Paul-Newman Movie Reviews

The boxing film genre is, by its very nature, always viewed through a prism of cliches. From the very first fight films of the thirties, usually with Cagney as the fighter and Bogie as the crooked fixer, Hollywood has delivered a nonstop series of boxers on film who, for the most part, have resonated with the viewing public. The better ones linger in the memory, and with SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME, director Robert Wise presents the true to life story of middleweight champion Rocky Graziano, played in the performance of a lifetime by Paul Newman. Newman has been so good so often in future films using his face and voice, that it is refreshing to remember that as Rocky Graziano, he could combine that busted face and Brooklyn accent with a physical ferocity in the ring that compares favorably with the best of Stallone's Rocky. Newman plays Graziano as the thug that he surely was. First as a street hood, then later as an army malcontent, Graziano seems on the fast track to prison and an early death. Paradoxically, it is the very bitterness of his soul that convinces his manager Everett Sloane to take a chance on this tough kid as a professional fighter. Along the way, the cliches start to pile up: Sloane's 'Meshuganah' Yiddish accent; the complaints of his future wife (Pier Angeli) that she can't stand the fight business; and the many altercations that Graziano has with the rule-bound boxing commission, which is determined to make Rocky adhere to a set of rules that from the first reel, he would fight with the same ferocity that he would later show in the ring. But by the time these cliches add, the audience no longer cares that they are cliches. Now they care very much about the motivation within Rocky's soul. When Rocky forgets to attend a scheduled fight only because of the trauma of a breakup with Pier Angeli, the audience can feel the pain of his broken heart which does not leave room for such petty details as punching some opponent's lights out. And there are the fight scenes. The climactic battle with champion Tony Zale, the 'Iron Man,' is one of the best choreographed fights ever filmed. Court Shepard, who plays Zale, is an intimidating presence, who says not a word during this long bout, yet his etched in concrete face tells Rocky all he needs to know that Zale is no joke. The blow by blow narration done over the radio by real life announcer Henry Wismer adds a grueling note of authenticity to a fight that leaves the audience gasping at the pounding Graziano and Zale give each other. Throughout the film, Newman gives just the right note of a street born Brooklyn tough guy who slowly comes to realize that the toughest bout of his life need not take place in the ring itself. Connecting to his wife and father gave Rocky more internal bruises than the Iron Man ever could.

Paul Newman does an exellent portrayal of a young and future middleweight champion. Rocky Graziano was one of the most colerful fighters of his time. Newman and Rocky worked together and spent alot of time making this movie believable.

SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME is the story of Rocky Graziano from his troubled early life through his victory over Tony Zale which gives Rocky the world middleweight boxing championship. Paul Newman excels as Graziano and Pier Angeli is superb as his girl friend and future wife Norma. It is a surprisingly good film with a strong supporting cast which includes Everett Sloane, Eileen Heckart, Sal Mineo and Harold J. Stone.

The movie won Oscars for Best B&W Cinematography and B&W Art Direction. It was also nominated for Best Editing.

Captain Newman M.D fluctuates between scenes of strong deeply etched drama and somewhat contrived and misfiring comedy ,the latter scenes strive to be heartfelt and touching but succeed only in being mawkish and sentimental .
Thus a potentially provocative and edgy drama is vitiated by the interpolation of scenes which drag proceedings down to the level of a routine feel good movie.
The title character -played by Gregory Peck -is chief of a neuro -psychiatric ward on a US military hospital site in the States in 1944.He is at odds with the brass who dislike his strongly patient centred approach as it means he is often reluctant to return patients to active duty at the rate his superiors would like.
The movie centres on a trio of cases .One involves a decorated corporal(Bobby Darin-overacting wildly)who erroneously feels a coward for having deserted a comrade in a burning plane ;another is a colonel (Eddie Albert--in a compelling performance )who has gone berserk with guilt for having sent men on missions from which they never returned ),and an upper crust officer (Robert Duvall )catatonic with guilt for haaving hidden away in a cellar in ...occupied Europe rather thaan try to escape.The cases are resolved with varying degrees of success .
In between these cases Newman dallies with an attractive nurse -the always enticing Angie Dickinson -and observes the wheeling and dealing of his scheming but good hearted orderly ,played by Tony Curtis.
Peck is admirable and his peformance is shrewdly underplayed -his acting is quiet but expressive and he is well supported by Curtis in what is essentially a secondary role as the comic relief.
Often moving ,this is in some respects an early version of MASH as a service drama with comedic undertones .
Marked own a point for not concentrating more on drama and interpolating crowd pleasing comedy elements that for me just do not jell.

