Johnny Belinda

Released Sep 14, 1948

1h 42m

Drama

List

91%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

89%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

In this acclaimed drama, Belinda McDonald (Jane Wyman), a young deaf-mute woman living off the coast of Canada on Cape Breton Island, becomes close to the new local doctor, Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres). When Belinda is raped by a customer at her family's farm and becomes pregnant, many suspect Dr. Richardson. Seeking to start over in a new location with Belinda, he leaves town to find a new home, but more conflicts ensue, further jeopardizing their happiness.

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Newsweek Staff

Newsweek

[Jane Wyman] converts a potentially turgid melodrama into an absorbing story of simple folk in an isolated Cape Breton Island village.

Dec 2, 2020

Full Review

Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: B+

Feb 18, 2012

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's an old-fashioned melodrama that worked as a tear-jerker.

Rated: B

Aug 29, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Wyman delivers an impressive, Oscar-winning performance relying solely on her expressions.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 25, 2018

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jean Negulseco's melodrama is a moody, well-crafted if outdated saga with a star-making performance from Jane Wyman as a deaf-mute girl, who's raped and bears an illegitimate child.

Rated: B

Feb 8, 2008

Full Review

Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Try all you want to make yourself jaded over this, but in the end poor little Belinda wins us all over in the end.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 23, 2006

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Jeff S

Jane Wyman in particular is fabulous in this insightful drama about the human condition.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/24

Full Review

Nathan A

The movie is based on a stage play and for that I did not give it a full rating but the story is compelling and capturing while the film is set into what I would consider near perfect to ideal for adapting the play.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/23

Full Review

Leaburn O

An enjoyable old classic. The film that shot Jane Wyman to fame and convinced her she was ready to leave her failing actor husband. Quite how she got an Oscar for a performance with literally zero noise made is beyond me. Whatever happened to her ex husband god only knows. The film had potential to be longer and potentially with a gripping court case. Instead it was wrapped up far too rapidly and ended disappointingly after a good first hour and a half.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/05/23

Full Review

Mark A

Beautiful and moving film. Jane Wyman was brilliant.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/22

Full Review

william d

If you read the synopsis you might think the film devolves into schmaltz, despite its serious themes. I assure you it does not. This is a quality drama, although the ending is a little too contrived..

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Some history about me (as if you cared): The elementary school I attended had one of the most comprehensive special education programs in the state (at least that’s what we were told) and as a result I spent a great deal of time around young people who were disabled, deaf, and a number of other things that would once have been called “special needs” (but I think that term is now considered offensive.) Anyways, it was a formative time in my life, and therefore I have a love for them and have even considered seeking an alternate career (or at least volunteering part-time) working with these exceptional people. Needless to say, when I realized Johnny Belinda was actually going to be a film about a doctor who was reaching out to a deaf/mute girl, I was instantly connected with the story in an emotional way. Seeing the development of her character was marvelous, and Jane Wyman did an amazing job with the role. I also loved that they didn’t have Charles Bickford play the typical heartless redneck, but he proved to be a loving father who actually celebrated his daughter’s advancement. It made sense that the rest of the community might be slower to accept her as anything more than a simpleton, since all of these ideas were new at the time, and only her family were able to work with the doctor to learn some sign language. The story of Johnny Belinda is a tough one to take, because this movie doesn’t shy away from some darker moments. While we don’t have to see the awful details, we get close enough to let our imaginations fill in the gaps. I had quite the emotional journey as I went from delighted with some of the story to appalled by other parts. I also had a tough time trying to unravel the doctor as a character. Lew Ayres plays him well, and I certainly liked him, but his role in the film was an enigma. The ending felt wrong for some reason, as if a studio mandated a certain ending that wasn’t congruous with the rest of the film up to that point. Aside from some minor issues like that, I was fully captivated by Johnny Belinda even when it was tough to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/20

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Jean Negulesco

Director

Jane Wyman

Belinda McDonald

Lew Ayres

Dr. Robert Richardson

Charles Bickford

Black MacDonald

Jan Sterling

Stella McCormick

Agnes Moorehead

Aggie MacDonald

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Synopsis

In this acclaimed drama, Belinda McDonald (Jane Wyman), a young deaf-mute woman living off the coast of Canada on Cape Breton Island, becomes close to the new local doctor, Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres). When Belinda is raped by a customer at her family's farm and becomes pregnant, many suspect Dr. Richardson. Seeking to start over in a new location with Belinda, he leaves town to find a new home, but more conflicts ensue, further jeopardizing their happiness.

Director: Jean Negulesco
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 14, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 42m

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