Movies with main characters who are blind
I've always been interested in how various disabilities are portrayed in movies and tv. It's become a hobby (mild obsession?) to find and watch these movies and films. This list contains all the movies that I've found across all regions that prominently feature a character who is blind. I have made a point of adding films that you may not have heard of before.
If you're searching for something in particular, leave a comment below. I can't promise I'll get back to you quickly (I don't get notifications for posts), but I'll do my best. The more detail you can give me, the better.
Disclaimer: The notes are my own opinions. I recognize that you may have your own and they may differ. This list is more for me to keep track of my collection than anything else and part of that is recording my thoughts so I know whether I want to watch it again (or when I want to watch it, as the case may be).
If you're searching for something in particular, leave a comment below. I can't promise I'll get back to you quickly (I don't get notifications for posts), but I'll do my best. The more detail you can give me, the better.
Disclaimer: The notes are my own opinions. I recognize that you may have your own and they may differ. This list is more for me to keep track of my collection than anything else and part of that is recording my thoughts so I know whether I want to watch it again (or when I want to watch it, as the case may be).
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- DirectorMark RobsonStarsArthur KennedyPeggy DowJulie AdamsAfter he gets blinded by a German sniper's bullet in 1943, Sergeant Larry Nevins begins the long and painful road to recovery.By far one of my favorites. I've watched this one so many times, I've lost count. It's a great, if generic, romance. The blind character is the main character. This shows some of the rehabilitation techniques for the blind used in the 50s, some of which are still used today. It was written by an ophthalmologist, so it's as accurate as media can do.
- DirectorA.L. VijayStarsVikramJagapathi BabuAnushka ShettyIn London, a mysterious blind man named Kenny appears to be an assassin who uses echolocation to kill, but there is more to Kenny than meets the eye.Tamil film. The blind character is the main character. He was blinded in a terrorist attack and seeks vengeance against the people who did the attack. He uses echolocation.
- DirectorJames KeachStarsChris PineAnjali JayEddie Kaye ThomasA young blind man (Pine) thinks he's found love with an Indian woman (Jay) though their relationship is fraught with cultural differences.Chris Pine is the main character, a blind-from-birth virgin looking for love.
- DirectorVipul Amrutlal ShahStarsAmitabh BachchanAkshay KumarSushmita SenAfter a temperamental man is unceremoniously stripped of his duties as a bank manager, he decides to seek revenge by robbing the bank, for which he trains three blind men.Three characters for the price of one. The only negative of this movie is that no one believes it's possible for a person who is blind to rob a bank.
- DirectorAndrzej JakimowskiStarsEdward HoggAlexandra Maria LaraMelchior DerouetA blind teacher breaks the rules to help a female student rediscover the pleasures of life.Not all that original, but it is a compelling story. The main character uses a kind of echolocation and leads a minor rebellion in the school for the blind.
- DirectorPaul CoxStarsIsabelle HuppertRobert MenziesNorman KayeA woman who injured her eyes in car accident and a young blind man fall for each other. Is sight the only way to see the world?Not a very strong plot, but the music is good.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsTimothy BottomsEva Marie SaintArthur HillA recently blinded man becomes one of the first American users of a seeing eye dog and must fight to remove the legal barriers impeding its use.The best part of this movie is the dog, but it's an important story. Your standard made-for-TV docu-drama.
- DirectorDelmer DavesStarsJohn GarfieldEleanor ParkerDane ClarkMarine hero Al Schmid is blinded in battle and returns home to be rehabilitated. He readjusts to his civilian life with the help of his soon to be wife.This is a good story, but it's extremely hard to watch. It portrays the main character, a marine blinded in WWII, as less than human. The main character falls into a deep depression after he is wounded in action. I always have to pair this one with _Bright Victory_ to remember that this was not the way all blinded vets felt.
- DirectorPeter H. CooperStarsRichard Dean AndersonValerie BertinelliDoris RobertsThis is about a man falling in love with a woman and then immediately gets drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. In the war he becomes blind and gets discharged.A near scene-for-scene remake of _Pride of the Marines_, but for a Vietnam vet instead of WWII. It doesn't fix any of the issues I found in the original, and in fact, may have even pushed more of the helplessness.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsAl PacinoChris O'DonnellJames RebhornA prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.Definitely my favorite of Pacino's films. My problem is that this story suggests that Pacino's character's depression is a result of being blinded and feeling helpless. Still, Pacino is fabulous enough for me to forget my objections and I've watched it many times.
- DirectorMark Steven JohnsonStarsBen AffleckJennifer GarnerColin FarrellA man blinded by toxic waste which also enhanced his remaining senses fights crime as an acrobatic martial arts superhero.I debated whether to put this one on this list. Technically, Matt Murdock is blind, but his senses maybe make up for his sight? That said, I was obsessed with this movie to the point that I became a diehard Daredevil fan. Luckily, we have the TV show now, so I don't have to watch this one to see my favorite superhero.