This is a fantatic movie which couples great acting, writing and direction.The movie is one of the reasons that my uncle is a psycologist and the fact that it is not on DVD is a total suprise to me. Please find a way to get this on DVD where it belongs.

While its true that "To Kill a Mockingbird" overshadows "Captain Newman, M.D." in the popular consciousness of Gregory Peck's work, I believe the latter ranks among his best work. A psychologist in charge of a stateside U.S. Army Air Corps mental hospital, Captain Newman and his staff struggle to treat aviators shattered by their combat experiences in the European Theater of Operations. The supporting cast is excellent, and while there's plenty of humor in "Captain Newman", the script doesn't shy away from the wrenching impact of war upon the human psyche. Look for young Robert Duvall as a speechless veteran in a small part that, ironically, reprises the role he had in "To Kill a Mockingbird". This classic oughta be available on DVD!

This is not the kind of movie which is destined to break box-office records.

I'm going to start in a pessimistic sort of way, by saying that almost every character in the film is a caricature of some sort. There's Christopher Walken as a money-vampire who looks at a miracle and starts making plans to exploit it. There's Tom Arnold, the religious fanatical - enough said. There are Gina Gershon and Janeane Garofalo in supporting roles as an incisive talk show host and a cynical newspaper reporter, respectively. And then somehow, caught in the middle of all this is a shy, confused, tender young man with the power to heal.

Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) is not one of the booming, preaching images that many people have come to associate with saints. We don't learn how he got his powers - which makes sense, because he doesn't know either. He is not flawless; he is attracted to women and does not necessarily agree with the philosophies of the church. And rather than being a pure white winged angel with a golden touch, he bleeds profusely from the marks of the stigmata as he performs his miracles.

We meet him as a woman named Lynn (Bridget Fonda) is roped in by money-grubbing Bill Hill (Walken) to try to find out if Juvenal is for real. He sees through her straight away, remarking casually that she was going to tell him that she had a tumour in her breast. Their relationship blossoms, which angers church leader August (Tom Arnold) who would prefer Juvenal to remain pure and holy.

We could perhaps have done without some of the supporting characters. Wonderful as Gina Gershon is, especially as you watch her accent become suddenly cultured when the cameras switch on, both her and Janeane Garofalo's characters would probably not have been missed. I'm not sure whether to recommend this film or not. If you're looking for a raucous comedy or a big-action thriller, this isn't the one for you. I loved it - but rent it first, and make up your own mind.

"Touch" is a funny movie with off-beat casting, such as Christopher Walken as a Televangelist and Skeet Ulrich as the recipient of Stigmata, not to mention Tom Arnold as the head of the Ultra-Conservative Catholic "Gray Army". Music by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters makes for a great soundtrack as well. This movie provides some good laughs and is as off-beat as another film by Paul Schrader..."Get Shorty."

Don't be fooled by the subject matter - an ex-monk, who can heal the sick by touching them, but suffers stigmata each time, gets caught up in a whirl of religious fanatics, big-business evangelists and ratings-hungry media - this is a sweet and touching romantic comedy! Leave it to Paul Schrader to find a way to do some heavy soul-searching without getting heavy-handed, yet always remaining quirky as we know him from his dramas. A wonderful supporting cast (Christopher Walken, Tom Arnold, Janeane Garofalo, Lolita Davidovich and Gina Gershon) adds color and texture to the story without detracting from the quiet chemistry going on between Skeet Ulrich and Bridget Fonda. When Ulrich says without grandeur that he believes in God and miracles, you don't even think twice about it - you believe every word he says at face value. A rare performance.

