BEFORE: It's already been quite a week for playwrights, starting with 4 plays by Big Willie Shakespeare, and then last night's Neil Simon look at marriage. The trend continues, as today's film is based on a play by Tennessee Williams, though he reportedly found this film so different from his play that he asked that his name be removed from the credits. Robert Redford carries over from "Barefoot in the Park" for film #3 of a 7-film chain.
THE PLOT: A railroad official, Owen Legate, comes to Dodson, Mississippi to shut down much of the town's railway. Owen unexpectedly finds love with Dodson's flirt and main attraction, Alva Starr. Alva and Owen then try to escape Alva's mother's clutches and the town's revenge.
AFTER: This film is set during the Great Depression, which I know is an economic term and doesn't relate directly to feeling low, but it's a fairly depressing film nonetheless. Star Natalie Wood supposedly tried to commit suicide during its filming, and I can't really say as I blame her. Between Redford's character closing down the town's railroad business and putting people out of work, and her character being pimped out by her mother to the richest men staying at the boarding-house, there's not much to speak of in terms of positive roles here.
I think Wood's character was supposed to be in her late teens, but the actress was 25, and looked at least 30 to me. Not that she wasn't beautiful, but at some point she needed to play more adult roles, even if she looked young to most people. She was 27 when she filmed "Inside Daisy Clover" the year before this, where she played a 15-year-old. Really? And the actress who played her mother here was only 8 years older than her.
In addition to being depressing, this film has an unnecessary framing device that manages to spoil its own ending before the flashback even starts. Plus it has only one song that gets repeated through the whole picture, "Wish Me a Rainbow", which is not a great song, however it's miles above last night's opening song, "Barefoot in the Park". I forgot to mention yesterday how horrible that song was.
Also starring Natalie Wood (last seen in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice"), Charles Bronson (last seen in "Pat and Mike"), Kate Reid, Robert Blake (last seen in "In Cold Blood"), Mary Badham (last seen in "To Kill a Mockingbird"), Gerard Johnson, with a cameo from Dabney Coleman.
RATING: 3 out of 10 pink slips
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