An odd little drama, baby-faced Carol Lynley goes against type and plays a teenager from hell. She's a wanton little flirt who treats her earnest boyfriend with casual cruelty and her guardian with open contempt. In short, despite her good looks, she's almost hateful. We figure she's met her match when she hooks up with sullen stranger Vince Edwards who's obviously been around the block more than a few times. But, has she?
Memorable for its rather raw depiction of teenage sexuality-- more daring than most movies of that time-- it appears likely that the producers had problems with the censors because of Lynley's character. (The fact that her behavior is blamed on a deprived childhood, was, I expect, a concession to those regulators.) Anyway, the anti-climax looks like a cop-out to convention, but the true climax is a real stunner, very well plotted out-- particularly the quick shot of the staircase. No doubt much of this nervy material is due to neophyte director Robert Altman, soon to become one of movieland's leading mavericks.
Too bad exotic little dramas like this passed quickly into oblivion, disposed of by the merciless demands of weekly programming. But now there's a forum for audience feed-back, and a chance to applaud those worthy efforts that never got a chance for a curtain-call. Too bad, the opportunity comes 50 years after the fact.
Memorable for its rather raw depiction of teenage sexuality-- more daring than most movies of that time-- it appears likely that the producers had problems with the censors because of Lynley's character. (The fact that her behavior is blamed on a deprived childhood, was, I expect, a concession to those regulators.) Anyway, the anti-climax looks like a cop-out to convention, but the true climax is a real stunner, very well plotted out-- particularly the quick shot of the staircase. No doubt much of this nervy material is due to neophyte director Robert Altman, soon to become one of movieland's leading mavericks.
Too bad exotic little dramas like this passed quickly into oblivion, disposed of by the merciless demands of weekly programming. But now there's a forum for audience feed-back, and a chance to applaud those worthy efforts that never got a chance for a curtain-call. Too bad, the opportunity comes 50 years after the fact.