This is not the kind of movie which is destined to break box-office records.

I'm going to start in a pessimistic sort of way, by saying that almost every character in the film is a caricature of some sort. There's Christopher Walken as a money-vampire who looks at a miracle and starts making plans to exploit it. There's Tom Arnold, the religious fanatical - enough said. There are Gina Gershon and Janeane Garofalo in supporting roles as an incisive talk show host and a cynical newspaper reporter, respectively. And then somehow, caught in the middle of all this is a shy, confused, tender young man with the power to heal.

Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) is not one of the booming, preaching images that many people have come to associate with saints. We don't learn how he got his powers - which makes sense, because he doesn't know either. He is not flawless; he is attracted to women and does not necessarily agree with the philosophies of the church. And rather than being a pure white winged angel with a golden touch, he bleeds profusely from the marks of the stigmata as he performs his miracles.

We meet him as a woman named Lynn (Bridget Fonda) is roped in by money-grubbing Bill Hill (Walken) to try to find out if Juvenal is for real. He sees through her straight away, remarking casually that she was going to tell him that she had a tumour in her breast. Their relationship blossoms, which angers church leader August (Tom Arnold) who would prefer Juvenal to remain pure and holy.

We could perhaps have done without some of the supporting characters. Wonderful as Gina Gershon is, especially as you watch her accent become suddenly cultured when the cameras switch on, both her and Janeane Garofalo's characters would probably not have been missed. I'm not sure whether to recommend this film or not. If you're looking for a raucous comedy or a big-action thriller, this isn't the one for you. I loved it - but rent it first, and make up your own mind.

"Touch" is a funny movie with off-beat casting, such as Christopher Walken as a Televangelist and Skeet Ulrich as the recipient of Stigmata, not to mention Tom Arnold as the head of the Ultra-Conservative Catholic "Gray Army". Music by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters makes for a great soundtrack as well. This movie provides some good laughs and is as off-beat as another film by Paul Schrader..."Get Shorty."

Don't be fooled by the subject matter - an ex-monk, who can heal the sick by touching them, but suffers stigmata each time, gets caught up in a whirl of religious fanatics, big-business evangelists and ratings-hungry media - this is a sweet and touching romantic comedy! Leave it to Paul Schrader to find a way to do some heavy soul-searching without getting heavy-handed, yet always remaining quirky as we know him from his dramas. A wonderful supporting cast (Christopher Walken, Tom Arnold, Janeane Garofalo, Lolita Davidovich and Gina Gershon) adds color and texture to the story without detracting from the quiet chemistry going on between Skeet Ulrich and Bridget Fonda. When Ulrich says without grandeur that he believes in God and miracles, you don't even think twice about it - you believe every word he says at face value. A rare performance.

So far, the Zaibach Empire has remained shadowed, led mysteriously and manifesting in the field as a military presence. Suddenly and energist triggers Escaflowne, Van, Hitomi, and Allen directly into the Zaibach center, in a confrontation with Dornkirk, who is the emperor on Gaea, and was called Isaac Newton on Earth. Dornkirk is fixated on understanding and controlling the forces of destiny - master not only the present, but the future as well. However, Hitomi helps Van harness his power over Escaflowne, and the Emperor of Zaibach discovers that she is his true enemy.

Driven by their fear, Dornkirk and Folken put together their own plan to drive a wedge between Hitomi and Escaflowne. Aiding their efforts is the complicated web of romance that is growing between all the main characters. Not only Hitomi, but Millerna as well, are conflicted about their own desires. Millerna acts impulsively and choses Dryden, triggering the series of events that foreshadow disaster. All of this feeds into Folken's plans, and the destiny engine is brought to bear.

