In Sydney Australia in the 19th century, little girl Annette Kellerman watches kids outside dancing. She has polio and walks with a limp, so she can't join them. Her father, who has a music conservatory, says not to envy them, but to find joy in music, and tells her to practice the piano. Later she disappears from the house. Mr. Kellerman goes to find her and is horrified when he sees her swimming. She tells him that she taught herself how to swim. She shows that she can even walk better now. Soon, she is able to move just like the other kids, and over the years wins many swimming meets. However, she and her dad see swimming as merely a hobby. She is meant to study music and ballet.
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When Annette is an adult, Mr. Kellerman has to close the conservatory because it isn't bringing in enough money. Annette travels with him to London because he's been offered a position there. On the boat they meet Jimmy Sullivan, a show promoter who's current act is a boxing kangaroo. He knows her reputation as a swimmer. He starts flirting with her, and can't understand why she wants to be in the ballet. He asks to manage her swimming career. Mr. Kellerman overhears and turns him down. Annette is going to be a ballerina.
When they arrive in London, they find the conservatory where Mr. Kellerman was going to teach has been closed. He gives private lessons, but that still isn't enough to pay the bill and feed themselves. Annete starts pawning her trophies. She also can't find a ballet school to study in. She runs into Jimmy again. He asks her to do a swimming stunt to advertise his kangaroo. If she swims ten miles, people will come out to watch and he'll pay her five pounds. She suggests that it would be better for her to swim twenty-six miles across the Thames River. They set off early in the morning. At the end of the swim, the news has spread and reporters are all wanting to talk to her. Jimmy learns that instead of being able to use her stunt to drive people to his kangaroo, they're only interested in her. Jimmy decides to switch to Annette and asks her to be in a show in the Hippodrome in New York. This time, Annette and her dad agree because they need the money. But, the owner of the Hippodrome isn't interested. Annette is an unknown in New York. Annette decides to do another swimming stunt on the beach to drum up pibliciity. But, she gets more publicity for her swimsuit. It's a one piece, instead of having a long skirt like other people then. Everyone is shocked, and she's arrested for indecent exposure. She contests the decision, and wins the case after adding long stockings to her bathing suit. The publicity allows her and Jimmy to start a carnival with her as the swimming attraction. Jimmy begins to fall in love with her and decides to propose. But they get into a fight when she wants to accept a job lecturing because it pays more money. He also confesses that he arranged the arrest for the publicity. They break up. The Hippodrome sends a message that they want her to be in an act. She decides to make up with Jimmy, but she finds that he left for Florida. She takes the offer from the Hippodrome and is a success. The owner of the Hippodrome wants to marry her, but she's still in love with Jimmy. But, when she meets up with him again, they have another fight when she tries to stop him from attempting a dangerous flying stunt. She accepts the manager's proposal, but he realises that Annette is still in love with Jimmy. Annette is set to swim in a motion picture, but when she swims in a tank of water, the tank breaks and she's seriously injured in the accident. Jimmy goes to her bedside, because he is also still in love with her. Just as when she was a child, no one knows if she'll walk again.
The review of this Movie prepared by Angela Tircuit
