peteg's blog - noise - movies - 2020 12 08 SweetBirdOfYouth

Sweet Bird of Youth

Tue, Dec 08, 2020./noise/movies | Link

A Shirley Knight jag from The Rain People. Paul Newman leads in a minor Tennessee Williams (adapted and directed by Richard Brooks). Near as I can tell this is an attempt to convert Sunset Blvd. into a Southern Gothic, but Geraldine Page is no Gloria Swanson nor Liz Taylor, and Big Daddy here is too straightforward. I'm amazed Ed Begley got an Oscar for that performance; it felt like everyone was reaching for (I coulda been a contender) Brando, right up to the sappy ending.

Bosley Crowther.