Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man

"Ernest Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man" is one of the many motion pictures I saw during my adolescence in one of the cinemas in the neighborhood where I grew up, the colonial part of the city of Panamá. Somehow I completely forgot what it was about. Last night I sat to check the opening credits for nostalgia reasons. The film began and although I am not a Franz Waxman specialist, I instantly said to myself "Waxman...", and it was him!, his music, so instead I ended watching the complete film again.

I was surprised to find out it is an entertaining road movie, and have no explanation why I could not remember a single scene from it. Maybe I was too young to care about the ideas being voiced, even if they were neither too profound nor developed enough. Maybe Richard Beymer (as Nick Adams), Susan Strasberg and Diane Baker (as his love interests) were neither strong nor charismatic young performers to watch a whole film with them as leads...

This of course is not true considering, for examples, their contributions to "West Side Story", "Taste of Fear" and "Strait-Jacket", respectively, but I realized that it was mostly the fine performances by the rest of the cast what smoothly carry the narration along. In the first act, Arthur Kennedy as Nick's father is very good; then Paul Newman, Juano Hernández, James Dunn, Dan Dailey and Fred Clark give strong support during Nick's trip from Michigan to New York; Ricardo Montalbán and Eli Wallach follow during the third section, and Jessica Tandy does her fine act as a bitter mother (repeated a year later in "The Birds") in the resolution.

Thanks to good art direction evoking the first years of the 20th century and beautiful location shooting in Italy and Wisconsin, one can overlook the carelessness of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Lee Garmes here and there, with shadows of the camera and light equipments all over the place in different scenes.

However, the movie is a work dominated by good acting. Martin Ritt was an excellent director of actors and it is quite evident in this film, which also covers some of the social and political issues he would later treat at length in his filmography, mostly in "Hud", "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "The Front", "Norma Rae", "Sounder", "Conrack", and "Stanley and Iris".

This film attempts to compile all or most of Hemingway's Nick Adams stories into one complete whole. The effect is a coming of age story that ends on a bitter/semi-sweet note. Along the way you see a series of stories populated by well known actors and actresses.

There is a sequence that reminds one of Farewell to Arms (wounded ambulance driver falls in love with nurse, who eventually dies in his arms).

There is the overbearing, controlling, religious mother and the anguished father (who eventually takes his own life).

There is the hard boiled newspaper editor, who gives sound hard boiled advice.

I liked the movie, but I am unsure whether I would recommend it to someone else.

To be quite honest, not everyone will be taken with this movie, particularly if they are not already familiar with the Hemingway stories. These stories were written sporadically, but most readers of the collected Nick Adams tales have not found it difficult to see in them an arc of a young man's life, from his hell-raising days in the thick woods of Michigan, through to his growing maturity in World War I. The problem, of course, is that the story format makes the whole thing highly episodic: like a photo album of significant moments.

To some extent, the movie manages to blend this away, although at cost to the integrity of the original stories. Still, it is such a help to see these stories made visual that any objections are overcome. Further, the performances of the many distinguished actors involved -- above all, Paul Newman as the punch-drunk Battler -- are truly distinguished.

I liked this movie thoroughly, although it needs to be said that "The Killers" (1946), from another of the Nick Adams stories, is undoubtedly better as an adaptation. Still, it's hard not to admire the audacity of those who put together "Adventures." It's probably about as good as it could be.

It is really very irritating, at any rate to those who know the originals, that the Region 1 version is still censored, and for absolutely no discernible reason.

Beautifully produced version of Hemingway's saga of his early journey towards manhood. Amazing supporting cast is a mix of veterans and rising talent of the time with assured direction. The entire cast does well but there are a few standouts. Paul Newman does good character work as a punch drunk has-been boxer, Eli Wallach has some fun with his conscripted soldier and Arthur Kennedy offers his usual thoughtful work as the lead's goodhearted but dominated father. Also kept an eye out for a blink and you'll miss her appearance by Sharon Tate in her screen bow.

The problem lies in Richard Beymer in the lead. He's not bad but he's just sort of there lacking the charisma to anchor such a pageant over its extended running time. Someone with the ability to hold the camera's gaze is needed, either Steve McQueen or Albert Finney who were the proper age at the time would have been better casting. As it stands the film is good but missing the key element that would have made it more.

A naive young from Middle America named Nick Adams , Ernest's pseudonym : Richard Beymer undertakes a voyage to learn about vital experiences . He asks for a job as a reporter at a known newspaper but he is rejected . He then gets a job as a barman and at a drafting convention takes a decisive decision . In order to get some life adventures he decides to join the armed forces during WWI. As he was drafted into the Italian Army as a Lieutenant. Eventually , he falls in love for a beautiful girl : Susan Strasberg , who meets and heals him after being injured .Young Man in a Hungry Hurry . For the young men of all generations .. and the young women who love them..

This is a semi-self-biography of the great and restless adventurer writer from his rural Michigan to the Italian front . Along the way he grows to camaraderie, manhood , comradeship and friendship . Richatd Beymer gives an acceptable acting as the stubborn , inmature young who embarks on an eventful cross-country trip and subsequently enlisted in the Italian front against the Austrian army , as an ambulante driver .Support cast is frankly magnificent such as : Arthur Kennedy as an upright but weak father , Jessica Tandy as domineering mother , Paul Newman as a deformed and punch-drunk boxer , Joaquin Martínez as his coach , James Dunn as a likeable telegrapher , Dan Dailey as a drunken advert-man for a burlesque show run by Fred Clark , Corinne Calvet as a Countessa , Elly Wallach as a soldier colleague and Ricardo Montalban as an Italian General, among others.

Thus thoughtful motion picture was well directed by Martin Ritt . This great director was an expert on well-crafted dramas , such as : Stanley and Iris , Nut , Norma Rae , The Front , The sound and the Fury , Black Orchid . Although he also made other genres, including films as The Spy who came in from Cold , The Great White Hope , Mafia. And he worked with Paul Newman in three Westerns : Hombre , Hud , Outrage and this one in which he plays splendidly a beaten boxer. Rating 7/10 . Better than average . Notable