The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, though somewhat meticulous when read as a play, was quite a riveting film. Even though the movie is very similar to the play it is performed with vivacity and enthusiasm, and I suppose when compared to a group of high schoolers attempting to do this play justice, anything would be better. The cast accomplished the feat of portraying the characters accurately, and considering the time period it was produced, I was impressed. If you have not read the play I would recommend you do so before watching the movie so you can really appreciate it. You would have even more respect for the movie if you round up a couple of friends and slaughtered the play together.

The Glass Menagerie is to plays as Beethoven's "fuer Elise" is to music: it's short and it's seemingly easy to present (it has two female and two male roles, and its author is famous), so it often ends up being done by amateurs, and one gets used to not-very-good versions. So a generally well-done performance, such as this one, is refreshing.

To boot, if you're a fan of Katherine Hepburn, Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty, or Joanna Miles - and what person in his right mind isn't a fan of all four? - then you need to be familiar with this production, which shows you not only the legendary Hepburn in an interestingly off-type role, but also three more of your favorite actors when they were budding.

Not that this production is perfect. Hepburn, as Amanda, dominates the action entirely too much for my taste, at times reducing the other characters to leaves swirling around the tempest she creates; Waterston sometimes alternates weirdly between a detached Hamlet-like cerebrality and raging tantrums worthy of a young Lear. In other words: the production does not well balance the two characters whose opponency is central to the drama. (It might be argued that Amanda is supposed to dominate the action, and that Tom is supposed to be wimpy, but I disagree. I think Tom's frustrated and repressed manhood needs to be portrayed in such a way as to convey a prodigious, if chained down, load of energy. Remember, this is a self-portrayal of the man who became Tennessee Williams!) True, if you concentrate you can catch some of the subtlety for which Waterston later became justly noted. But he is, so to speak, shouted down by Hepburn, who is entirely too much in focus. It is almost as if this production had been planned as a vehicle for her, and the character of Tom had been treated as a prop.

For my money, the real star of this show is Moriarty's masterful portrayal of the Gentleman Caller. Moriarty does not show us the power-tripping, manipulative bastard often associated with this role, but rather a nice guy who found himself in a compromising situation he never sought, and who tried naively to make the best of his ill-starred encounter with Laura, with the result that he bites off more than he can chew, and hurts Laura all the more by not intending it. The performance here really shines; I was very moved by his awkward feelings of guilt when he realizes his error.

"A Glass Menagerie" is a play by Tennessee Williams that has been adapted into various movies, namely a made for television edition starring Katherine Hepburn. The play conveys a captivating story that can only be described as Hepburn's thick southern accent. It just about made the movie for me. The play focuses on a fatherless, poor family featuring a daughter who is incredibly shy, a mother whose sole goal in life is to find a man for her shy daughter, and a son whose hobbies consist of getting drunk and going to see movies. Naturally, this creates some friction within in the family which is highlighted by the arguments between the mother and son, played by the wonderful Sam Waterston. No sarcasm, the chemistry between Waterston and Hepburn make this movie worth watching (and so do the accents). As with many other plays, "A Glass Menagerie" lacks in its climax, which directly precedes the curtain, though the play is by far not the worst offender in this respect. "A Glass Menagerie" blows away any expectations that I had for it, mostly because of the fantastic acting from Hepburn and Waterston, but I also had very little expectations going into the film. If you're a fan of theater I highly recommend this movie, if for nothing except the star power.

While, as has been said more than once, 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is my favourite Tennessee Williams play (also my first), 'The Glass Menagerie' is another one of his best and perhaps the most poignant. It is very much vintage Williams, with a compelling story that has a lot of emotion and bold themes, complex characters and realistic dialogue that hits hard (even if very talky) and a fair share of powerful scenes (he sure knew how to write hard-hitting endings.

Prior to watching this 1973 version with Katharine Hepburn, Sam Waterston, Michael Moriarty and Joanna Miles, there were two versions seen first. One was the 1987 version, which was my first filmed production of 'The Glass Menagerie'. The other was the Gertrude Lawrence and Jane Wyman film. Although the latter was a very respectable attempt despite the disappointing ending, the 1987 version is much better and of these three versions it's my favourite. This is a very worthy and really quite good production though where the detail and spirit is intact, with nothing toned down, nothing really tacked on and there isn't any re-ordering or re-working that affects any coherence (the case with the 80s TV film of 'Sweet Bird of Youth').

This production of 'The Glass Menagerie' is not perfect by all means. It is too dimly lit and makes the production a bit drab at times. Did feel that it could have opened up the drama more, the potential problem with television film adaptations of plays is being too much of a filmed play and being stagy, found that to be the case here.

In 'The Glass Menagerie', the dialogue is classic Williams. Just wished in this production that we had more time to hear it and take it all in and that the dialogue delivery wasn't as fast as it could be in places, especially with Katharine Hepburn.

However, lighting aside it is well and authentically designed and the photography isn't too intimate or distant. The audio adds to the atmosphere and doesn't jar with it. Despite the rushed line delivery at times, the dialogue may be talky but there is no denying its emotion. The staging also isn't perfect, but it's cohesive and just about avoids being over-heated and doesn't get dull. The ending like that of the play stays with you emotionally.

All four leads are hugely compelling with many moments of brilliance. Hepburn does indeed dominate but quite a lot of it is down to the character herself, she plays the heck out of the character and it's quite a towering portrayal overall regardless of some of the dialogue delivery and try-too-hard accent. Miles is very moving as Laura and pre-'Law and Order' Waterston is the embodiment of intensity. Moriarty is a different and interesting Jim and it was great to see a more likeable side.

Summing up, quite well done. 7/10

This 1973 version is better than the David Naughton/John Malkovich version. Katherine Hepburn does an excellent job playing the mother who is frustrated by the "generation gap". It also shows Michael Moriarty and Sam Waterston very early in their careers, both went on to win many awards. If you are able to get your hands on this version, it will be worth the search.