Mary Perry Movies
- 1963
A seven year old and his mother cope with his father's death in an auto accident. His grieving mother is in denial, and the rush of well-meaning relatives fails to help the situation. The boy observes the reaction of adults to the death of his father, taking refuge in the world and games of children to escape the sadness. Mary (Jean Simmons) slowly accepts her husband's death and begins to adjust to the devastating loss. The story is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by James Agee. Robert Preston plays the friendly, ill-fated husband whose brother Ralph (Pat Hingle) is the local undertaker in this dramatic tear jerker. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Robert Preston, (more)
Fugitive Kind began life as Battle of Angels, a never-produced 1939 play by a young Tennessee Williams. Nearly 20 years later, Williams refined this rough-hewn theatrical effort into Orpheus Descending, which enjoyed a respectable Broadway run. The renamed film version stars Marlon Brando as Valentine "Snakeskin" Xavier, a trouble-prone drifter who wanders into a deliciously Williamsesque Mississippi town. Here he becomes involved in the problems of alcoholic Carole Cutrere (Joanne Woodward) and unhappily married Lady Torrence (Anna Magnani) and also runs afoul of Torrence's vicious husband (Victor Jory). Sexual symbolism abounds in this tempestuous drama, which offers Brando at his most inscrutable and Magnani at her earthiest. Maureen Stapleton, in real life one of Brando's best friends and severest critics, plays an avant-garde artist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, (more)
- 1958
Using his own money, actor Franchot Tone mounted this courageous film version of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The cast is the same as the one seen in Tone's stage production of 1956, with one exception: Signe Hassso, who'd played Elena on stage, is replaced by Tone's then-wife, Dolores Dorn-Heft. Translated by Stark Young, the screenplay follows the Chekhov original faithfully: Tone is cast as Dr. Astroff, who falls in love with a woman beyond his reach. All the while, Sonia (Peggy McCoy), the woman who loves Astroff, is neglected and ignored. The titular Uncle Vanya (George Voskovec) watches the passing parade of humanity, embittered over the opportunities missed in his own life. The sets are cardboard and the lighting inconsistent, but the acting in Uncle Vanya is first rate. Completed in 1958, the film did not receive a general release until 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, Dolores Dorn, (more)
