‘Sweet Bird of Youth’ contains all of the usual Tennesse Williams’ trademarks: the steamy sexuality, the grand, over-the-top characters, the emotional, heightened dialogue - yet this time around, there seems to be something missing from the adaptation…
Like 1958’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the adaptation was handled by Richard Brooks who also wrote the screenplay, and also like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; the translation from stage to screen was severely whitewashed. To get the approval of the Production Code, Brooks’ had to make changes to the play that dramatically undermines it’s effectiveness – necessary changes? Maybe, but those familiar with the play will walk away displeased and even though a purification was required for most of Williams adaptations, the screenplay and the direction isn’t quite strong enough to make a lasting impression like ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ which was directed by Elia Kazan and who ironically directed the stage version of ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’. Would Kazan’s adaptation been better? Almost certainly.
Paul Newman plays Chance Wayne, a former lothario in his Gulf Coast hometown, who dreams of making it big in Hollywood. As time and luck fades, he makes the trip back to his hometown in a convertible Cadillac, the owner Alexandra Del Lago (Geraldine Page), an aging, alcoholic actress, passed out in the backseat. Convinced her last film was a flop, she becomes a liquor-addled prowler, looking for the latest young golden-boy to stave off her insecurities. She keeps Chance Wayne, her latest gigolo, by her-side by promising him a contract in Hollywood. He’s naďve enough to buy it.
Arriving in his hometown, Chance wants to see his one-time ex-girlfriend Heavenly Finley (Shirley Knight), a girl he left behind pregnant but under shady circumstances. Heaven Finley doesn’t control herself you see, but is dominated by her overbearing, clamorous politician father “Boss” Finley (Ed Begley in an Oscar-winning role) who despises Wayne for reasons both justified and not. As Wayne tries to position himself back into her life, “Boss” Finley plots an attack with his truckler son, Thomas J. Finley (Rip Torn) to keep Chance out of his daughter’s life and also to keep negative media at bay since an election is coming up and “Boss” will do anything to win.
Madeleine Sherwood also pops up as “Boss” Finley’s mistress, who he has kept at the hotel for years to service his needs. Tiring of him, she makes the mistake of writing disparaging sexual remarks about him in the bathroom, a decision that results in a tense scene between the two. Mildred Dunnock plays “Boss” Finley’s silently opposing sister.
Strong performances are definitely not the films weak point. Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn and Madeleine Sherwood all reprise their roles from the play with Ed Begley and Shirley Knight replacing Sidney Blackmer and Diana Hyland. Newman is almost always magnetic, even in the weaker films, and this performance is no exception. He is at his strongest playing off of Geraldine Page (who was nominated for best actress for this role and would later win for 1985’s The Trip To Bountiful), in which an instant chemistry and rapport is seen. It is two performances immensely helped by the nuances of repetition and fine-tuning. Geraldine Page’s climatic egomaniacal sequence on the phone with her manager is worth the price of admission alone even if it does recall the great Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd.
Ed Begley who won best supporting actor for his role walks the fine line between over-the-top country fried hamminess and focused viciousness. Honestly, the performance for me fell more on the former but it’s not out of place or distracting, I just thought maybe a bit more subtlety would have been more effective. And even though Shirley Knight was nominated for best supporting actress, I found it to be a rather nothing role, almost arbitrary save for the fact of one strong sequence between Knight and Begley ocean-side.
I’m going to be going into spoilers here so skip to the next paragraph if you have not seen the film or don’t want any secrets revealed. The changes made to the play result in a significantly different experience, in the film, Heavenly Finley was left by Wayne pregnant and forced to have an abortion by her father as opposed to the stage version in which Heavenly was left with syphilis and had to have her ovaries taken out. In the climax of the film, Chance Wayne pays for his deeds by having his nose broken, fairly pale punishment compared to the play in which Wayne is castrated. The film has a happy ending, an unrealistic ending for these characters. The stage play ends as life would.
The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and enhanced for widescreen televisions. Making its DVD debut, the film has of course never looked better. Shot in Cinemascope and Metrocolor, the colors are now perfectly balanced. It’s definitely time to retire that old VHS or Laserdisc copy. The sparse special features include a short featurette “Sweet Bird of Youth: Chasing Time” that includes archive interview footage, and narration on the development of ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’ from stage and screen. A “Vintage Geraldine Page and Rip Torn Screen Test” is shown which has Rip Torn playing the Chance Wayne role in which the lines are obviously from the stage-play as references to hysterectomy and castration are picked up on. The film’s theatrical trailer rounds out the special features.
For fans of Tennesse Williams, the cast, and with the inclusion of the film in the Tennesse Williams Film Collection box set, owning Sweet Bird of Youth will pretty much be a no-brainer for most. The film is carried on strong performances, but it doesn’t hit me at a gut level - due to Brooks’ stolid direction and the removal of some of the play’s most primal themes. Certainly better than the ridiculous 1989 TV adaptation (starring Mark Harmon in the Newman role, Rip Torn (moving up the generational ladder) in the Begley role and Elizabeth Taylor in the Geraldine Page role), the film is a slight misfire as Williams adaptations go, but still a must see for fans of the man who put an edge on family tension, sexual neurosis and implacable violence.
Sweet Bird of Youth is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information. The DVD is also available as part of the Tennessee Williams Film Collection DVD set which is also available at Amazon .
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