Up to now, the romantic element in Escaflowne has provided a light backdrop to the deeply serious politic situation, but now politics, science and romance mix - and not very well. Destiny now takes its place as the major theme of the series, not only as fate, but as a weapon as well. This is the true menace of the powers of Atlantis, unleashed on a world before their time. How far can Dornkirk's engine reach? Can events on Gaea influence Earth?

One think you can never accuse this series of is oversimplification. The plot is built in layers, mixing the magical with hard science. In doing so, Escaflowne creates its own genre, with a far broader appeal than was originally anticipated. It has not received the wide acceptance in the US it received in Japan, mostly due to poor marketing. I continue to encourage viewers to consider this set as an excellent example of what commercial anime can be when the highest production standards are applied.

I don't normally write online reviews, but I felt strongly enough about this one to endorse it.

First of all, if you have not seen volumes 1-5, please do not sit down in the middle/end of the series and expect to know what is going on. As with Gundam Wing (another excellent anime), one must start at the beginning to avoid being totally lost. Plus, you will rob yourself of so much wonderful plot and animation.

This whole series has a very rich plotline, and I would even say it is a mature plotline. I watched the whole series in English and with subtitles (same time), and I think Escaflowne was originally intended for a slightly older viewer (i.e. 13+). There is mild swearing, and there are a few sexually suggestive scenes throughout, but everything is done tastefully. And, one actually cares about the characters. They become a part of you.

The animation flows beautifully, and it is done so well that sometimes I found myself forgetting that this is an anime. The dubbing was even pretty good, such that one is not distracted when the characters speak. They actually look like they're saying what they're supposed to say. The scenery is gorgeous, and if absolutely nothing else, this series is a feast for the eyes.

Finally, this particular DVD (Vol. 6) leaves the viewer in a very anxious place. .... Overall, the story alone is worthy of any novel. The animation is absolutely beautiful, and I will be so sad to see this series end. I recommend this to anyone who likes a little bit...ok, a lot of romance, unbelievable sword fighting scenes, magic, mystery, and the list could go on. It is relatively easy to follow in comparison to other animes, and you will not be any worse for watching it, I promise. The characters are not one-dimensional, and you begin caring about all of them, even the not-so-nice ones. This series shows that no one is purely evil (well, maybe Dilandou, but that's just my opinion)....

Episode 18: This episode has it's ups and downs. The first part is rather boring cause they just talk. Dorenkirk eplains to Hitomi, Van, and Allen, how he came to be in Gaia. The second part is much more interesting. Dorenkirk's people begin to tear Escaflowne appart, but they don't know that Van is somehow conected to Escaflowne. As they try to pull off the 'heart' of Escaflowne, it's as if they were trying to do the same as Van. Only Hitomi can help save him. In that scene, you can reall see the conectio between the two, even Allen sees it.

19: This episode will leave you at the edge of your seat the whole time! Folken and Dorenkirk alternate the future with a machine (forget what it's called) that affects the life of Hitomi and Allen. This will lead them to kiss and affect a dection Hitomi will make in the future. Yoko Kano's music really creates the atmosphire for this episode.

20: Hitomi does a Tarot card read for Millerna about the wedding. They tell her Drayden isn't the one for her, Allen is. Hitomi loves Allen and tries to switch cards so Millerna will have a happy marriage. Zaibouk comes, and because of what she did, she causes more trouble.
There's are some scene in here that's well worth seeing. When Eria and Naria are sword fighting. The animation is very smooth. What's really interesting is how one of them wins. After that, they show a scene of them when they were young, remember their past. This is the most beautiful part of the whole DVD. The mood is set by the music and espcially they be tan lighting affect.

Escaflowne is a wonderful anime. There's not many anime's that make you feel like your really there (as someone said before). This is the kind of anime that you really get into.

Smart cool and funny. Newman at his sixties best. One of the coolest updates of the "noir" film. For the life of me I don't understand why Warner Brothers has not released this fim on DVD. I'll be first in line...

