The true story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, a gripping battle to overcome impossible obstacles and the struggle to communicate. As a young girl, Helen Keller is stricken with scarlet fever. The illness leaves her blind, mute, and deaf. Sealed off from the world, Helen cannot communicate with anyone, nor anyone with her. Often frustrated and desperate, Helen flies into uncontrollable rages and tantrums that terrify her hopeless family. The gifted teacher Annie Sullivan is summoned by the family to help the girl understand the world from which she is isolated, freeing Helen Keller from her internal prison forever. Television remake of the 1962 film which also starred Patty Duke in the role of Helen Keller.
Acting
Gilbert's feral physicality rivals the original.
Direction
Aaron crams theatrical intensity into tight TV frames.
Practical Effects
The dining room battle—chaos without score or relief.
Director
Paul Aaron
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Duke won an Oscar playing Helen at 16; at 33, she became the first to portray both Keller and Sullivan.
This 1979 version aired during the International Year of the Child, capitalizing on renewed disability rights conversations—yet critics noted it still centered the 'miracle' of able-bodied saviorism over Helen's agency.
US
