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Actors: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Johnny Belinda |
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The new, young doctor in town (Ayres) becomes interested in a young deaf-mute woman named Johnny Belinda (Wyman). She has been raised by her father (Bickford), who has a mill, and aunt Aggie (Moorhead). Still, she is isolated from her community because of her disability. Dr. Richardson learns sign language and lip reading to teach her to communicate. The two are spending lots of time together, and she is smitten with the doctor. One dark and stormy night, when Johnny Belinda is left by herself at home, she is raped by the town thug. Soon, she learns she is pregnant. Local gossips speculate Richardson is to blame. After the child is born, the town residents take it upon themselves to deem her an unfit mother because of her disability. They unwittingly argue that the man who raped her and his wife should take custody. When he and officials attempt to take the baby, Johnny Belinda shoots her attacker and is placed on trial for murder.
The film is set in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, but is actually filmed in Mendocino, California. Jane Wyman won an Oscar for her role and her acceptance speech is reportedly still the shortest on record – “I won this award by keeping my mouth shut and I think I'll do it again.”
Another piece of salacious trivia surrounding this film: Wyman and her then husband, actor Ronald Reagan divorced soon after this film was made (1948). One of the many reasons speculated was an affair Wyman and Ayres supposedly had while shooting “Johnny Belinda.”
--ldpaulson, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Johnny Belinda |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Struggle with
- anger/anguish over rape
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Kind of sex:
- rape
Brain/Body not working?
- physical disability
Lover is...
- caretaker/doc/nurse
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn curly
Body type
- (woman) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Canadian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair style
- (man) very short/crewcut
How much in movie?
- 80%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- farm
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb Rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- concerned
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- None
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 ldpaulson
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