This is the second Paul Newman movie I saw, and it's become one of my favorites. It's also one of his best performances. This is the story of Lew Harper- cool, laid-back, gum chewing, good-looking L.A. detective. He's been hired by wealthy Lauren Bacall, who wants Harper to find her missing husband. Also features Robert Wagner, Julie Harris, Robert Webber, and Shelley Winters. The supporting cast is very good, but it's Newman who grabs my attention. He steals every scene. A cool classic from 1966.

Newman is best when he shows humor with fun action. This is a fun film. When do you think a DVD will come out? There's a lot of garbage out on DVD, but this is actually worthy... especially since most of the cast is still around to give great commentary. I really love this film! Let's rally for a DVD!!!

I must say, I originally thought this series would be yet another Pokémon/Digimon clone. I was wrong. This series teaches the fundamentals friendship along with the obvious good versus evil. The best part about Monster Rancher is that is actually a 'closed' story line with a great conclusion. Not all of the episodes are available for purchase yet, but they are worth collecting.

Monster Rancher, yet another Pokemon/Digimon clone? Not hardly. Monster Rancher stands by itself and isn't a clone of anything. Genki wins a contest and gets a new game for his PlayStation in the mail. He plays the game to watch a girl and a monster run away from the Black Dino troops. She enters a shrine (although, the game calls it a "ruined temple") and unlocks a disk. Instead of unlocking a monster, Genki is pulled into the weird world and makes friends with Holly and her monster!
I haven't heard of the Monster Rancher video game until I saw the series. I watched it on TV...but soon lost track of it.

What would you get if you made an anime series that combined the epic, mythological originality of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, with some of George Lucas's works, such as Star Wars and Labyrinth, and then added a little H.P. Lovecraft, modified for younger audiences? Chances are, you would have the Monster Rancher series. So, if you happen to be a parent who has kids that are fans of anime such as Gundam, Outlaw Star, Dragonball Z, or shows like Farscape, or maybe they just like to watch Godzilla movies, then this show may be a perfect gift for them. Adults are bound to enjoy at least some of the episodes as well. Each of the characters is well developed and has a unique personality. Monster Rancher is much better than most of the other anime shows aimed at kids. Hopefully, the whole series will be released in DVD. Watch and enjoy.

The 60's and early 70's produced several great comedic westerns i.e. Cheyenne Social Club, Dirty Dingus Magee, McClintock, Great Scout, The Rounders, Evil Roy Slade, Support Your Local, etc. The list goes on and on. Those movies were all great, but pretty much one dimensional and set the tone for some collective disappointment over the content of Judge Roy Bean.

There are some great hilarious moments in this film but I never really got it until recently. It's actually a love story above all else, and a comedy, as well as John Huston's own statement about the retreating old west. If you view it in that context you'll be very impressed. If you're looking for pure comedy you may find that it drags in moments. However, this is the last time you'll get to see Paul Newman with that devilish Eddie Felson/Ben Quick light in his eyes, he was made for the part as a self-appointed and self-styled Judge/philosopher that dispenses justice to just about everyone that wanders through his town whether they deserve it or not. This film also showcases IMO the best villian of all time in Bad Bob, a murderous long haired psychotic albino come to lay ole' Beano to rest. Victoria Principal is so cute you just want to, well you'll see. Anyway, it's very funny but it is a love story. I found that rather distraction 30 years ago but I didn't get it. Well worth a watch.

This is not only my favorite western, but it is also one of my favorite films. I don't buy a lot of videos to own, but I had to have this one in my permanent library. When the DVD comes out I'll be sure to get it, too.
When I first saw this in the theaters in '72 I was attracted by the action, the humor, and the sentimentality ( I still can't keep a dry eye when I watch the final scene with the watch bear....) As I got older I realised that there is a lot more to this movie. There is a consistent theme about Law and Justice, and the distinction between them.
When we first see Roy Bean he is a petty outlaw, less than a man. He has total contempt for law and justice, which he doesn't distinguish between. Then, when he first becomes a "Judge", it is in dubious title only- to fill his own pockets. As time goes on he intuitively dispenses true Justice in the name of the Law. By the final climactic scene, when asked who he is , he replies simply, "Justice." He has gone full cycle, from a scoff-law and less than a man, to the embodyment of Justice itself, to more than a man.
You'll notice that his chief adversary is a Lawyer Gass, a man that knows everything about the Law and nothing about Justice. A "man" that steals more with legal trickery than the old outlaws ever dreamed of stealing. It was this movie that made me see that Law is the creation of men, while Justice is an ideal that emanates directly from God.
I don't know if this is the theme that John Huston had in mind, but it is what I get out of it.

