The Glass Menagerie (1987) [VHS] Overview
Paul Newman directed this poetic, sunlight- and memory-drenched film version of Tennessee Williams's classic memory play. The casting is surprisingly adept, considering that several of the performers would seem to be too old for their roles. John Malkovich plays Williams's stand-in, Tom Wingfield, a dreamer who lives with his domineering mother Amanda (a luminous Joanne Woodward) and his fragile, limping sister Laura (Karen Allen). Mom wants nothing more than to marry off shy-flower Laura and keeps bugging Tom to bring home a guy. So he corrals coworker James Naughton for an evening--and Amanda treats it as though Naughton's signed up for the nuptial short-course. Woodward is alternately touching and harridan-like as this smothering mother who means well, while Malkovich is perfect as the would-be writer longing to break free. And Allen brings surprising strength to the role of Laura. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews
This is the best version of the smartest St. Tennessee's Glass Menagerie I have ever seen! There are a lot of humor and tenderness in this version, Alonside heart disease. Paul Newman's direction is subtle and penetrating, the camera is drawn from the great Michael Ballhaus layers and layers of meaning every scene, and the acting is amazing. John Malkovich is Tom's painfully brilliant (lumps semi-formed Christian Slater Tom / Tennessee plays on Broadway was absurd) andfull of resentment and anger and creative potential, Joanne Woodward lived in the love of good intentions, but sometimes suffocating perfect narcissistic mother of Amanda and annoying singsong nostalgia and melancholy, and then the revelation is Karen Allen (who knows?), which was injured, Laura can not reach their mother's brother's ambitions or cultural curiosity, but who loves mercy on these two volcanoes human after all.
I love these characters --- Tom, Laura, and motherAmanda --- and I want to again and again, despite what is heartbreaking.
I just want this version of the Glass Menagerie, the poetry of William and oxygen can breathe and live in us, the stronger is available on DVD soon!
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