Jose Quintero was a stage director who didn't know how to shape a movie so this screen version of Tennessee Williams' novel seems somehow flat and static. There is no momentum; it plods along, and yet it is entertaining. The players liven it up. Vivien Leigh is the ageing American actress hiding out in Rome after the death of her husband. The character is like Blanche DuBois before she went to seed. She's an innocent abroad, open and vulnerable and Leigh knows her well. As Paolo, the gigolo who ruins her, a young, fresh-faced and startlingly handsome Warren Beatty is first-rate. This was only Beatty's second film and there is no affectation in his performance. He comes across as not fully formed as an actor. As he sucks up to Mrs. Stone it's hard to know where Beatty ends and Paolo begins. He keeps us guessing; there is an edge to his performance.
As the procuress, Lotte Lenya walks away with the film. It's a small part but Lenya knows its value. She dominates every scene she's in; she makes it look easy. She got an Oscar nomination for her performance and she should have won. The film itself is overlong and Williams did it better in "Streetcar" and "Sweet Bird of Youth", (this isn't a million miles away from "Sweet Bird"). It's middle-of-the-road but like I said, the players keep you watching.
As the procuress, Lotte Lenya walks away with the film. It's a small part but Lenya knows its value. She dominates every scene she's in; she makes it look easy. She got an Oscar nomination for her performance and she should have won. The film itself is overlong and Williams did it better in "Streetcar" and "Sweet Bird of Youth", (this isn't a million miles away from "Sweet Bird"). It's middle-of-the-road but like I said, the players keep you watching.