Sweet Bird of Youth (film)

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Sweet Bird of Youth
175px
original movie poster
Directed by Richard Brooks
Produced by Pandro S. Berman
Written by Richard Brooks
Starring
Music by Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography Milton R. Krasner
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
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  • March 21, 1962 (1962-03-21)
Running time
 120 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Sweet Bird of Youth is a 1962 film starring Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Shirley Knight, Madeleine Sherwood, Ed Begley, Rip Torn and Mildred Dunnock. Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, it focuses on the relationship between a drifter and a faded movie star. The film was adapted and directed by Richard Brooks.[1][2][3]

It won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Begley), and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Geraldine Page) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Shirley Knight).

Plot

Handsome, young Chance Wayne returns to his hometown of St. Cloud, Florida, accompanied by a considerably older movie star, Alexandra Del Lago. She is needy and depressed, particularly about a film she has just finished making, and speaks of retiring from the acting world forever.

Chance had gone to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune at the behest of St. Cloud's most powerful and influential citizen, "Boss" Finley, either too naive or unwilling to appreciate that Finley merely wants Chance, a waiter from the country club, to keep away from his beautiful daughter, Heavenly.

A political kingpin, Finley enjoys putting Heavenly on display as a model of purity and chastity. His ruthless son, Tom Jr., aids his father's ambitions in any way he can. He, too, is unhappy to have Chance Wayne back in town.

Desperate to have Alexandra further his fantasy of becoming a star, Chance has become her lover. He goes so far as to blackmail her with a tape recording, on which she speaks openly of a dependence on drugs. Alexandra defies him, becoming irate at the realization that Chance's romantic interests in Heavenly are more important to him than her own needs.

Just when Alexandra is at her most vulnerable, a call from Hollywood comes to notify her that the new movie she's just made appears to be a certain success, reviving her career. Meanwhile, Finley's discarded mistress, Miss Lucy, exposes Finley's underhanded tactics to the government authorities. Chance, with nowhere else to turn, persuades Heavenly to leave town with him, but not before Tom Finley Jr. and other thugs give him a violent and brutal comeuppance. Quite able to face the truth about himself, Chance and Heavenly reconcile and leave town together, leaving her father to face indictment.

Cast

Reception

According to MGM records, the film lost $627,000.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Variety film review; February 28, 1962, page 6.
  2. ↑ Harrison's Reports film review; March 10, 1962, page 34.
  3. ↑ OCLC 317647354
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..

External links

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