From the Terrace **** (1960, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Myrna Loy, Leon Ames, Ina Balin, Felix Aylmer) – Classic Movie Review 6095

Producer-director Mark Robson’s 1960 drama has the inestimable advantage of starring Paul Newman and his real-life wife Joanne Woodward, whom he married on 29 January 1958. This fascinating film of John O’Hara’s mammoth, steamy novel is slightly toned down for movie-goers in the screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the screen-writer of North by Northwest.

Newman tackles one of his early ruthless, working-class hero roles as David Eaton, a young World War Two veteran thrusting his way to financial and social success in the Pennsylvanian wealthy classes. The film is also an examination of a marriage on the rocks, and Woodward plays the Newman character’s blue-blood, nymphomaniac wife, Mary.

The couple work hard to bring an edge of reality into the Hollywood gloss, and the young Woodward is quite as exciting as and the young Newman. But, excellent though they are, they are upstaged by the old-timers Myrna Loy and Leon Ames as Newman’s drunken mum and bitter dad, Martha and Samuel Eaton.

It is taken at epic length of 144 minutes, with the kind of extended dialogue sequences you don’t get in movies now. But it is intelligent, nimbly acted, well produced and very watchable.

Also in the cast are Ina Balin, Felix Aylmer, George Grizzard, Patrick O’Neal, Elizabeth Allen, Barbara Eden, Mae Marsh, Raymond Greenleaf, Malcolm Atterbury, Raymond Bailey and Ted de Corsia.

It is written by Ernest Lehman, shot by Leo Tover and scored by Elmer Bernstein.

Paul Newman: ‘I’m a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter, either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community.’

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6095

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