Directed by:
Sidney LumetCinematography:
Boris KaufmanComposer:
Kenyon HopkinsCast:
Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward, Anna Magnani, Maureen Stapleton, Victor Jory, R.G. Armstrong, Herb Vigran, John Baragrey, Lucille Benson, Sally GraciePlots(1)
Four Oscar-winning actors—Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Joanne Woodward, and Maureen Stapleton—sink their teeth into this enthralling film, which brings together the legendary talents of director Sidney Lumet and writer Tennessee Williams. A smoldering, snakeskin-jacketed Brando is Val Xavier, a drifter trying to go straight. He finds work and solace in a southern small-town variety store run by the married, sexually frustrated Lady Torrance (Magnani), who proves as much a temptation for Val as local wild child Carol Cutrere (Woodward). Lumet captures the intense, fearless performances and Williams’s hot-blooded storytelling and social critique with his customary restraint, resulting in a drama of uncommon sophistication and craft. (Criterion)
(more)Reviews (1)
A young Brando is not something I enjoy. I also don’t enjoy a mature Magnani, given that she was one of those Italian actresses of whom Loren was the calmest and most serene. I prefer Williams in a more modern adaptation (The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond) and Brando older (even On the Waterfront was too much).
()