The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

To take on a film version of this classic play is a bold venture. They almost pull it off, but with a poor acting job by Caradine and some questionable directorial choices it doesn't quite live up to expectations. The flying midget scene actually had me laughing . . . A powerful story that someone should take some time with and do justice to.

Simon Callow is a great director and a visionary and should set his sights on directing again. Edward Albee's story is touching and funny, a true classic and Callow does a solid and witty job of bringing it to life. The acting by Carradine is questionable but Vanessa Redgrave makes up for that. Also Rod Steiger is always a sure thing. Callow should do more directing.

Vanessa Redgrave is incredible, and memorable, in the role of Miss Amelia, the androgynous ruler of a small Depression-era Southern hamlet. She tends to citizens' medical needs, and manufactures hooch for them as well. Then, her life is shaken up, first by the arrival of hunchbacked little person Lymon (Cork Hubbert), who claims to be her cousin, and then the reappearance of her husband Marvin (Keith Carradine), whom she kicked to the curb rather than go to bed with him on their wedding night. Could be, he's out for revenge.....

Directed by British stage & screen actor & director Simon Callow, this is a Southern Gothic melodrama with a difference. It can be rather strange and offbeat, but overall it's too interesting to dismiss outright. An adaptation of a novel (by Carson McCullers), and subsequent play (by Edward Albee), it has a very convincing look & feel, with top of the line production design & cinematography.

The eclectic supporting cast also includes Rod Steiger, Austin Pendleton, Lanny Flaherty, Earl Hindman, and Anne Pitoniak. While it's true that Carradine has done better work, and while I found the character of Lymon rather annoying at times, a severely de-glamorized Redgrave is a perfect anchor for this ultimately sordid tale. She completely disappears inside her role.

In the end, this serves as a reckoning for a character who misses one chance at love, but is able to love and enjoy life for a time before fate steps in.

Six out of 10.

Having seen the "definitive" stage version of this, featuring Colleen Dewhurst and Michael Dunn, I wasn't hopeful for this film holding a candle to it. I came away feeling that this particular piece does not translate to film. Vanessa Redgrave is a wonderful actress and seeing her beautiful, expressive face with no makeup and her hair cut short is quite startling, but effective. I found myself focusing on her big blue eyes most of the time, as they told the mood of her character throughout. I doubt they could've found anyone better for the role. It's simply that the entire production didn't quite gel. It truly works better in the theatre. I'm still not entirely decided on whether I completely disliked it.

I just purchased this through the Merchant & Ivory DVD collection. I must admit I was unaware of who Carson McCullers was until I realized that she also wrote "A Heart is a Lonely Hunter". True to her style, this is a dark tale with the edge of by-sexuality in the main character (as McCullers was also). The movie it self is less than imaginative with some scenic wonders and yet with placid and flat acting. Simon Callow is not a good director and I definitely love the man as an actor more. Some scenes are memorable and the color red is used beautifully as a dress and a shirt - when you see it you will know how and why. Definitely put in the rent category for a somber afternoon.