Johnny Belinda (1948)

Jane Wyman astonishes as a deaf-mute girl who faces prejudice, gossip, horror and love high in the remote wilds of Prince Edward Island. One of the first films to tackle rape in the post-code era, Johnny Belinda is a firebrand screed against the malignant forces of rumors, lies, and small-minded towns. Lew Ayres plays the doctor who discerns the fire burning inside Johnny’s mind, Charles Bickford and Agnes Moorehead play the ignorant relations who mistake affliction for diminishment, and director Jean Negulesco frames it all in high style.