Director William Wyler’s keen adaptation of both Henry James’ 1880 novel Washington Square and the subsequent 1947 stage version The Heiress stars Olivia de Havilland (Gone With the Wind) as Catherine Sloper. An intensity shy young woman, she is the…
Tennessee Williams was no stranger to tackling controversial themes in his plays–madness, sexuality, and domineering Southern matriarchs were frequent targets. Suddenly, Last Summer adapted for the screen by Williams with an assist from Gore Vidal from his 1958 play, is…
Based on the 1948 novel by Irwin Shaw, Edward Dmytryk’s The Young Lions was forced to make several concessions to the censors before its release in 1958. Even so, the film was, and still is, a fairly effective story about…
Known for his so-called “message movies,” independent producer/director Stanley Kramer made a career of bringing attention to social issues that most major studios looked to avoid. Whether he was exploring racism, nuclear war, or politics, Kramer always tried to approach…
Written by the playwright Arthur Miller for his wife Marilyn Monroe—whom he would divorce before the film was released, The Misfits has perhaps become more famous for what went on behind the scenes than what happened on it. Monroe delivers…