This soap opera based on a Herman Wouk novel is entertaining in its meandering way but suffers from a less than riveting lead actor, James Franciscus.
Franciscus was a decent actor and certainly movie star handsome but not charismatic enough to carry a big budget film. Although he was quite effective as a series lead in Longstreet and several other shows the character of Youngblood Hawke required a more compelling actor than he. Warren Beatty, who was originally cast but bowed out or George Peppard would have worked much better in the star spot.
As it is the attractive but bland Franciscus is surrounded by high quality actors who all act rings around him. The little known Genevieve Page is cast in the trickiest part as an unhappily married woman who falls for Hawke. Even though she's a bit too young for the role her air of world weariness suits sad Frieda, she makes quite an impression and you miss her when she's off-screen.
The film is loaded with a variable kaleidescope of outstanding performers in every role. Suzanne Pleshette and her volcano of hair are terrific as Hawke's editor, even in her relatively brief screen time she makes something out of a standard part. Same goes for Mildred Dunnock, Eva Gabor, John Dehner and Don Porter all of whom are handed stock characters but still manage to stretch those characters with entertaining portrayals.
Another two old reliables who add some dash to this overlong stew are Mary Astor as a renown stage actress searching for a new vehicle and thinks she sees it in Hawke's novel. This was her penultimate screen appearance, she played a key role in Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte later that year then retired permanently, she imbibes her handful of scenes with a class and mastery that only the best actors are able to do with cameo appearances. The other is Edward Arnold as a critic who is both friend and foe, he obviously knows he has one of the better roles in the film and clearly relishes his opportunity. By word and gesture he makes Quentin Judd a memorable character.
This was also almost the end of the line for director Daves, that master of the overblown cinematic soap, and is right in his wheelhouse but his pacing seems rather off. The film is at least 20 minutes too long and is oddly in black and white. While all his other films of this type, A Summer Place, Rome Adventure etc, were in rich Technicolor with sweeping vistas which would have helped here he and cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. use the shadows indigenous to black & white effectively.
Not anywhere near a great film but the cast makes it worth checking out.
