classicsoncall There are two kinds of people in the world says Val Xavier (Marlon Brando) - buyers and those who get bought. He immediately qualifies that somewhat by including those who have no place to be at all. It's his perfect description of himself, purposely trapped in a run down, racist small town in which his unforced, smoldering sexuality begins to take it's toll on the film's inhabitants.Xavier 'Snakeskin', at once shiftless and ambitious, arrives with an inconsolable lament - "I'm not tired. I'm just fed up." Those who get close to Xavier are put on notice that he's a 'peculiar talker', and Tennessee Williams' brilliant screenplay explores all manner of insightful dialog. When Brando's Xavier launches into his 'birds with no legs, sleeping on the wind' symbolism, he provides further insight into his directionless character, while confounding Lady Torrance (Anna Magnani) with his subversive sounding language. What's to make of this drifter with a guitar as his life's companion? As fascinating as the story line is, this isn't one that will lead to a happy ending. The movie is filled with a stark desperation, exemplified by the county's scandalous Dolly Cutrere (Joann Woodward), who at one point despairs, "I tried to pour oblivion out of a bottle but it wouldn't come out". The principal characters are all off and running into their own personal train wreck without ever seeing it coming.It appeared to me that the film's principal theme had to do with Xavier's quest to determine if existence by itself makes any sense at all. His affair with Lady doesn't require passion or love but mere convenience, while her desperate need to be loved plays out in ultimate tragedy for both. The imagery of Dolly disappearing following the destruction of the confectionery is eerily striking, and is it more than ironic that in death, Val Xavier finally sheds his snake skin?

museumofdave When I first saw this film during it's initial release in 1959, I was magnetized by the odd chemistry between the moody, semi-articulate Marlon Brando in his snake-skin jacket and the searching intensity of Anna Magnani, playing the frustrated wife of sweaty Victor Jory, a grinning, sweating mask of Death, incapacitated upstairs. There was nothing quite like the mixture of poetic symbolism, the fevered acting styles from the cast, and the evocation of a dusty little Southern town.The critics at the time didn't know what to make of this film, probably looking for the happy predictability of the usual 1950's time-passer, and it went largely ignored, certainly by the public, and pretty much by everyone else. As time has passed, the intensity of contributions from everyone on the set is palpable, especially the wonderful lighting effects that make this oddball Tennessee Williams play (on stage it was Orpheus Descending) especially cinematic. It is a distinctive and fascinating portrait of the oddball strain in a changing nation and rich with some memorable encounters. How can you not want to go "jukin" with Joanne Woodward, looking as she does like Blanche Dubois after she escaped the asylum? I think the film only gets better with time, but would caution those who want realism or expect sweet resolutions to stay away from the film. It is vintage Tennessee Williams, with life's fragile losers the focus, the tale heavy with symbolism, the climax certainly not a cheerer-upper.

Martin Teller Not one of the best by Tennessee Williams, a lot of overwritten speeches and blatant metaphors. The core cast -- Brando, Magnani, and Woodward -- are all very good, and Stapleton is wonderful in her small role. The characters are the usual bunch of wild cards and frustrated souls, and the drama involves some pretty heady subject matter. Lumet's direction is strong too, with some wonderful camera-work and staging. Even the score is good. It's just the dialogue that stinks. It's not all bad, but boy there are a few big eye-rollers in there. Still, it's worth seeing for the performances and Brando fans shouldn't be disappointed.

blanche-2 Marlon Brando is "The Fugitive Kind" in this 1960 film based on the Tennessee Williams play "Orpheus Descending." Williams adapted the play for the film.Brando plays Val Xavier, a drifter from New Orleans who rolls into the small southern town of Two Ribers, Mississippi with his life's companion, which is his guitar, and a snakeskin jacket. Like William Holden in "Picnic," his very presence shakes things up. He gets a job in a store owned by Jabe Torrence (Victor Jory), who is ill, and his wife, Lady (Anna Magnani), an immigrant. Lady is very unhappy and lonely, and the two embark on an affair. Joanne Woodward is Carol, a drunk who has been banned from most places in town. She's attracted to Val so she keeps hanging around. And Maureen Stapleton is Vee Teasdale, a kind woman who is encouraged in her painting by Val.The fireworks spark between Brando and Magnani, two magnetic, intense performers who come together with a backdrop of violence and bigotry. They are an excellent match, as both are such compelling performers. Joanne Woodward is problematic. She is completely over the top. Where Magnani and Brando choose their moments of outburst, Woodward is overdone and trying too hard throughout. It was up to Sidney Lumet, the director, to temper her performance, but let's face it, he probably had his hands full with Brando and Magnani. Maureen Stapleton gives a great performance as Vee.The film was made in a small town on the Hudson River and gives this dark film a gloomy, dangerous atmosphere.Apparently what went on behind the scenes could have been a film as well. Magnani fell hard for Brando -- and he is absolutely at the height of his looks and sexiness here -- but Brando wasn't feeling it. Apparently he rejected her. Then he started mumbling his dialogue, and since Ms. Magnani didn't actually speak English well and had learned her lines by rote, it was hard for her to pick up her cues. Fun set.Well worth seeing for the acting, but don't watch it if you're feeling even a little depressed. And if you live on a high floor, lock the windows. A real downer.