I loved this movie when I first saw it 40 years ago. I remember being dazzled by Burt Lancaster's performance. Seeing it again, Burt Lancaster's performance is still wonderful, but I see a lot more flaws in the film as a whole.
People have weighed in on the central issue of Katherine Hepburn's performance. Some think it is a great performance and some think that she is miscast. I think both are right. She does a wonderful acting job, filled with nice moments, but she is miscast in the role. She breaks what I will name now as the "Seven Year Rule". While an actor or actress can easily always play older, they should never play a character more than seven years younger than they are. You can get away with playing a high school student until you're about 24. After that, it looks fake. By the way, this rule works for male actors too. Gary Cooper ruined "Love in the Afternoon" when at 56 he tried to play a 40 year old having an affair with a 20 year old looking Audrey Hepburn.
In this movie, Hepburn, who was 49 at the time, was playing a character who was supposed to be around 30. She could have passed for 42, but no-one could have mistaken her for a 30 year old. At 30 a woman desperate for a man to marry her is still a source of comedy, at 42, it is really a source for bathos. Still at times, she does make you look past her age and feel the depth of emotion of the character.
The camera placement and editing of the movie really does make it look like a stage play, although the sets are quite nice and realistic.
Also, the second and third acts are really slow. If redone today, at least 20 minutes and perhaps 30 would have to be cut to give it a more modern pace. For example, a scene where the deputy is invited for dinner drags on for almost 15 minutes. It could easily have been done in 5 minutes or less.
Still, we're getting some beautiful technicolor here and we're getting Burt Lancaster in one of his most exuberant and charming performances. He is having so much fun with the part that it is impossible not to enjoy the movie when he's on-screen (which is only about 40 minutes, alas.
Apparently, Elvis Presley was up for the Earl Holloman role. While Hollowman did win a Golden Globe, he now seems to be overacting. Probably Elvis would have done as well and made the movie a much bigger hit.
People have weighed in on the central issue of Katherine Hepburn's performance. Some think it is a great performance and some think that she is miscast. I think both are right. She does a wonderful acting job, filled with nice moments, but she is miscast in the role. She breaks what I will name now as the "Seven Year Rule". While an actor or actress can easily always play older, they should never play a character more than seven years younger than they are. You can get away with playing a high school student until you're about 24. After that, it looks fake. By the way, this rule works for male actors too. Gary Cooper ruined "Love in the Afternoon" when at 56 he tried to play a 40 year old having an affair with a 20 year old looking Audrey Hepburn.
In this movie, Hepburn, who was 49 at the time, was playing a character who was supposed to be around 30. She could have passed for 42, but no-one could have mistaken her for a 30 year old. At 30 a woman desperate for a man to marry her is still a source of comedy, at 42, it is really a source for bathos. Still at times, she does make you look past her age and feel the depth of emotion of the character.
The camera placement and editing of the movie really does make it look like a stage play, although the sets are quite nice and realistic.
Also, the second and third acts are really slow. If redone today, at least 20 minutes and perhaps 30 would have to be cut to give it a more modern pace. For example, a scene where the deputy is invited for dinner drags on for almost 15 minutes. It could easily have been done in 5 minutes or less.
Still, we're getting some beautiful technicolor here and we're getting Burt Lancaster in one of his most exuberant and charming performances. He is having so much fun with the part that it is impossible not to enjoy the movie when he's on-screen (which is only about 40 minutes, alas.
Apparently, Elvis Presley was up for the Earl Holloman role. While Hollowman did win a Golden Globe, he now seems to be overacting. Probably Elvis would have done as well and made the movie a much bigger hit.