The movie purports to be based on true events, but this is questionable. Except in the context of this film, I can't find any meaningful support for the relationships portrayed in this film.
Beyond the question of whether actor Montgomery Clift and director Sidney Lumet knew each other, much less were engaged in a love affair, the film falls flat in other areas as well.
The script is so stilted that you're left wondering if we're to believe this is how "artistic people" behaved, spoke, and acted in the 1950s.
I couldn't help thinking during quite a few scenes that I was watching a first run through of script. Exaggerated, first time readings of lines that would hopefully come together later - hopefully with a sense of realism. Too bad they didn't wait until that happened.
Another questionable historic bit of the film is the failed marriage that's referenced when Sid meets Montgomery in Hollywood some years later. Hannah a blind socialite is Sid's girlfriend, who he references as the failed marriage. In fact, Sidney Lumet was married four times. None of his wives were blind, or named Hannah.
The presence of Richard Rogers was curious, and I never figured out why his character was included. He seemed basically to be a bystander, who added little to nothing to the story.
Gene Tunny, the boxer, was an interesting character, and possibly the best acted in the film. It was unfortunate that at the end of the movie, there is an older Sid Lumet who looks so much like the actor who portrayed Tunny that I found it confusing as to who the character actually was supposed to be.
Theda Bara, a silent film star shows up in the movie too. There's an interesting scene that supposedly takes place in some quiet corner of Central Park. It's actually one of the better scenes in the movie. A boxing scene is another good segment of the film.
Later, I realized that the actress portraying the nurse is one and the same as the one portraying Theda Bara. I could not find any historical references of Theda Bara becoming Florence Nightingale following her movie career. If the nurse is supposed to be the same character, they forgot to apply age makeup for her scene at the end of the film, when Sid is an old man.
The ending is rather confusing, partly because I thought ''old Sid" was Tunny. I had to watch it twice to figure out exactly what was going on.
Overall, the film was disappointing. Not sure I'd recommend it for its story, it's script, its acting, or as an historical piece. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it at all.
