Sweet Bird of Youth - Classic American Play by Tennessee Williams | Perfect for Drama Enthusiasts & Theater Lovers

Tennessee Williams is arguably the greatest playwright that America has produced. A Southerner by birth, Williams' characters are larger than life, living human beings that jump off the page, fated to tragedy within a distinctly humid and oppressive atmosphere of fretting about the heat and retiring to the local bar to wonder where their next meal may be coming from. It seems that money and sex are their driving motivations in life and maybe Williams is not far wrong. 'Sweet Bird of Youth' is as a good a play as anything he ever wrote, and this film is more than just an outstanding record of it. Apart from the censorship problems encountered in having the play reach a wider audience, and the subsequent changes to the story, I think it can be safely said that 'Sweet Bird of Youth' loses very little of its impact in the translation, thanks to the performances and Richard Brooks' assured direction.1962 is a great year for ladies' lead performances in the movies, and Geraldine Page is terrific in the role she created on Broadway as Alexandra del Lago (aka Princess Cosmonopolis), a great star on the lam after making a comeback she is afraid may not have been successful. She is accompanied by Chance Wayne, (Paul Newman) a young gigolo who hopes that his intimacy with the lady will finally give him what he thinks are his just rewards in life. They stop off at Chance's hometown in Florida. However he is not welcome after leaving his girlfriend (would you believe 'Heavenly'?) in a bad condition and enraging her father and brother to the extent that they would like to see him out of their sight and their lives as soon as is humanly possible.Apart from Newman and Page who burn up the screen with some marvellous dialogue and situations, the supporting cast are also compelling, with Ed Begley chewing up the scenery as a fascist leader-of-the-people with a distinctly unnatural affection for his daughter Heavenly, played by Shirley Knight. Rip Torn plays her brother Boss Jr. as a bewildered adolescent who likes to tear the wings off flies when he has nothing better to do with his time. Madeleine Sherwood looks far sexier than she did in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, as the girlfriend of the Boss, who gets an unexpected and painful present from him for talking too much about certain things he prefers to be kept a secret.Richard Brooks manages to keep all of this together somehow, with a brisk adaptation, in which the action doesn't seem to flag for a minute. The characters are unforgettable and the actors were very serious about their jobs, most (apart from Knight) having originated their roles on Broadway, the benefit of this being they knew them inside out and could probably perform them with their eyes closed. The DVD transfer is beautiful to look at in what seems to be the correct aspect ratio, and the sound for an older film seems reasonably free of the usual hiss and crackle which comes from using an older print that is in need of restoration.All in all I recommend 'Sweet Bird of Youth' to anyone who appreciates a good show with adult content, great acting and a provocative story wonderfully realised and presented.