After years of dumb-blonde and best-friend roles,
Jane Wyman proved her skills as a dramatic actress -- and won an Academy Award in the bargain -- in
Johnny Belinda. Adapted from a stage play by
Elmer Harris, the story takes place in Nova Scotia, where deaf-mute Belinda (
Wyman) leads a lonely existence on the hardscrabble farm of her father Black Macdonald (
Charles Bickford) and her aunt Aggie (
Agnes Moorehead). Newly arrived doctor Robert Richardson (
Lew Ayres)
takes a special interest in Belinda, vowing to ease her road in life by
teaching her sign language. Despite initial resistance from her father
and aunt, Belinda quickly learns how to communicate with others, opening
a whole, wonderful new world for her. But things take a sorry turn when
local lout Locky (
Stephan McNally) corners poor Belinda after a village dance and rapes her. If the ending seems a bit ambiguous, it is because director
Jean Negulesco
intended it that way, allowing the viewer to draw his or her own
conclusion regarding Belinda's future relationship with her mentor Dr.
Richardson. Upon accepting her Oscar,
Jane Wyman
commented on the fact that she accomplished this feat through the
simple expedient of "keeping my mouth shut." But there is nothing simple
or facile in
Wyman's
astonishing performance as Belinda, which far outclasses the actresses
who repeated the role in the two TV remakes. Also worthy of praise is
the lush musical score by
Max Steiner, one of his best post-
Casablanca efforts.