This ace of a flick really catches the spirit of the old judge who made his own law west of the Pecos. They don't make small colorful eccentric little films like this much these days. Everybody in the movie is right on the money too. A beautiful Jaqueline Bisset stars as the judge's tough assertive daughter. This must have been one of her earliest roles, and she turns in a fine endearing performance. And of course there are too many great names in this movie, Ned Beatty, Roddy McDowell, Stacey Keach, Tony Perkins, and of course Paul Newman as the judge himself. Do yourself a treat and pick this one up! You'll be glad you did.

The 60's and early 70's produced several great comedic westerns i.e. Cheyenne Social Club, Dirty Dingus Magee, McClintock, Great Scout, The Rounders, Evil Roy Slade, Support Your Local, etc. The list goes on and on. Those movies were all great, but pretty much one dimensional and set the tone for some collective disappointment over the content of Judge Roy Bean.

There are some great hilarious moments in this film but I never really got it until recently. It's actually a love story above all else, and a comedy, as well as John Huston's own statement about the retreating old west. If you view it in that context you'll be very impressed. If you're looking for pure comedy you may find that it drags in moments. However, this is the last time you'll get to see Paul Newman with that devilish Eddie Felson/Ben Quick light in his eyes, he was made for the part as a self-appointed and self-styled Judge/philosopher that dispenses justice to just about everyone that wanders through his town whether they deserve it or not. This film also showcases IMO the best villian of all time in Bad Bob, a murderous long haired psychotic albino come to lay ole' Beano to rest. Victoria Principal is so cute you just want to, well you'll see. Anyway, it's very funny but it is a love story. I found that rather distraction 30 years ago but I didn't get it. Well worth a watch.

This is not only my favorite western, but it is also one of my favorite films. I don't buy a lot of videos to own, but I had to have this one in my permanent library. When the DVD comes out I'll be sure to get it, too.
When I first saw this in the theaters in '72 I was attracted by the action, the humor, and the sentimentality ( I still can't keep a dry eye when I watch the final scene with the watch bear....) As I got older I realised that there is a lot more to this movie. There is a consistent theme about Law and Justice, and the distinction between them.
When we first see Roy Bean he is a petty outlaw, less than a man. He has total contempt for law and justice, which he doesn't distinguish between. Then, when he first becomes a "Judge", it is in dubious title only- to fill his own pockets. As time goes on he intuitively dispenses true Justice in the name of the Law. By the final climactic scene, when asked who he is , he replies simply, "Justice." He has gone full cycle, from a scoff-law and less than a man, to the embodyment of Justice itself, to more than a man.
You'll notice that his chief adversary is a Lawyer Gass, a man that knows everything about the Law and nothing about Justice. A "man" that steals more with legal trickery than the old outlaws ever dreamed of stealing. It was this movie that made me see that Law is the creation of men, while Justice is an ideal that emanates directly from God.
I don't know if this is the theme that John Huston had in mind, but it is what I get out of it.

This ace of a flick really catches the spirit of the old judge who made his own law west of the Pecos. They don't make small colorful eccentric little films like this much these days. Everybody in the movie is right on the money too. A beautiful Jaqueline Bisset stars as the judge's tough assertive daughter. This must have been one of her earliest roles, and she turns in a fine endearing performance. And of course there are too many great names in this movie, Ned Beatty, Roddy McDowell, Stacey Keach, Tony Perkins, and of course Paul Newman as the judge himself. Do yourself a treat and pick this one up! You'll be glad you did.

