Big budget MGM attempt to duplicate the success of Gone with the Wind was ridiculously expensive but surprisingly successful at the box office – it cost $6 million and earned that at the box office. Both things make you ask “why?” For all that money the film lacks production values – there’s a 4th of July Day, a crappy ball, a crappy battle, a crappy train, an unexciting swamp, only two real stars then (Liz Taylor who was under contract and Monty Clift). It must have been all the filming on location in America, with locals fleecing the studio. It wasn’t worth it.
Indeed, I’m surprised audiences went to it – Liz is beautiful and has lots of Acting chances, going mad and dying in a swamp, as if she’s getting ready for all those Tennessee Williams roles she played afterwards, but she’s not very good. Clift is erratic – it’s a whimpy part playing this dreamer whom all these women pant over (it’s a little like Dr Zhivago complete with getting caught up in war). Nigel Patrick and Lee Marvin are lively in their roles; Rod Taylor is OK. Eva Marie Saint kind of hangs around and waits for Liz to die.
Maybe people just love Civil War romance, maybe they liked the drama – there is some good juicy stuff, a man trapped into marriage and in love with a crazy woman. Maybe they wanted to see if they could spot scenes before and after Clift’s accident.
The film encapsulates most of the problems of post-Mayer MGM: an attempt to duplicate an earlier success made by talented people who aren’t really into it.
No comments:
Post a Comment