salvation

Jane Wyman deservedly won the Academy Award for some of the best acting ever seen on the big screen. She is almost matched by the likes of Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Jan Sterling, Lew Ayres, and even Stephen McNally, giving the best performance of his career. With a less capable cast, "Johnny Belinda" could easily have degenerated into soap opera melodrama.

Making the story of isolation and loneliness in a small fishing village on the island of Cape Breton, Canada, more meaningful is the image of a forsaken, harsh, and desolate landscape presented by cinematographer Ted McCord. The viewer is drawn into the life of fishermen and subsistence farmers who live on a day to day basis depending on the brutal weather and unpredictable sea for their livelihood. For a deaf and mute young woman, the isolation would seem unbearable.

There is so much more to the film than just a study in loneliness in a faraway nearly forgotten land. It also involves human cruelty, pettiness, and treachery, but also human kindness, forgiveness, and mercy. In the end there is retribution and salvation for those who seek it.