Sweet Bird of Youth
by Richard Brooks
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ed Begley, Geraldine Page, Paul Newman, Rip Torn, Shirley KnightDirector: Richard Brooks
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Milton R. Krasner
Writer: Richard Brooks
Editor: Henry Berman
Writer: Tennessee Williams
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-05-02
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Movie Reviews of Sweet Bird of Youth
Movie Review: This film is very sweet indeed...
Summary: 5 Stars
It's become common knowledge to me that playwright Tennessee Williams has never been able to have his plays accurately transferred from stage to screen. He is just too extreme for the time period in which he lived. The very idea of castration, syphilis or racism (and that's just this play) was just too much for 60's cinema. Regardless though, his films still managed to be effortless and poignant and dramatically outstanding. `Sweet Bird of Youth' is just one of many (`Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and `A Streetcar Named Desire' being his best film adaptations). Whether or not it was able to tackle everything Williams' wanted it to, the fact remains that it is a stellar production that I am sure made him proud.
The film follows Chance Wayne, a dreamer of sorts who is trying to make it big in Hollywood. He left his hometown girlfriend Heavenly behind in order to pursue a career for himself and solidify their future, but in his absence her father, Boss Finley, has promised her hand to another. When Chance returns home with washed up actress Alexandra Del Lago, Boss and his temperamental son Tom Jr. set out scheming a way to get Chance out of town, for good.
As always, secrets from their past bubble forth to expose the foundation for their hatred of one another, thus creating some very tense and equally steamy moments.
The performances are outstanding across the board, especially by the two leads. I have made it very clear that I consider Paul Newman that greatest actor of all time, and I stand by that still. He embodies Chance with his natural charm, but he adds these touching layers of vulnerability that make Chance a very understandable and sympathetic young man. He uses those around him, but his acts are far from selfish. Geraldine Page is phenomenal here, completely and utterly unforgettable. I have mentioned before how I feel Newman is the perfect co-star, and he definitely works his magic at aiding Page in delivering an outstanding performance. He just seems to naturally fit with whoever is sharing the screen with him. Page feeds off that to infuse her character with an almost reluctant charm, which is refreshing and intoxicating.
The supporting cast is all stellar, with Shirley Knight, Ed Begley, Madeleine Sherwood and Rip Torn all delivering top notch performances; especially Rip Torn, who is dastardly as the young and impetuous son of the Boss, searching and striving for approval.
`Sweet Bird of Youth' is a cautionary tale about the blessings and maledictions that come with age. Youth is a sweet bird, but bitter sweet really. Looking at both the characters of Chance and Alexandra we see the opposing sides of that argument. Chance is young and foolish and thus winds up suffering from his own immaturity, while Alexandra is older, more world-wise and yet she suffers from a society that rejects age as if it were an illness.
Startling and absorbing, `Sweet Bird of Youth' is an outstanding example of enthralling cinema; a film that grabs you and never lets you go. With fantastic performances, a strong script and a delicate hand behind the camera (Brooks works with Williams well, as he proved with 58's `Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and cemented with this gem), this is a must-see film for any and everyone.
Summary of Sweet Bird of Youth
Drifter Chance Wayne returns to his hometown after many years of trying to make it in the movies. With him is a faded film star he picked up along the way, Alexandra Del Lago. While trying to get her help to make a screen test, he also finds the time to meet his former girlfriend Heavenly, the daughter of the local politician Tom 'Boss' Finley, who more or less forced him to leave the town many years ago.Sweet Bird of Youth has the Tennessee Williams penchant for provocation and Southern depravity--although at this point, the bloom is somewhat off the hothouse flower. Paul Newman is a cad who dreams of glory; he's returned to his hometown towing a dissolute, over-the-hill Hollywood star (Geraldine Page re-creates her Broadway role), certain she'll be his meal ticket. He's ruined the only girl he really loved (day-dreamy Shirley Knight), who just happens to be the daughter of the town's boss (Ed Begley, in an Oscar?-winning role). The play's more shocking elements have been euphemized, in the custom of the era's Williams movie adaptations. Director Richard Brooks handles it with intensity, and Rip Torn (who was married to Page) has some wicked moments, but the movie is bound to its theatrical roots and its inability to mention racism, syphilis, or castration. And that's Tennessee Williams without the hot sauce. --Robert Horton
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