Esta Mulher é Proibida

Natalie Wood ,giving one of her best performances ,portrays a typical Williams heroine.Alva is an innocent sinner.She knows she's attractive,she teases every man around,but she has kept her childhood's dream,she's an immature character.she's akin to the girl of "the glass menagerie".Alva hides her dream in a convert rail car which bears her own name,like the latter dreams her life away with her frail animals.All right,Laura is a pure young girl,Alva is not,by a long shot,but it does not make a big difference.Innocence ,for Tennessee Williams is only a matter of heart.Alva might have been some kind of Blanche Du Bois too.Both are victims,both have a romantic dream,both pretend (Natalie's red dress,Blanche's schlock jewels).I think Alma's arrival in New Orleans is a tribute to Kazan's "streetcar named desire":as she gets out of the train,there's some smoke around.

The over -possessive mother is also a constant in Williams' universe.Alma's mother (a magnificent Kate Reid) recalls Mrs Venable in "suddenly last summer".If Alma does not realize she's some kind of prostitute-Redford tells her so while they are hiding behind the bushes-,her mother resembles a madam in a brothel(the boarding-house).

It's Redford's character who will spoil the party.By revealing Alma who she really is,by telling her he's got no dream,by his social status,he's a man who lives in the material world.Many users noticed it was an ambiguous character:after all he comes to lay off railroad workers in this one-horse town which Alma longs to leave for broader horizons.

The boarding-house and the tiny railway station are certainly a dead end for the heroine.And this car named "Alma" symbolizes a land where time stands still.When Alma leaves for New Orleans ,James Wong Howe's wonderful camera becomes aerial with breathtaking high angle shots on the train.

This is a rather talky movie,and it loses steam in the third part in New Orleans,but it sure did not deserve such a poor rating when so many talents are involved(outside the already mentioned people,there's also Bronson and Ford Coppola -script writer-).It's the beginning of Pollack's heyday,when he was a genuine artist who gave us such major works as "Jeremiah Johnson" and "they shoot horses don't they?".A far cry from "Tootsie" or "the firm".

This Property is Condemned was a condemned movie from the day it was made. It didn't win critical acclaim, nobody saw it and still there are only a few people who have even heard of it. And yet it's so beautiful that you really don't need to be persuaded to watch it. From the beginning, and as the story carries us to a condemned love affair between a beautiful and proud young woman who wants the world (but all she gets is all the men around her crawling on her feet) and a man (Robert Redford) that only wants to keep her safe from her pride, we witness the changes that can be brought by just one person, either that is the impact on the small town that Alva (Natalie Wood) lives or on her heart and life. The end is some kind of divine justice that we all want to prevent but no one manages to, but at the same time a lyrical hope in the form of the left behind (and astoundingly good) Mary Badham. A song that Tennessee Williams certainly wouldn't have approved for his book but at the same time what has always stayed in heart from this wonderful film. That and the glass snowstorm.

This is one of my favorite Natalie Wood films. From watching her as Alva, you can understand what made her such a great actress. Throw in Robert Redford and a great musical score and this is one powerful movie.

I agree with the recent user comments praising this film. It does really portray the Old South well and puts the viewer right there. If you focus on the characters as the plot develops, it does bring on some intense emotions as you root for this poor girl to get free from her Mother and all the forces pulling at her.

I disagree with the comments regarding a lack of character development in Dobson. There was no need to develop these characters further. Also, the scenes in New Orleans are integral to the whole point of the story and the film itself, I don' understand the negative feedback about the scenes filmed in New Orleans.

Natalie Wood was gorgeous as usual and I think this is one of Robert Redford's best roles. I highly recommend this classic film. I gave it a 9 out of 10.

There's a category of southern drama that has a particular feel to it. You can find it in books like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and movies like this one. The plots are different, but the moods seem to come from the same place. This movie gets it just right. It was obvious there would be a sad ending and I didn't mind. I didn't mind knowing it was coming either.

Natalie Wood gets top billing in this movie, and she creates a convincing flirtatious southern belle. Robert Redford is more interesting in his role, however. I'm not sure I've seen him play cynical and laconic in any other role. Redford fans shouldn't miss this one.