It’s sad to think that for most people the name Elizabeth
Taylor draws up images of an overweight overly made up jewelry bedecked fading
actress known more for her long time involvement with Richard Burton or that she
was friends with Michael Jackson. Taylor was so much more than that. Tabloids
seem to rule though so the rest is forgotten. Ignored is the fact she began as
a child actress, that she moved on to leading lady roles in some classic films
and that she displayed a great acting prowess in movies like WHO’S AFRAID OF
VIRGINIA WOLFE actually winning for that performance and that she was nominated
5 times winning twice. It’s easy to see why she would be nominated when
watching this film.
The story opens in a New Orleans mental hospital trying to
stay afloat and seeking funding. Their star attraction is a young
psycho-surgical doctor named Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift). Using new
techniques he’s doing all he can for his patients, never rushing to use the
methods he masters but trying to find other solutions when possible.
John is sent by hospital administrator Dr. Hockstader
(Albert Dekker) to talk to wealthy Violet Venerable (Katherine Hepburn) about
her niece Catherine Holly (Taylor). Catherine was there with Violet’s son
Sebastian when he died and has since told a tale that Violet claims is mere
babbling. She claims to want to help Catherine but in truth she wants her
lobotomized in hopes of silencing her.
John doesn’t just randomly do the procedure though, instead
trying to help his patients. Meeting with Catherine he hears her story and
realizes that something is hidden in the deepest recesses of her mind that
won’t come out and help her heal. His job remains throughout the film to help
Catherine find out what it is that is causing her such mental trauma and at the
same time why this news would cause Violet to want him to perform such an
operation on the girl.
Based on the play by Tennessee Williams with a screenplay by
Gore Vidal, the story is filled with references to a most controversial topics
at the time, homosexuality. The inferences are there from the start so it
shouldn’t be a spoiler to realize that Sebastian had something to hide that his
domineering mother is unwilling to discuss or contemplate all the while knowing
the truth. Catherine is a naïve character here never realizing quite what
Sebastian is. It is her innocence and the determination of Violet to protect
her own mental illusions that makes up the drama in the film.
The movie takes its time to unravel the story it tells and
does so with skill. The performances on display show actors at the top of their
game though much has been said about the problems faced by Clift while
shooting. Having suffered an injury in a car wreck he was dependent on drugs
and alcohol and was trying to get over that dependency. It was Taylor, the top
box office star at the time, who wielded her power of popularity to force the
studio to hire Clift, one of the many displays of compassion she showed people
during her lifetime.
Both Hepburn and Taylor were nominated for their
performances but both lost. The film was a financial hit at the time but now
seems unknown to most. Offering a solid story that’s sad and hopefully it will
be rediscovered on disc.
Twilight Time has done a great job of presenting this film
in the most beautiful way imaginable. While a black and white film their
handling of the presentation here offers the most crisp and clean looking copy
I’ve ever seen, a 1080p hi def edition. Extras are limited to an isolated music
and effects track and the original trailer. As always the disc is limited to
just 3,000 copies so if interested by one today.
Click here to order.
No comments:
Post a Comment