The Sound and the Fury

I came across this movie one afternoon on the FOX channel. There seemed to be well known and respected actors and actresses in it, so I decided to watch it. I was a bit disappointed in the development of the plot. There were times when I was confused as the movie went from one scene to another; from one character to another. I was left scurrying to figure out who was who and what their part was in the overall plot. I also felt that the movie moved a bit slow. A few times I actually became a little bit bored. Yul Brenner played his deep dark part to a "T". Joanne Woodward's character was a little bit ditsy for me, and I was surprised to find on this website that she was 29 years old when she made this movie. Kind of old to be playing a "school girl" who had to go to summer school. That part was not believable to me at all. She did look much younger than her 29 years but not that much. I wished that they had developed Quentin's (Joanne Woodward) relationship with her mother a bit earlier, since the character she played in the movie was affected by the absence of her mother while she was growing up. The ending was good, and I am glad that Quentin learned a very important life lesson about men and love at an early age. A lot of woman do not learn that lesson until it is too, too late. I was also glad to see in the last moments of the movie that Jason (Yul Brenner) was more softhearted than I had thought when he gave Quentin what was due her.

This movie is only loosely inspired by the William Faulkner novel. The character of Jason has undergone a complete rewrite and here he is the angry yet well-intentioned, and somewhat misguided, head of the Compsons, desperately trying to pull the family up by their bootstraps.

As a movie, The Sound & The Fury stands on its own quite well. Yul Brynner and Joanne Woodward turn in powerful performances. As the strict guardian to young Quentin, Brynner plays the role with equal parts of anger and determination, with a touch of sizzle thrown in. Woodward, as the young Quentin, is both desperate and vulnerable, but tough. You can't deny the underlying chemistry between these two characters. Their scenes together crackles in the summer heat. Interestingly, Woodward was already expecting her first child while filming this movie. Brynner's southernized Russian accent is an entertaining distraction. This is a must see but leave your expectations of an adaptation at the door. Hopefully they'll release a DVD soon!

This is "based on" William Faulkner's classic novel, The Sound and The Fury. If you were wondering how they managed to get the nifty incomprehensible narrative onto the big screen...they didn't, instead opting for all the clichés of the Steamy South.

Of the two Quentins in the novel, the filmmakers decided to do away with male Quentin and instead focus on Caddy's illegitimate daughter. This did not upset me as much as it does some fans of the novel- all Quentin really does is lust after his sister. The scene in which the incestuous desire is most apparent is transposed to the big scene, except it's girl Quentin (Joanne Woodward) being forced to say her sleazy travelling circus artist's name by her "uncle" Jason (Yul Brynner).

In this film, the novel is re-done as Quentin's coming-of-age. Jason is now adopted rather than being her blood uncle so the writers can have their cake and eat it. Quentin is Jason's only hope to save his adopted family's good name: his adopted sister Caddy (Margaret Leighton)is an ageing nympho; one brother is an alcoholic; and the other one, Benjy, is a mentally-retarded mute. The parents were no good either.

It's almost a parody of Southern Literature: nymphos, lushes, incest, lust, and it's quite entertaining on this level. However, the casting choices were poor. Joanne Woodward has a lovely Southern accent but she was pushing thirty when she played seventeen-year-old Quentin, making her look more like an idiotic woman rather than a schoolgirl (although this family are a bunch of misfits). Yul Brynner does not exactly come to mind when you think of a Southern brute but he is suitably brutish and sensual. Jason in the book was hardly sensual but the film-makers need their romance.

Margaret Leighton isn't that bad as Caddy. It's not clear why her brothers would be so infatuated with her but she fills the role of decadent mother quite well.

Whoever is playing the travelling circus man is risible, as is the person who wrote the dialogue. We get a bunch of clichés, pseudo-meaningful lines and illogical flirtation. It all looks like somebody filmed a dud Tennessee Williams play.

If you're looking to punish a student too lazy to read the novel, please show them this film. Unless you desperately need your fix of steamy Southern melodrama, I would return to Tennessee Williams. Poor William Faulkner must have got a bit of a shock when he saw this.

Why is it that all stories regarding the South have to have at least one character who is mentally challenged? Oh well, at least Jack Warden was convincing.

Predictably dreary directing by Martin Ritt (Hud; Hombre).

Brynner was definitely out of place as the lead, but Georgia native Woodward was right on target.

British actress Margaret Leigton was terrific. She's another reminder that even in the 50's, some of Hollywood's best were skinny, chain-smoking women from across the pond. Some things never change, I guess.

The print I saw on INHD was in excellent shape. I wonder why this hasn't been released on DVD.

I would also like to find out why over the years this movie has not been available for purchase on DVD or even VHS. I saw it on TV many years ago and really enjoyed it especially with a cast that included Yul Brynner and Joanne Woodward. Anyone out there have any clues? I realize this film did not really reflect the book by William Faulkner but I think it stood up on its own as a simpler version that most people could enjoy. Hopefully at some point it will be available again. Yul Brynner plays his character with some force and pomposity but is very appealing nevertheless. Joanne Woodward is a sweet gamin of a tom boy who acts the part to perfection. It has been along time since I have seen this film but it made enough of an impression that I still surf the internet in the hopes that I will find it available to buy and play at home.