Belinda McDonald is the main character of Johnny Belinda, and Sarah Norman is … But few have done so with such poignancy and effortless ease as Jane Wyman in her Oscar-winning role as the deaf-mute Belinda in JOHNNY BELINDA (1948). Johnny Belinda Release Date: September 14, 1948 . Cut to 1967, Mia Farrow does [ABC-TV movie “Johnny Belinda”]. Play Song. Year : 1948: About the film. Jane Wyman deserved her Best Leading Actress Oscar 100% for her subtle but powerful performance in Johnny Belinda, of a deaf and dumb farmer's daughter who strives to overcome her handicap and the various hardships that befall her. Johnny Belinda (DVD) : Life is hard on MacDonald farm in stony, windswept Nova Scotia - and harder for young Belinda, a deaf mute whose affliction has been confused with mental deficiency. This film also captures the struggles of a young girl who "nobody would bother stealing" because of her disability as a deaf mute, with little to no education, and who had to face the humiliation and scrutiny of the people in her community. Johnny Belinda (Harris, 1948) and Children of a Lesser God (Anderson & Medoff, 1986) are two renowned films that feature deaf characters as the movie’s main character. Again, she’s a deaf mute. Cut to 1967, Mia Farrow does [ABC-TV movie “Johnny Belinda”]. tr About; Trailers; Actors; Gallery; Reviews; Similar Movies; Lists; Johnny Belinda . In 1948, another noteworthy silent role came along–that of Belinda in Johnny Belinda, Jean Negulesco’s masterpiece about a deaf-mute farm girl coping with the difficulties of life in an ignorant, rural community. Very pretty lady, but that’s not what deafness is about, these strange [exaggerated] looks of bewilderment. Again, she’s a deaf mute. It ran for 321 performances on Broadway from September 18, 1940 to June 21, 1941, and has been repeatedly adapted for film, radio, television, and as a musical. Johnny Belinda From Patty Duke to Dustin Hoffman, Oscar appreciates actors who take on the challenge of playing disabled characters. A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate. Oscar winners include Jane Wyman (“Johnny Belinda”) and Patty Duke (“The Miracle Worker”), and nominees include Alan Arkin (“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter”) and Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”). rape small town deaf. Again, she’s a deaf mute. In 2017, there was a movie with Julianne Moore [Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck”]. Johnny Belinda is a 1940 play by Elmer Blaney Harris, dealing with the then shocking subjects of rape, murder, bastardy, abuse of a deaf-mute, bigotry and gossip in a small community. Johnny Belinda is a film that showed rape for what it truly is - filthy, disgusting, and heartless. Pause Song. Cut to 1967, Mia Farrow does [ABC-TV movie “Johnny Belinda”].