Crawford is a tough one. I don't like her all that much, but she was quite good and likable in "Grand Hotel," almost stealing the picture from Greta Garbo. But in Crawford's later films she was almost a caricature of a woman. I've seen her in films I never would have watched except that they were either directed by someone I was interested in or there was someone else in the cast I liked. A good case in point is "The Story of Esther Costello" from 1957.
By that time Crawford had lost her youth, and was the queen of Pepsi Cola. But I wanted to see "Esther Costello" because it was one of the earliest performance of Heather Sears, one of my favorite British actresses (see her in "Room at the Top," by all means - what a great film!). In "Esther Costello" Sears plays a girl who went deaf and blind in childhood during the explosion of an uncovered WWII land mine. The story that follows is similar to "The Miracle Worker," except it's much more cynical and condemns capitalist business masquerading under the guise of an altruistic agency. Sears was excellent. Crawford was bad. There is one scene in the movie at an airport where you can see a big Pepsi sign on the wall in the background. Joan, please.
Heather Sears, on the other hand, makes "Costello" worth a look. Through most of the film she doesn't speak, making her performance mostly pantomime, which only multiplies her innocent appeal. Unlike "The Miracle Worker," which is a much better film, but very different, "Costello" is more low key. The plot (BIG SPOILERS...) is rather compartmentalized - traumatized girl is saved from dire poverty, learns to communicate through sign language, becomes a recognizable icon, is used for monetary gain by others, then regains sight and speech through another trauma. Yet, it sort of flows.
The film is also unique for its time in that it addresses child sexual abuse straight on. In this regard, it is set apart from "Miracle Worker," which primarily focuses on one woman Ann Sullivan, played by Anne Bancroft, getting through to a deaf blind child. That aspect of "Costello" is dealt with quickly by comparison, with Crawford in the similar Bancroft role. The most interesting part of "Costello" occurs after Sears character has learned to communicate. All the scenes with Crawford trying to get through to her are rather clunky compared to the Bancroft scenes with Patty Duke in "Worker." Yet, Sears manages to make the early scenes watch-able with her discovery of language coming across as very genuine.
Sears is worth seeing in a number of films, including "Room at the Top," "Sons and Lovers," as Christine in Hammer's "Phantom of the Opera," and much later in life, as Biddy in the 1974 "Great Expectations." She died much too young.
By that time Crawford had lost her youth, and was the queen of Pepsi Cola. But I wanted to see "Esther Costello" because it was one of the earliest performance of Heather Sears, one of my favorite British actresses (see her in "Room at the Top," by all means - what a great film!). In "Esther Costello" Sears plays a girl who went deaf and blind in childhood during the explosion of an uncovered WWII land mine. The story that follows is similar to "The Miracle Worker," except it's much more cynical and condemns capitalist business masquerading under the guise of an altruistic agency. Sears was excellent. Crawford was bad. There is one scene in the movie at an airport where you can see a big Pepsi sign on the wall in the background. Joan, please.
Heather Sears, on the other hand, makes "Costello" worth a look. Through most of the film she doesn't speak, making her performance mostly pantomime, which only multiplies her innocent appeal. Unlike "The Miracle Worker," which is a much better film, but very different, "Costello" is more low key. The plot (BIG SPOILERS...) is rather compartmentalized - traumatized girl is saved from dire poverty, learns to communicate through sign language, becomes a recognizable icon, is used for monetary gain by others, then regains sight and speech through another trauma. Yet, it sort of flows.
The film is also unique for its time in that it addresses child sexual abuse straight on. In this regard, it is set apart from "Miracle Worker," which primarily focuses on one woman Ann Sullivan, played by Anne Bancroft, getting through to a deaf blind child. That aspect of "Costello" is dealt with quickly by comparison, with Crawford in the similar Bancroft role. The most interesting part of "Costello" occurs after Sears character has learned to communicate. All the scenes with Crawford trying to get through to her are rather clunky compared to the Bancroft scenes with Patty Duke in "Worker." Yet, Sears manages to make the early scenes watch-able with her discovery of language coming across as very genuine.
Sears is worth seeing in a number of films, including "Room at the Top," "Sons and Lovers," as Christine in Hammer's "Phantom of the Opera," and much later in life, as Biddy in the 1974 "Great Expectations." She died much too young.