watching this film with lots of yelling, big houses, big hats, southern accents, dark secrets, and death, i thought for sure it was a T Williams.. but no. Lillian Helman wrote this one, along with Childrens Hour. Deano made a bunch of movies, but they hardly ever show them on TV...
It WAS quite reminicent of Tennesse Williams, even down to the freaky relationship between Julian and Carrie--CREEPY, at least on Carrie's part. I'd heard about this movie for a long time but wasn't sure I wanted to watch but I'm always a sucker for films set in New Orleans. Have you ever noticed that anytime a film takes place there, it's always in the middle of the summer and all hot & steamy. That always is handy when the story is as overwrought as this one, just as Williams plays & films are.
Dean was pretty good in this one. He never really gets credit for his acting but I find he was especially good after he split with Jerry Lewis until about the mid 60's when he just basically did his TV show. He always just seemed a little lazy for a man with tons of talent.
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I've never seen the play but it seems that the movie contained holes - perhaps to water it down for movie censors of the time? They never explained what the business deal was - how the Dean Martin character got the $150k. They didn't build the characters enough. I guess that would have made the movie too long. Overall, I was disappointed and, despite what other posters are saying, the dialogue didn't have that lilting lyrical cadence of Tennessee Williams' writing. Miss Page was wonderful. Otherwise, I wasn't impressed with this movie.
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The 150K was from his sale of 2 acres of swamp land to Mr. Warkins, who owned a large percentage of a development company that needed the land to expand a railroad line along the river.
The acting was superb in the movie. Even Gene Tierney, who has a small yet marginal role (her conversation with Henry advances the plot when she realizes that Carrie has been listening) is luminous as Lily's mother.
"...truth against the world..." - attributed to Boudicca of the Iceni
ritamilo says > The 150K was from his sale of 2 acres of swamp land to Mr. Warkins, who owned a large percentage of a development company that needed the land to expand a railroad line along the river.I'm glad to see someone was paying attention!
The acting was superb in the movie.I enjoyed the movie and agree that everyone in it was good. All the actors were believable in their roles, the story made sense, and, though sad, it was plausible.
>>but it seems that the movie contained holes - perhaps to water it down for movie censors of the time? They never explained what the business deal was - how the Dean Martin character got the $150k. <<
That was actually explained, it was kind of hard to follow though.
beavertoof says > it was kind of hard to follow though.I can see why some people would have a hard time following the story. There were many deliberate attempts to misdirect the viewer throughout the movie. We were led to believe one thing only to find out later we were on the wrong track.
But it was explained how the Dean Martin character got the money: His former mistress Charlotte passed him the information that her husband Cyrus needed to acquire two acres by the river for a planned railroad. The Dean Martin character quickly acquired the land, and sold it to Cyrus for the $150,000.
shareHellman also wrote "The Little Foxes" - which was a tour de force for Bette Davis. Elizabeth Taylor played Davis's role on Broadway. Hellman and Williams wrote about the decaying of the old Southern families who once had great wealth and control. Williams also writes of smothering relationships and ultimate disillusionment.
"...truth against the world..." - attributed to Boudicca of the Iceni
> Hellman also wrote "The Little Foxes"...
And its prequel, "Another Part of the Forest."
She also wrote Watch on the Rhine, which starred Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, The Searching Wind which starred Sylvia Sidney, and both versions of The Children's Hour. The first was filmed with Merle Oberon and Miriam Hopkins and the second with Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn. A story from her book, Pentimento, was made into the beautiful film, Julia starring Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave as well. She was a remarkable, prolific writer.
share*Absolutely* !! Being a Tennessee Williams fan since my teens, when I realized the original author was Lillian Helman, all I could think of was "How repetitive."
Unless the original Helman play was a lot less like a T.W. play and a T.W. fan wrote the movie script.
Flanagan
I see the main point, however here the characters were way more alien and incoherent than in any TW thing I have watched / read so far. I was left with no clear idea about the attitude and feelings of Lily's mother and Julian's older sister, and with a vague feeling that money is supposed to be inherently vile. Also, Julian is exhibiting many odd traits that seem unintended - such as manic and manipulative fits which are supposed to pass for enthusiasm and generosity, and a bossy attitude towards his young wife which is supposed to pass for artless manly/fatherly love (the fatherly breeze doesn't seem particularly intended either). In fact many turns of the plot feel manic and brisk, like the several bursts of going on a journey in various directions by various people. There was a general out-of-breath-ness about the story, Tennessee Williams is much smoother in building his Southern horrors.
Also, I don't remember having seen something quite as vile as Carrie in TW's stories. The woman was downright freaky, and intendedly so, which is something I did like here.
there's a highway that is curling up like smoke above her shoulder
Frances_Louise_Drake: I really liked your synopsis on this film's flaws. I just finished watching it and I wanted to see what others thought becomes sometimes it helps me to understand my feelings about a film. I agree about what you wrote: so much of it just seemed rushed and incidents and situations seemed to come up as a matter of convenience (i.e. that Carrie just happens to be listening when Albertine and Henry are discussing Julian's affair). Some of the acting was good (Hiller and surprisingly Dean), Page was a tad over the top but she's good at that type of role.
I chalk up the many flaws to late period Hellman and this was her last hit play. She wrote one of my favorite plays "The Little Foxes" and though that has many really melodramatic elements, the plot machinations feel logical. In "Toys in the Attic" it all seems forced and unbelievable. If someone had just done one or two things (like talk some sense into Lily) none of the hysterical parts would have happened. But that would not have made for an interesting play, right?
dark_frances says > I was left with no clear idea about the attitude and feelings of Lily's mother and Julian's older sister, and with a vague feeling that money is supposed to be inherently vile.I felt I got a good sense of the characters and understood what was going on with each. Lily's mother wasn't the problem, Lily was. She was very naive, insecure, and suspicious. It seemed anyone who was in her life had to devote 100% of their time and attention to her. Otherwise, she was anxious and dissatisfied.
Julian is exhibiting many odd traits that seem unintended - such as manic and manipulative fits which are supposed to pass for enthusiasm and generosity, and a bossy attitude towards his young wife which is supposed to pass for artless manly/fatherly loveJulian's mania had to do with his secret project and the fact he was able to finally do all the things he could never do before for his family. He had every reason to be nervous and excited. Warkins was a dangerous and jealous man who he knew wouldn't appreciate someone swindling him or trying to run off with his wife; as Warkins would have seen it.
many turns of the plot feel manic and brisk, like the several bursts of going on a journey in various directions by various people.Again, I thought this was Julian trying to connect all the pieces. He knew he had to get Charlotte Warkin out of town so he arranged trips for himself and Lily. The sisters were being sent to Europe because they always hoped to go there. I suspect he wanted them out of town to keep Warkins from going after them to get to him. Once he found out his wife was gone he might put the pieces together and learn that Julian was somehow involved. That's how I interpreted what was going on.
I watched the film today and thought it was also Williams.
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