La strada sbagliata

Academy Award Winner Jennifer Jones replaced the great Kim Stanley in this British made film. Jennifer Jones husband David Selznick who both created Jennifer Jones as a world famed star and controlled Ms. Jones' career to just about an Obsession had just died and Jennifer Jones per reports took this film on sudden notice. Michael Parks in interviews noted that He- Mr. Parks-suggested Jennifer Jones to replace Kim Stanley, and I am glad Joe Levine listened to Michael Parks! Jennifer Jones is fine as always in this movie filmed in brisk black and white. (How those films today seem so special!).

Daniel Petrie who had previously directed another great female star Susan Hayward in the fine 'Stolen Hours' (aka Summer Flight)- also set in Britain- directs Jennifer Jones here, and displays a fine hand.

Jennifer Jones is so good in this film and looking typically stylish one wonders why Jennifer Jones did not work more given her great talent, glamor, beauty, and fame. 'The Idol' did not get the typical for the time Joseph E Levine super charged PR campaign and the film was quickly released to fair reviews. It was really the end of Jennifer's standing as a superstar. What would follow would be the dreadful 'Angel Angel Down We Go', and her cameo in the all star 'Towering Inferno'.

Jennifer Jones did try and get both "Terms of Endarment" ( Shirley MacLaine, and The Jean Harris Story ( Ellen Byrstn) but failed. Jennifer Jones would retire.

The great Kim Stanley had been cast in the Jennifer Jones part and like so many times before, Kim Stanley was replaced at the last minute. The year is 1966, Daniel Petrie, a director without a clear, personal vision, he renders homage to some of the truly greats of its day. Antonioni comes to mind. As an interesting piece of trivia, take notice of Michael Parks. He was Adam in John Huston's "The Bible" and the sheriff in Kill Bill Volume 1 and a double role in Kill Bill Volume 2. The Idol, is one of those pointless films that becomes a sort of guilty pleasure with the passing of time.

What a banner year 1966 was in England!We won the FIFA World Cup in our country for Association Football (soccer) vs. West Germany, the Beatles, The Rolling Stones et all bestrode the pop world, trendy fashion, "dolly birds" and....Jennifer Jones came to England to make "The Idol" with fellow American Michael Parks.Our own John Leyton (who had had several pop hits e.g. "Johnny Remember me" and had appeared in "The Great Escape" (1963)),completed the star line-up.

Previously Jennifer Jones had not made a film since 1962 (Tender is the Night) with Jason Robards Jnr.She was a last minute replacement for Kim Stanley and as Selznick had died the previous year, Jennifer was again a widow and needed a project to keep her going.JJ is/was an old hand at making films in Europe and England c.f."Gone To Earth" (1950 ) made in Shropshire, "Indiscretion of an American Wife" (1953)made in Rome, "Beat The Devil" (1954)filmed in Sapporo, Italy,"The Barretts of Wimpole Street"(1957) filmed in England.Selznik had become disillusioned with Hollywood in the late 1940's after what was then the costly flop "Portrait of Jennie"(1948).It was a British film debut experience for Michael Parks. In this contemporary story, Michael Parks (Marco) is a talented American art student living in London who is friendly with John Leyton (Timothy), a 19 year old student.Timothy despite a contemplated career in medicine, actually has artistic leanings himself, especially in sculpture and he secretly admires the girl friend (Jennifer Hilary) of his American friend.Jennifer Jones (Carol) a divorcee, as John Leyton's mother, at first is wary of her fellow American thinking him a bad influence on her son.Although Carol has a mature male friend, (Guy Doleman), she too succumbs to "The Idol" especially when he rescues her son from a vicious beating from a couple of thugs.The Idol however appears to have cut himself off from his American parents and decides to spend Christmas in Wales instead.After his return to London he seems intent on bringing about his own self destruction and continues on a downward spiral, seemingly alienating himself from his friends on purpose. Timothy is distraught at a new year's party on a riverboat barge on "The Thames" to find out his mother has evidently been intimate with his friend who has arrived at the party in a drunken stupor with a prostitute.Somehow the Idol then completes his own self-destruction but Timothy refuses to implicate anyone especially his mother in what the police now see as a murder charge.

I have spent 1 1/2 years collecting on video all 24 films Jennifer Jones made, so have been able to compare and assess the transition of each of her roles from 1939(New Frontier)-1974(The Towering Inferno).Many of these titles are no longer available commercially if they have just been deleted by mainstream dealers.Readers may have to bid on "E-Bay" at auction, check with rare video dealers or in the case of "The Idol" buy it for $210 from a "video detective", as this title is so hard to find that not even rare US video dealers had a copy when I checked with them.

A certain video guide regards it as trash worthwhile only for Jennifer Jones fans to see her make it with a younger man.Another states it is not even worthy of the worst film of the year award missing that exalted status by a mile.I have not read one favourable review of this film.Personally, I found this film quite engrossing as my heroine filmed it in England with a British supporting cast well known to someone of my generation born in 1946.Its rarity status also added to a sense of exclusivity.The film lasts 108 mins and is in B&W and I have definitely seen worse films than this.I will therefore certainly run this "Idol" through my VCR again when I get the urge!

Michael Parks, like his counterpart Christopher Jones, is no James Dean. Dean had more depth, and underneath his alienation and rebelliousness were a profound vulnerability and a need for approval. Parks' character Marco has none of these redeeming attributes and merely acts as a cold, selfish vehicle of contempt for authority and traditional values, an all too common theme of 60's films. There was also a great flowering of discovery and a burning desire to improve or expand stultified paradigms... There isn't a lot of motivation for Marco's antisocial behavior...other than a deep-seated hatred of women which is insufficiently explained. Though the camera dwells lovingly on his interesting features in close-ups, it leaves a void where there should be some feeling for the character. He purposely destroys all his relationships without cause or merely out of resentment of the overbearing maternal control of his friend Timothy (sympathetically played by John Leyton). His callous seduction of Timothy's dignified but vulnerable mother (Jennifer Jones) is out of all proportion to his fancied slights and particularly nasty after her befriending him despite her initial dislike. It's hard to generate any care for this empty idol, who's ultimate self-destructive acts do even more damage to those who survive him.

It looks like a parboiled cross between Douglas Sirk and Michelangelo Antonioni ,with a touch of French nouvelle vague thrown in for good measure.It depicts a spoilt youth playing with trash.None of the young actors became a star afterward,which is easily understandable;for instance,John Layton was supposed to play nineteen-year old Jones' son,and he was already 27 (!) at the time if IMDb informations are accurate.

Jennifer Jones is the only reason why you would watch this boring "psychological" melodrama.She had already worked in GB for "gone to earth" (1949)but Daniel Petrie cannot hold a candle to Michael Powell.Her character(a still attractive middle-age woman who falls for a two-bit James Dean) is nothing short of worthless:only the open ending might make this part a bit original ,but it's too little too late.

One scene is particularly unpleasant nay obnoxious:the would-be drunk idol asks a prostitute to "evaluate" the girls of the party.