El farsante

When I was younger & first saw this movie, what caught my eye was the stage-y production, the over-ripe acting- I was wrong. It's funny, but being a late 30-something divorcee with my own self-esteem issues, I now watch this movie & marvel at its depth.

This is a movie about so much more than a con man, an old maid and people stuck and unable to change. It's really about loving yourself. We've all heard the saying that you have to love yourself before someone else can love you. And that is what this movie is about. Believing in yourself even when that's the hardest thing. It's really the crux of the movie.

The casting is actually perfect. I cannot imagine anyone else as Starbuck. Burt Lancaster's magnetism and on-screen "je ne ce qua" and Hepburn's radiant simplicity are a match made in heaven. They compliment each other very well. The supporting cast is also well done. Holliman's exuberance is contagious and the sweetly supporting father and no nonsense brother Noah are well done but not over done.

I highly recommend this movie. Give it a chance & suspend your disbelief- that's part of what going to the movies is about.

P.S. Several people mentioned the last scene with Lancaster riding into the rain as being over done, cheesy or whatever. Yet it's just that kind of imagery that does indeed stick with you after the movie. It may seem overblown the first time, yet upon subsequent viewings, I love the effusive and memorable affect it has on the viewer. :)

The skeptical reviewers miss the point. In fact, they take the position of Lizzie herself before she begins to believe in herself.

That some of this movie appears hokey, over-the-top and unbelievable is perfect. It requires the same leap of faith for the movie viewer as the characters must take in the story.

The script for this movie is brilliantly written and as timely today as it ever was. The casting and acting are wonderful.

This movie makes a very valuable point: It's not a con when you help someone believe in herself. You do something wonderful when you help another find hope, faith and love.

What can I say, it was a great movie. Katharine Hepburn is excellent as Lizzy Curry and Burt Lancaster in one of his best performances ever. Hepburn

deserved her Oscar nomination but Lancaster should have been nominated as

well. You have to admit he was not playing his ordinary tough character. He

brought some laughs to the movie as Starbuck. The supporting cast including

Lloyd Bridges and Wendell Corey was great and Alex North's music is great as

it usually is. This is an underrated movie and is definately worth your time

watching. You should see this movie if you haven't already. It's pretty hard to find of Video and it is not yet available on DVD and it should and if you do get this movie, don't get it confused with John Grisham's version.

N. Richard Nash adapted his play for the silver screen. Directed by Joseph Anthony, this is a wonderful insight into the core of human emotion. A hard glimpse at the look of low self esteem.

Katherine Hepburn plays Lizzie Curry, a young woman that lives with her father and brothers in a dusty prairie town. She is led to believe she will become an old maid. She of course has more brains than beauty and her emotions tell her that she needs to become a "woman".

Enter Bill Starbuck, played aptly by Burt Lancaster; Starbuck is a con man constantly on the move bilking his way through life. He convinces the Curry family he can end the drought by making it rain. He ends up in the barn with Miss Lizzie. Now she feels a new world has opened up to her.

Deputy File is too shy to tell Lizzie of his interest in her; until he finds Starbuck with her and wants to arrest him for his previous bad deeds. Lizzie has to make a big decision between the side of law and order or a life chasing dreams with a wanderer.

This movie deserves to be called a classic. The deep human element and the diverse relationships within the characters makes for a very interesting movie. Scenery and language may seem at times a bit hokey; but the realism is there. Great movie.

Besides Hepburn and Lancaster, this cast was full of good acting. Wendell Corey, Lloyd Bridges and Earl Holliman turned in fine jobs. Holliman's innocence and fresh spirit was a real highlight. The always cute Yvonne Lime also has a small part.

I'll say it like it is. This is a classic. Nash's play comes to live on the silver screen with veteran actors Cameron Prud'homme, Wallace Ford, Katie Hepburn and Earl Holliman. Wendell Corey, who few of us remember beyond his breaking a Ming Vase in Mildred Pierce, is great as the stiff deputy. Sweet little Yvonne Lime is on but for a few moments but the cast is great and the story comes together just wonderfully. The commenter who was bothered by Katie's New England English and the implausibility of the storyline needed to let go of such a rigid standard. Nothing is ever perfect. Lancaster is great as the fast-talking Starbuck and one can see flashes of his former role as the Italian buffoon in The Rose Tattoo and what will come in the later Elmer Gantry. This is a wonderful story and sensitively done by a fine cast. Check it out. It is a classic.