As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in the rich tapestry of documentaries and biopics, I must say that it’s truly heartening to see the strides women have made in this field over the years. Nancy Hamilton, a name that might not ring as many bells as today’s directors, but her impact was no less significant.
A significant number of documentaries vying for this year’s Oscars were directed by women, including “Daughters”, “I Am: Celine Dion”, “Dahomey”, “Frida”, “Black Box Diaries”, “A New Kind of Wilderness”, “The Last of the Sea Women” and “Sugarcane”. However, 70 years ago, it was quite different. Nancy Hamilton directed “Helen Keller in Her Story” (also known as “The Unconquered”), making her the first woman to receive an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Prior to chronicling the life of the renowned disability rights advocate and humanitarian who was both blind and deaf, Hamilton had already gained recognition in the theater world through her acting, songwriting, and playwriting skills. However, the project titled “Helen Keller in Her Story” presented a unique challenge. It was this challenge that Keller herself requested of Hamilton, following their blossoming friendship. As both director and producer, Hamilton handled the narrative with delicacy, incorporating both historical and contemporary footage of Keller, who was 74 years old during production, to depict her extraordinary journey of becoming an author, speaker, and activist despite losing her sight and hearing at a young age.
In the documentary, it was Katharine Cornell, an actress who had initially brought Hamilton together with Keller, who provided the narrative. Meanwhile, Morgan Lewis, Hamilton’s long-term music partner, known for co-writing “How High the Moon” with her, was responsible for the film’s score composition. Interestingly, though this was the only movie Hamilton herself appeared in, her iconic jazz standard continues to be featured in numerous films and TV programs up until today.
This tale was initially published in a solo edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine for December. If you’d like to get the magazine yourself, you can do so by clicking here to subscribe.
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2024-12-08 23:24