OK, this is the one everyone mixes up with "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof." It's the Tennessee Williams movie that was really based on William Faulkner, but still FEELS like Tennessee Williams. It's the one where the Burl Ives role was played by Orson Welles. But the Paul Newman part is still played by Paul Newman--which no doubt is one reason for the confusion.

It's hard to imagine in 2001 how revolutionary the (now) demure references Joanne Woodward makes to her decidedly repressed sexuality must have seemed in 1958. And Lee Remick flouncing around in her slip and falling languidly into Tony Franciosa's eager arms must have seemed pretty racy at the time. (Of course, Lee and Tony had perfected the act in the previous year's "Face In the Crowd.") All of this seems pretty tepid nowadays. More's the pity, I guess.

As a time capsule, the movie's priceless. Dramatically, though, the pacing could have been lots better. This was only director Martin Ritt's third theatrical effort. Although he is known for getting good performances out of his actors, the script here lets him and the cast down. Dramatic scenes (Jody's attempted murder of his overbearing father; the attempted lynching of Ben Quick by the enraged townsmen) seem rushed and are ultimately more ludicrous than moving. Potentially affecting, the movie is more often frustrating.

But as potboilers of the era go, "Long Hot Summer" remains a must see. The chemistry between Woodward and Newman is evident in this, their first film together. Remick continues her Southern belle shtick begun in "Face in the Crowd" (and that she'd revisit again in another Faulkner-based epic, "Sanctuary") in a way surprisingly winsome for a gal from Quincy, Mass. Orson Welles hams it up gloriously as "Big Daddy," I mean, "Will Varner." Fans of 50s and 60s American cinema will definitely want to take this one in. Whether you want to BUY it or not depends on just how big a fan you are.

Paul Newman plays another one of his cocky, dangerous characters in this story of a drifter who moves into a small Mississippi town dominated by fatcat Orson Welles. Welles' own son, Anthony Franciosa is weak, and he likes Newman and wants to match him up with his staid daughter Joanne Woodward, but she's not interested ... or at least not at first. Newman's high wattage star charisma is on display here as the man who manages to get out of tight spots and can spot an opportunity when it is presented. Woodward is very good as the young woman who needs to let go and allow herself to live. Welles dominates every scene he is in, with his characteristic bluster and dramatics a good fit for this character. Lee Remick, as Franciosa's wife, and Angela Lansbury, as Welles longtime girlfriend, are both sadly underused. The script has got some great bits of dialogue, and the main characters are allowed to develop quite well. But the ending seems rushed, and the full dramatic potential of the town's confrontation with Newman and Welles is not allowed to play out enough. The movie does evoke a Southern atmosphere, and this chance to see Newman and Woodward in their primes shouldn't be missed.

Pay no attention to the reviewer from New York that disliked this film. It was shot and came out before Cat on a Hot Tin Roof did, so it was not trying to capitalize on Cat's much deserved success.

Newman also won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his riveting, sexy portrayal of Ben Quick in Summer, even though the American Film Academy would soon snub him the first of seven out of eight times for his role of Brick in Cat.

Ben Quick is an early Newman con man characterization, long before his well-loved role of Henry Gondorf in The Sting came along to enchant the world some 25 years later.

As for the pairing of Paul & Joanne...she was excellently cast in the role of a smart, young southern lady struggling to break free from her dominant father and stifling family history. Orson Welles is excellent as the domineering old brute of a dad. Anthony Franciosa, Lee Remick & Angela Lansbury all turn in wonderful performances as southern folk fighting the stifling heat and Welles' blustery personality at the same time.

Paul & Joanne are lovely together...knowing that they married a few months after making the film adds to it's allure. The last big scene between the two of them on the front porch is glorious chemistry to behold, not to mention her evening visit to the family store that Newman is "tending", in order to work his way into getting a share Welles' wealth.

This is a subtle, intelligent romance and I agree with the reviewer who particularly appreciated the snappy dialogue. It holds up, even if the times have changed.

Enjoy!