Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

alexanderdavies-99382 "The Fugitive Kind" was another collaboration between Marlon Brando and playwright Tennesse Williams. The play is about a young drifter (Brando) who comes to this small town in Mississipi after being in trouble with the law. Upon trying to settle down after acquiring a job, he soon finds himself at the centre of a love triangle. Two local women are competing for Brando's affections and it isn't long before trouble is on the horizon......... Williams applies the sexual tension until the drama reaches fever pitch and finishing with a shattering climax. The performances from the three leads are strong and they make this film worth sticking with. Victor Jory as the sadistic alcoholic husband, gives the best performance from the supporting cast. The direction is largely uninspired and the narrative isn't quite as coherent as it should have been. The running time seemed longer somehow. There isn't much room for any humour or mirth in the play but you get used to that. "The Fugitive Kind" is a more overlooked film from Marlon Brando's career but it is fairly good.

Wuchak Released in 1960 and directed by Sidney Lumet from Tennessee Williams' screenplay, "The Fugitive Kind" is a B&W southern Gothic drama starring Marlon Brando as loner minstrel Val "Snakeskin" from New Orleans in pursuit of a new life and the people with whom to live it. He stumbles upon a Mississippi town and gets a job at a mercantile store, which is run by a lonely passed-her-prime woman, Lady (Anna Magnani). While Snakeskin works the store downstairs, Lady's terminally ill husband is bedridden upstairs (Victor Jory). Joanne Woodward plays a histrionic beatnik while Maureen Stapleton is on hand as a housewife enamored by Snakeskin. R.G. Armstrong appears as the redneck sheriff.The first time I watched this movie (in 2008) I didn't much like it, probably because I wasn't familiar with Williams' stagey, melodramatic style of writing. However, after just viewing Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" (1964) and really appreciating it, I had a taste for more and so gave "The Fugitive Kind" a second chance. I'm glad I did because, this time, I was able to discern its highlights and got a lot more out of it.Marlon was in the midst of my favorite period of his career while filming this movie. Arguably his greatest films, "The Young Lions" (1958), "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961) and "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), were all shot during this time. While "The Fugitive Kind" is easily the least of these it's worth checking out for a number of reasons, as long as you're in the mood for a talky adult melodrama. Like "The Night of the Iguana," this is a brooding rumination on the nature of existence. As such, there are numerous treasures to glean from the seemingly interminable dialogues. The movie's overlong and could've been tightened up, but the interspersed riches hidden within make it worth staying with, but you have to be a seasoned adult to appreciate it or, at least, mature for your years.Woodward's beatnik character is interesting as she's basically a hippie before hippies existed. Although her character is histrionic and somewhat annoying, some of her reflections are poignant, like in the interesting cemetery scene with Snakeskin. Emory Richardson is almost fascinating as Carol's silent black friend in a racist community. Some of their platonic imagery together is unexpected and intriguing for a film shot in 1959.Brando was 35 during filming and became the first actor to make $1 million for a single film (although Elizabeth Taylor earlier signed a $1 million contract for "Cleopatra," that movie wasn't released until 1963). Magnani was 51 and hot to sleep with the star, but Marlon didn't find her attractive which, needless to say, negatively affected the shoot. This is surprising because some of their scenes together are quite good. I incidentally had an Italian neighbor who passed away six weeks ago who was strikingly reminiscent of Magnani's character, both looks-wise and temperament-wise. So I know firsthand that people like her exist.The film runs 119 minutes and was shot in Milton, New York.GRADE: B

museumofdave When I first saw this film during it's initial release in 1959, I was magnetized by the odd chemistry between the moody, semi-articulate Marlon Brando in his snake-skin jacket and the searching intensity of Anna Magnani, playing the frustrated wife of sweaty Victor Jory, a grinning, sweating mask of Death, incapacitated upstairs. There was nothing quite like the mixture of poetic symbolism, the fevered acting styles from the cast, and the evocation of a dusty little Southern town.The critics at the time didn't know what to make of this film, probably looking for the happy predictability of the usual 1950's time-passer, and it went largely ignored, certainly by the public, and pretty much by everyone else. As time has passed, the intensity of contributions from everyone on the set is palpable, especially the wonderful lighting effects that make this oddball Tennessee Williams play (on stage it was Orpheus Descending) especially cinematic. It is a distinctive and fascinating portrait of the oddball strain in a changing nation and rich with some memorable encounters. How can you not want to go "jukin" with Joanne Woodward, looking as she does like Blanche Dubois after she escaped the asylum? I think the film only gets better with time, but would caution those who want realism or expect sweet resolutions to stay away from the film. It is vintage Tennessee Williams, with life's fragile losers the focus, the tale heavy with symbolism, the climax certainly not a cheerer-upper.

MartinHafer Marlon Brando plays a drifter that wanders into town in this Tennessee Williams film. As soon as he arrives, he receives some help but a nice but addle-brained lady (Maureen Stapleton), is repeatedly the object of a nympho's attentions (Joanne Woodward) and meets a sad and tired lady (Anna Magnani) whose husband is dying of cancer. Magnani's character is rather pitiful, as her husband (Victor Jory) is a cancerous man in personality, too. He is cruel, coarse and just plain nasty. And, after a while, Brando and Magnani begin an affair.This might just be my least favorite Tennessee Williams film. I think most of it is because the chemistry between Magnani and Brando seems forced. It also is because the film is rather talky and slow--and with less fireworks than you'd expect from a Williams script. Yes, it's tawdry, but not nearly as tawdry as films like "Baby Doll", "Sweet Bird of Youth" and "A Streetcar Named Desire". I am about to say something that I am sure will ruffle a few feathers--and it's the biggest reason why this movie doesn't work for me. Although Anna Magnani was a huge star for a few years in the US (with this film and her Oscar-winning performance in "The Rose Tattoo"), I have never understood her appeal in these films. While she supposedly exuded sex appeal, I just never saw this at all nor did I understand comments about how great her acting was, as she could barely speak English. And so, the idea of her character having an affair with the much younger Marlon Brando just made no sense to me--and the chemistry wasn't very convincing. I know this sounds harsh--but I think this makes her films age poorly. If you want to see a better Magnani movie, try finding one of her earlier Italian ones--they can be quite good.With a different cast, this would have worked a lot better. And, despite the odd casting and some overacting by Woodward, it's still a decent film. There's enough hypocrisy and sleaze to make Tennessee Williams fans happy and Brando gives one of his better performances. Plus, the ending is a corker.