Winner of two Academy Awards, The Quiet One is the pointed and powerful documentary-style account of the rehabilitation of a mentally disturbed African American child. It is also a provocative glimpse at the Wiltwyck School for Boys in the forties, a walk through vintage American education. The poor child is completely misunderstood and neglected. Against all despair, he finds hope. Simple, yet deeply touching, The Quiet One is an extremely important film. Interestingly, the issue of race is not touched upon, though in the forties it was certainly of note that the film is about a black youth.
