I can't believe it took me this long to see this movie, it is just great. The iconic title doesn't tell you much as to what the stories going to be about, I knew a little but I think my viewing of the film was benefited from not really knowing the direction it would take. In fact for a while I though it was going one direction, and then it became much more. A sad beautiful film. Heartbreaking, even devastating. The whole cast with maybe one or two exceptions is putting in bravo performances. Dorthy McGuire gives the kind of performance I didn't suspect she was even capable of, so many levels to it. Peggy Ann Garner is perfect as Francine. Joan Blondell always fun to have around. But it is James Dunn, today little known even by me, who steals the picture. His performance as the luckless dreamer Johnny Nolan is a marvel, one of the greatest feet of acting and pathos I've ever seen. I was surprised how current and emotionally real the film seemed, even while being so firmly rooted in the sensibilities of its time. This is not what you would traditionally think of as an Elia Kazan film, but his handling of the film in a well crafted almost studio director style works wonderfully. This is really an amazing movie, I was surprised, moved and very much pleased.
Grade: A+
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment