This movie's reputation would lead you to believe it's a very bad movie. It's not. I was also willing to imagine it would be bad because 90 percent of Tenessee Williams output is such solidly over-the-top melodrama. This just barely escapes that fate and is entertaining, but Williams insistence on underscoring the morality here is still typical and tiresome. I had expected this scenario to be cleaned up and coded to please the censors. But the direct discussion of sex, pimps, gigolos, splitting profits, etc. is really startling and modern. Lotte Lenye, as a half-pathetic but not-to-be-underestimated pimpette preying on self-deluding older women, is amazing. She is almost assuredly a more provocative & interesting study than Karen Stone. She has no pretense of respectability except that which she performs to sustain the self-respect of her clients.
As a conflict, it remains unclear why Stone, a retired actress would think that a young stud could want her only out of love; other than that she wants it to be true. That's just not compelling or realistic enough for her to go to pieces over Beatty chasing skirts. What is interesting about the role is that there is no reason why a woman her age shouldn't feel free enough to explore her sexuality. Unless you consider 1950's conformism sufficient reason. It didn't stop Ingrid Bergman.
Beatty is funny and absurd when he's supposed to be ("Would you stop eating and concentrate on ME?") so he seems to be in on the joke (and I'm the least likely person to cut this himbo some slack), but really my quarrel is: why cast a handsome American when Italy is bursting at the seams with attractive young male actors who could have done more with the part? All Beatty could have achieved here is "Yeah he passed as Italian." Those stakes are not very interesting. And his caucasian, boy-next-door, Joe College looks just don't put me in mind of Italy in any way. His accent is sometimes passable but usually just provides titters. Let's just say that for 1961, it was an adequate effort. That notwithstanding, Leigh and Lenya still totally blow him out of the water.
Stage director Quintero really needed to abandoned his claustrophobic Italy set. It's almost believable as an exterior but when Leigh takes her final walk and passes every scene from the movie in about 5 steps... what's the point of location photography? Amazingly the soundstage lighting is occasionally believable as sunlight, which is almost never the case.
When it's not bold and interesting it's at least campy. There are a number of laugh-out loud observations, line-readings and Coral Brownes lipstick applied rather liberally is a hoot. Add this title to the ever-popular "Americans who meet with trouble in Europe" genre: Don't Look Now, Comfort of Strangers, Hostel, Zentropa.
As a conflict, it remains unclear why Stone, a retired actress would think that a young stud could want her only out of love; other than that she wants it to be true. That's just not compelling or realistic enough for her to go to pieces over Beatty chasing skirts. What is interesting about the role is that there is no reason why a woman her age shouldn't feel free enough to explore her sexuality. Unless you consider 1950's conformism sufficient reason. It didn't stop Ingrid Bergman.
Beatty is funny and absurd when he's supposed to be ("Would you stop eating and concentrate on ME?") so he seems to be in on the joke (and I'm the least likely person to cut this himbo some slack), but really my quarrel is: why cast a handsome American when Italy is bursting at the seams with attractive young male actors who could have done more with the part? All Beatty could have achieved here is "Yeah he passed as Italian." Those stakes are not very interesting. And his caucasian, boy-next-door, Joe College looks just don't put me in mind of Italy in any way. His accent is sometimes passable but usually just provides titters. Let's just say that for 1961, it was an adequate effort. That notwithstanding, Leigh and Lenya still totally blow him out of the water.
Stage director Quintero really needed to abandoned his claustrophobic Italy set. It's almost believable as an exterior but when Leigh takes her final walk and passes every scene from the movie in about 5 steps... what's the point of location photography? Amazingly the soundstage lighting is occasionally believable as sunlight, which is almost never the case.
When it's not bold and interesting it's at least campy. There are a number of laugh-out loud observations, line-readings and Coral Brownes lipstick applied rather liberally is a hoot. Add this title to the ever-popular "Americans who meet with trouble in Europe" genre: Don't Look Now, Comfort of Strangers, Hostel, Zentropa.