- CreatorDrew GoddardStarsCharlie CoxVincent D'OnofrioDeborah Ann WollA blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil.This is everything a Daredevil comic fan like me craves. A true work of movie art.
- CreatorsSteven BochcoMatt OlmsteadNicholas WoottonStarsRon EldardMarisol NicholsReno WilsonNYPD Detective Jim Dunbar returns to work after being blinded in the line of duty.I really like that this show realistically portrays the capabilities and limitations of a person who is blind.
- CreatorStirling SilliphantStarsJames FranciscusMarlyn MasonPeter Mark RichmanThe cases of a blind insurance investigator.The title character, Mike Longstreet, was blinded in a bomb, but he doesn't let that stop him. The acting is a bit forced, but given it was made in the early 70s, I can't hold that against it too much. Mike doesn't let anyone walk over him because he is blind, but he doesn't overreach, so it gets a lot of bonus points for that.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsRutger HauerTerry O'QuinnBrandon CallA blind Vietnam vet, trained as a swordfighter, comes to America and helps to rescue the son of a fellow soldier.Classic B-movie, but I've seen it so many times, I think I've got it memorized. It's based on the Zatochi franchise. There are some scenes that go beyond what a standard person who is blind can do, but it's supposed to be an over-the-top samurai-type movie.
- DirectorXavier PaludStarsJacques GamblinLambert WilsonRaphaëlle AgoguéA police inspector must solve two grisly murders. The problem is that his only suspect is a blind man.The main character, the blind man, is a compelling, if not very likable.
- DirectorMichael SwitzerStarsRichard ThomasAnnabeth GishAugust SchellenbergBased on a true story and spanning fifteen years during the turmoil of the Second World War, this is an incredible, inspiring saga of two young people whose very special relationship helps them fulfill each other's dreams. Jean Treadway, a beautiful young girl in her twenties, comes from a world of wealth and privilege. Gordon Holly is a handsome but humble rancher, the pride of his small town, and honest to a fault. But they share something which makes the love that blossoms between them all the more pure and intense: both are totally blind. Against all odds, they marry and head out West to Gordon's ranch. There, side by side, they build a future which includes responsibility and independence.It doesn't compare to the book of the same name, but it's a solid made-for-TV based-on-real-life drama.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward ArnoldAnn HardingDonna ReedA blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.The best part of this movie is the dog, Friday, but the story was written by the same ophthalmologist who wrote _Bright Victory_, so the blind character isn't overdone.
- DirectorPradeep SarkarStarsNeil Nitin MukeshDeepika PadukoneViraj AdhavSet in grungy Mumbai, an edgy love story of a blindfolded street fighter and a blind dancer and their never-say-die spirit to achieve the impossible.One of the few movies I've been able to find where the character who is blind is female.
- DirectorClaude WhathamStarsJohn HargreavesJudy DavisDennis MillerTrue story about a jailed bank robber who pretends he's become blind to get an early release. Cops don't believe him, but a lonely minister's wife arrives to teach him how to live with his "condition". They fall in love. Big mistake.The most interesting part of this movie is how the main character thinks a man who is blind should act. That said, it can be a bit difficult to watch, if you're sensitive to morality issues.
- CreatorsMatt CormanChris OrdStarsPiper PeraboChristopher GorhamKari MatchettFresh out of the Farm, Annie Walker must adapt to the challenging life of a CIA operative under the guidance of her handler, Auggie. But soon she realizes her recruitment might have to do with her last boyfriend rather than her talent.Auggie Anderson is the character who is blind in the show. Christopher Gorham does a particularly good job acting. The writers don't make his character do anything too strange for blind person, but still manage to make him a strong, independent CIA agent.
- DirectorPrakash KovelamudiStarsSiddharthShruti HaasanLakshmi ManchuIn a teardrop-shaped land called Sangarashtra, a 9-year-old girl with special healing powers tries to save her homeland from the tyranny of an evil queen with the help of a blind swordsman.This story is your classic Bollywood-style (though it's not Bollywood) fantasy.
- DirectorFrederik Du ChauStarsJessalyn GilsigCary ElwesAndrea CorrAn adventurous girl, a young blind hermit, and a goofy two-headed dragon race to find the lost sword Excalibur to save King Arthur and Camelot from disaster.This was one of my favorite movies when I was little. It's also the only cartoon with a disabled character I've been able to find.
- DirectorIsabel CoixetStarsSarah PolleyTim RobbinsSverre Anker OusdalA hearing impaired factory worker gives up her first holiday in years and instead travels out to an oil rig, where she cares for a man suffering from severe burns.This movie makes me cry every time I watch it. This is one of the few movies in my collection that fit into both my deaf and my blind disability categories. Warning, triggers abound here for war survivors.
- DirectorBruce RobinsonStarsAndy GarciaUma ThurmanLance HenriksenJohn Berlin, a former Los Angeles homicide detective, investigates a multiple murder case in San Diego. The only witness is a blind girl to whom he is immediately attracted.
