Trailer for the new Tennessee Williams film

[tazber]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 5:55pm

Meant to be the third collaboration between Williams and Kazan it was abandoned and forgotten.

That it is now seeing the light of day with an excellent cast (at least imo) is incredibly exciting to me.
The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 6:20pm

Holy crap! I've been hearing about this for SO long!

FINALLY... FINALLY... it has come to fruition!

P

P.S. Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans are two of my Top 10 favorite actors currently working. And A-M speaks for herself. Wowza! Updated On: 11/25/09 at 06:20 PM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 6:40pm

Sorry to rain on parades, but well, after seeing the trailer, all I can say is: Well, we'll see. The trailer didn't look at all promising, just another star-crossed-lovers-from-different-worlds kind of thing. And the cast isn't exactly exciting...

I'm always leery of these suddenly discovered lost writings things. I usually find there's a very good reason why they were lost or were unpublished or unproduced. That ghastly Genet play ELLE that Alan Cumming did a couple of years ago, for example: it should have stayed in Genet's garbage can.

Updated On: 11/25/09 at 06:40 PM

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 6:50pm

Ann Margaret and Ellen Burstyn in a film together for the first time isn't "exactly exciting" casting? Really?

Unproduced Tennessee Williams screenplays don't come along that often.

The pumpkins on the porch shot alone sold me. Diff'rent strokes I guess...

A star-studded cast working from a script by a respected playwright can equally spell disaster, (did you see EVENING or THE STEPFORD WIVES remake?) but I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt.

P

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 7:16pm

Ann-Margret and Ellen Burstyn in supporting roles is a very nice idea, I'm certainly glad they're both still working, but no, sorry, it doesn't add up to "exciting." The whole enterprise looks decidedly B list to me.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 7:26pm

I don't even know why I'm arguing this, but on WHAT tween-nightmare planet is the combination of Tennessee Williams, Ann Margaret and Ellen Burstyn B-list?!

Insanity.

P

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 8:10pm

Well, in Roscoe's defense, Ann Margaret and Ellen Burstyn are not A-list actors anymore and Tennessee Williams doesn't bring crowds to the theater like he used to (even though he is still brilliant). To me, the trailer just seemed really blah

Updated On: 11/25/09 at 08:10 PM

[Luscious]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 8:17pm

What constitutes an "A List" actor? If you're talking box-office, I could give a ****. As far as I'm concerned, Ellen Burstyn and Ann-Margaret are, and always will be, A-List actors. This looks and sounds very exciting to me!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 8:34pm

I meant more in Hollywood status. If it's good, it's good. I could care less who is in it.

[Q]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 8:49pm

It's fun to see how Ann has gained such status over the years. This is a woman who began barely registering on the bimbo scale - Elvis movies, anyone? But slowly, over time, it's come to this.

I still think she's given the definitive Blanche performance - go figure.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 8:56pm

"on WHAT tween-nightmare planet is the combination of Tennessee Williams, Ann Margaret and Ellen Burstyn B-list?! Insanity."

Goodness, such vehemence from someone who can't be bothered to spell or punctuate Ann-Margret's name correctly.

It isn't just a matter of Ellen Burstyn and Ann-Margret being rather less than huge stars these days, as gloriously talented as they are. There's also little Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans, whose appeal is in inverse proportion to the amount of clothing he's wearing. Who knows, it might work. As I believe I wrote in my earlier postings -- we'll see.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 9:36pm

I saw this a few weeks ago at a critic's screening. The performances are terrific, and it's a great-looking movie. Williams fans will enjoy, but it's not going to be a crowd-pleaser: very low key, very "nothing much happens". I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I won't necessarily be recommending it to everyone.

(After seeing this, you're going to want to see Ms. Howard start working her way through ALL the Tennessee Williams roles, starting with Maggie the Cat.)

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 10:24pm

Funny you mention that as the movie in my mind version of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans. I think that would be perfect casting. Go figure.

P

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 10:45pm

Hopefully some clever producer will see this as a dry run for CAT.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 11/25/09 at 10:53pm

Chris has already got the crutches!

[Marquise]

Posted: 11/26/09 at 9:03am

"It's fun to see how Ann has gained such status over the years. This is a woman who began barely registering on the bimbo scale - Elvis movies, anyone? But slowly, over time, it's come to this. "

Yes it is. Who would have thought that the girl who shimmied her way through VIVA LAS VEGAS and bumped and grinded her way through THE SWINGER would grow so much as an actor. She definitely has earned the industry's repect. She's a living legend and she totally made Blanche DuBois her own ~ it was a tour de force.
Updated On: 11/26/09 at 09:03 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/26/09 at 11:28am

Looks interesting. Could very well go straight to DVD because of lack of Q rating, but apparently La Lohan was supposed to play the lead but then dropped out leaving the filmmakers to cast Howard...which is a bit like trading in a Pinto for a Lexus.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/26/09 at 1:54pm

Roscoe I get your point, but this isn't a high budget movie where they expect or hope to become a huge mainstream hit--so I think the stars more than suit those expectations.

As was said on here it's a great little film but it's something Williams fans like me will lap up but casual and non fans won't be bowled over by--it's minor Williams IMHO (and I mean that as a positive I swear...)

Borstal I think you exagerate re direct to DVD--at least in N AMerica I think it'll get enough good critical receptionbn to warrant the limited theatrical release it'll get.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 11/27/09 at 1:35am

Variety's Joe Leydon wasn't that impressed.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938446.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

Updated On: 11/27/09 at 01:35 AM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/27/09 at 1:42am

"I'm always leery of these suddenly discovered lost writings things. I usually find there's a very good reason why they were lost or were unpublished or unproduced. That ghastly Genet play ELLE that Alan Cumming did a couple of years ago, for example: it should have stayed in Genet's garbage can.
"
To be fair this isn't really lost--it's been out there and published for some time...

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/27/09 at 10:11am

"To be fair this isn't really lost--it's been out there and published for some time..."

Be that as it may, my point is that there is probably a reason why nobody's done anything with this out there and published for some time material. It may be an undiscovered masterpiece.

As I said, we'll see.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/27/09 at 10:41pm

Oh of course, although there are tons of examples of great screenplays that don't get made, not because they aren't great but for a myriad of other reasons (mostly fairly dull practical ones)

[nmartin]

Posted: 11/28/09 at 2:28pm

Those Southern accents are awful. And Ann-Margaret in anything...whatever.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 11/30/09 at 6:24pm

Here's the poster.

[DMsquared2]

Posted: 12/1/09 at 12:09am

That poster is amazing!