The cast was hopelessly out of character from the novel. The characters that were supposed to be sympathetic (Benjy and Caddy) weren't at all. Benjy seemed more like a mute than a severely retarded man. Caddy was overblown and narcissistic, not tragic and beautiful. And who in the world decided on Yul Brynner as Jason? His acting was completely wooden. (and I know it was an attempt to be cold and distant, but he kept the same facial expression the entire movie) Not only that, but what was the point of having him and Caroline not "really" part of the family? Their accents were off-putting, not only that, but Caroline's character in the novel was whining, pitiful, and annoying, not demanding and rude like in the movie. Quentin was supposed to be a slut, a really "bad girl", but she didn't come off like that in the movie. "Howard" was a really unneeded character. He was the combination of Uncle Maury and Quentin (the boy) from the book, but really had no purpose to the movie. And were they trying to make the movie set in 1928 like it was supposed to be? Because it sure looked a lot like 1959 in most parts. I think the best performance was given by Ethel Waters as Dilsey. Oh, and when did Reverend Shegog show up? I see him listed in the characters, but they cut out the whole scene inside the church (probably one of the most moving scenes from the novel) If you're familiar with the novel, "loosely based" is an understatement.
Review of The Sound and the Fury
