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      The Story of Esther Costello

      1957 1h 43m Drama List
      Reviews 48% Audience Score 50+ Ratings A terrible accident leaves Esther Costello (Heather Sears) blind, deaf, mute and without a mother. Living in squalor with her aunt in Ireland, Esther is rescued by a kind American, Margaret Landi (Joan Crawford). Margaret brings the girl back with her to Boston. There, Esther learns how to use sign language and blossoms into a lovely young woman. But her life darkens when Margaret's scheming husband, Carlo (Rossano Brazzi), comes back into the picture. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Efrem M Ridiculous. Over the top. Absurd at certain times, but I still entertaining to watch. Needless to say Joan Crawford's talent was so remarkable. Even at that stage of her career, she managed to save a movie with a script like that. Not many actors could do that. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/06/24 Full Review Audience Member A great campfest of a film that could have gone either way. It's saved by Joan Crawford's old pro presence and star quality. Joan was in the twilight of her career, but she could still give a good performance. One can only think about what this film would have been like in lesser hands. Rosanno Brazzi provides the right amount of shadiness as her estranged husband. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review steve d It's stars do a great job. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a fair enough story... anyone would probably say that this story is a rip-off of The Miracle Worker with Anne Bancroft, and I guess I can't really deny that... but, one thing this movie has that the other hasn't is an actress that looks just like Jim Carrey as a small framed woman who is physically enchanting to all guys who meet her... it's pretty hilarious. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Hands down, the craziest, WTF'iest Joan Crawford movie outside of "Johnny Guitar." Margaret (Joan, still trim and pretty at 53, if a little heavy in the eyebrows at this point), a wealthy socialite, visits the Irish city of her birth, and a local priest sort of tricks her into taking with her a psychosomatically deaf, dumb, and blind teen. Margaret works to teach Esther sign language, and they gain acclaim by traveling and fund raising for charity. Re-enter Margaret's shady estranged husband (Rossano Brazzi), clearly up to no good. I won't spoil it, but things get really creepy, then downright crazy. I loved it, in a "I can't believe this movie!" sort of way. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Joan embodies yet another suffering soul, and she milks the most out of a melodrama that mixes maternal love, greed, lust, and innocence until they explode into both a miracle and a tragedy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Story of Esther Costello

      The Story of Esther Costello (1957) The Story of Esther Costello (1957) The Story of Esther Costello (1957) The Story of Esther Costello (1957) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A terrible accident leaves Esther Costello (Heather Sears) blind, deaf, mute and without a mother. Living in squalor with her aunt in Ireland, Esther is rescued by a kind American, Margaret Landi (Joan Crawford). Margaret brings the girl back with her to Boston. There, Esther learns how to use sign language and blossoms into a lovely young woman. But her life darkens when Margaret's scheming husband, Carlo (Rossano Brazzi), comes back into the picture.
      Director
      David Miller
      Production Co
      Romulus Films Ltd.
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 8, 2019
      Runtime
      1h 43m
      Sound Mix
      Stereo