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Helen Keller in Her Story

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Helen Keller in Her Story
The Unconquered
Directed byNancy Hamilton
Written byNancy Hamilton
James L. Shute
Produced byNancy Hamilton
James L. Shute
StarringHelen Keller
Narrated byKatharine Cornell
Edited byJames L. Shute
Music byMorgan Lewis
Distributed byAlbert Margolies and Co.
Release date
  • June 15, 1954 (1954-06-15)
Running time
55 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Helen Keller in Her Story (also known as The Unconquered) is a 1954 American biographical documentary about Helen Keller.

In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Plot

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Helen Keller is a woman in her seventies who has been both deaf and blind since she was 19 months old, but that did not keep her from learning how to read, write, or talk (though she was never able to talk as clearly as she wished she was able to), or even from earning a college degree at the age of 24. The film provides an overview of her life up until the time it was made, and then shows what her daily life is like in 1954. With the assistance of her companion Polly Thompson (Anne Sullivan having died in 1936), Helen travels the world giving speeches and advocating for the disabled, responds to the large amounts of mail she receives, visits with notable figures, listens to the radio...

Production

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It starred Helen Keller and used newsreel footage of her travels and visits with Dwight Eisenhower, Martha Graham, and others, as well as newly photographed material of her at home. The film was produced and directed by Nancy Hamilton and narrated by her partner, actress Katharine Cornell, and was shot mostly in Pittsburgh. The film was released under the title Helen Keller in Her Story.[1]

Reception and legacy

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The premiere took place on 15 June 1954.[2]

The Academy Film Archive preserved Helen Keller in Her Story in 2006.[3] In 2023, the film was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5]

Accolades

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It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1955.[6][7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hamilton, Nancy (December 1957). "Helen Keller in Her Story". The American Journal of Nursing. 57 (12): 1616. doi:10.2307/3461484. ISSN 0002-936X. JSTOR 3461484.
  2. ^ "Helen Keller in Her Story (1954) – Notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  3. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  4. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (2023-12-13). "National Film Registry: 'Apollo 13', 'Home Alone', 'Terminator 2', '12 Years A Slave' Among 25 Titles Added This Year". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  5. ^ 2023 National Film Registry Announcement - Library of Congress on YouTube
  6. ^ Nash, Margo (2011). "NY Times: Helen Keller in Her Story". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  7. ^ "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners". Oscars.org (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). 19 February 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
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