The Anne Bancroft Collection

Celebrate the extraordinary film career of Anne Bancroft in this first-ever collection of some of her most iconic performances. From Annie Sullivan to Mrs. Robinson, and from Helen Hanff to Anna Bronski, this Oscar®-winning (1962: Best Actress in a Leading Role, The Miracle Worker) and profoundly versatile actress delivered some of the most poignant and sharply comic characters in modern film. The Anne Bancroft Collection pays homage to one of the greatest talents of her generation.

Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

Synopsis: Pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) encounters the beautiful Nell Forbes (Marilyn Monroe) while staying at a hotel in New York City. Jed pursues Nell, initially thinking she's a woman of means, but comes to learn that she is actually a babysitter when her child charge, Bunny Jones (Donna Corcoran), interrupts a conversation between the two. Soon Jed becomes worried about Nell's mental stability when it appears the woman is physically threatening Bunny.

The Miracle Worker (1962)

Synopsis: Blind and deaf after suffering a terrible fever as a baby, young Helen Keller (Patty Duke) has spent years unable to communicate, leaving her frustrated and occasionally violent. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents (Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine) contact a school for the blind, which sends half-blind Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) to teach Helen. Helen is initially resistant, but Annie gradually forms a bond with her and shows Helen ways of reaching others.

The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

Synopsis: Harold Pinter pens this 'portrait of a bad marriage' drama based on the novel by Penelope Mortimer. Despite her unwillingness to stop having children, Jo Armitage (Anne Bancroft), a thrice-married mother of several children by different fathers, is not exactly cut out for motherhood. Inflicting her existing brood on her third husband, screenwriter Jake (Peter Finch), does little to cement their marriage, and Jake's serial infidelities eventually lead a depressed and isolated Jo to a complete breakdown.

The Graduate (1967)

Synopsis: Shy Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with an uncertain future. Then the wife of his father's business partner, the sexy Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him, and the affair only deepens his confusion. That is, until he meets the girl of his dreams (Katherine Ross). But there's one problem: She's Mrs. Robinson's daughter!

Fatso (1980)

Synopsis: This boisterous, heartwarming comedy about a man caught between his health, his self-esteem and his appetite, highlights DeLuise's genius for blending pathos and comedy. Bancroft's deft direction brings to uproarious life the joys and struggles of our relationship with food.

All his life, Dominic DiNapoli (DeLuise) has found comfort in food. But when his sister Antoinette (Bancroft) implores him to stop eating himself into an early grave, Dominic begins bouncing from crash diets to the support group "Chubby Checkers" to all manner of binges in between. In the end, Dominic discovers that what he needs most is a steady diet of love — from his family, from a new and lovely neighborhood acquaintance … and most importantly, from himself.

To Be or Not to Be (1983)

Synopsis: Frederick Bronski (Mel Brooks) and his adulterous wife, Anna (Anne Bancroft), are a pair of hammy actors running a low-rent theater in Warsaw, Poland. When the Nazis invade, the Bronskis find their theater becoming a makeshift refuge for local Jews and a gateway to the Polish underground. Using their limited acting skills, the members of the theater troupe attempt to deceive the Nazis and lead an escape. Meanwhile, a Polish pilot (Tim Matheson) thinks he has found a spy in England.

Agnes of God (1985)

Synopsis: Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) is a court-appointed psychiatrist sent to evaluate Sister Agnes (Meg Tilly), a young nun whose infant has been found strangled. With Agnes claiming a virgin conception and having no memory of giving birth, Livingston must distinguish between the lies and the nun's perception-altering faith. Complicating her investigation, Livingston continually clashes with the overbearing Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft), who insists that Livingston leave Agnes alone.

84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

Synopsis: New York City bibliophile Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) writes to the London bookshop Marks & Co in search of some titles she has not been able to turn up locally. Store manager Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) responds politely to her chatty letter, and over the course of two decades, a deep, long-distance friendship evolves. Based on Hanff's epistolary memoir and its later two-person stage adaptation, the film version incorporates new characters, including Doel's wife, Nora (Judi Dench).