A View from the Bridge

Eddie Carbone (Raf Vallone) a dockworker on the Brooklyn Navy yard accepts his wife's two cousins into his home so they may work and earn enough to return to Sicily prosperous. However when the younger brother Rodolpho (Jean Sorel) gets cozy with Eddie's beloved niece sparks fly and tragedy ensues.

Having never seen the original Miller play on which this is based I cannot compare this 1962 film adaptation by Sidney Lumet but from the film alone I can say it is quite an achievement. The low budget is obvious and many a time one feels as if they are watching an old television movie. But at the same time it adds another layer to the raw atmosphere of the piece. This is the Brooklyn of the 1950s where many struggle for a meager wage and are bound to the docks. Only culture and their traditions keep them alive and this film captures it all.

The cheap look also puts more emphasis on the actors to give their best and boy do they deliver, I could not account for 1 bad performance in this film with the leads routinely strong, particularly Vallone adding an authentic Italian touch, to the extras dotted with many true blue New York blue collar actors like Frank Campanella and Vincent Gardenia.

Being from an Italian family I can say this film captures many of the eccentricities and machinations of an Italian household from the dominant masculinity to family talks and fruit at the end of the meal. Lumet captures the cramped atmosphere so reminisced and glorified in many homes but here turned cold and repugnant due to the material of the piece. The film brilliantly draws the contrast between the old world Italian immigrant mindset of making and saving to go home (as expressed in the brother Marco in his strictly workman's cloths) and that of the younger, new immigrants who come to America to look for opportunity and pleasures not found at home (as expressed in Jean Sorrel with his bolo tie and Texas shirt). The film deals with old world adapting to new world in a larger passion play of lust and betrayal with emotions so sustained that shift to become so open and raw one is left gasping.

Just goes to show what can be accomplished with good actors and a fine director, another under regarded jewel in Sidney Lumet's crown.

Based on a play by Arthur Miller, the film is very typical of its era (where many such classic plays were adapted for the screen) but also characteristic of director Lumet - who was constantly striving to push barriers (among the themes touched upon here are incest and homosexuality!) and always put his greatest emphasis on the acting. In fact, the cast here is an eclectic but surprisingly effective mix of American, French and Italian actors (though set in Brooklyn, the film was actually shot in France!) - with Raf Vallone especially impressive in his difficult role. The film's dock-side setting (gloomily photographed by Michel Kelber) recalls, to a certain extent, ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) - though this is more of a domestic melodrama; still, the final confrontation between Vallone and Raymond Pellegrin (with its tragic aftermath) reaches a fine pitch of tension.

Often, when you get films with multiple production countries behind them, you can end up with a bit of a mess that ties to pander more to its investors rather than its audience. Here, the casting of Raf Vallone as the increasingly troubled "Eddie" and a selection of other European actors actually helped to authenticate the Tower of Babel that New York City actually was. He is a manual worker who has long since only being going through the motions with wife "Be" (Maureen Stapleton) whilst becoming increasingly infatuated with his niece "Catherine" (Carol Lawrence). When two of her cousins arrive on the doorstep, promising that they are looking for work, they sleep on the couch and fairly swiftly she takes a bit of a shine to "Rodolpho" (Jean Sorel) - much to the chagrin of "Eddie". With the atmosphere in their tiny apartment becoming more and more toxic and claustrophobic, it may only be the presence of the elder and more savvy "Marco" (Raymond Pellegrin) that is restraining "Eddie" from asserting himself, violently, and despite the woes of both his wife and "Catherine". When the two youngsters announce their impending nuptials, "Eddie" seeks legal advice from his friend to see if he can thwart their plans, but all he can do is report them to the immigration authorities. What might that achieve for all concerned? Though it's quite heavily abridged, and we don't really get to appreciate the supporting characters as fully as I'd have liked, Vallone really does deliver quite powerfully here. So does the underused Stapleton whose affection for her husband, despite his only thinly-veiled desire for "Catherine", and her understanding nature would challenge the patience of any of the saints routinely referred to as this torrid scenario unfolds. The photography is up close and personal, and I thought Sidney Lumet allows the strength of the story to be played out by actors who almost sweat their roles onto the screen. I did not love the denouement, it is rushed and in many ways incomplete, but this is an authentic looking critique on the lives of immigrants hoping, optimistically, for the American dream, and is worth a watch.

Sparks fly when dock worker Eddie Carbone (Raf Vallone) rejects his loyal wife (Maureen Stapleton) while he desires their neice (Carol Lawrence) who is in love with an illegal immigrant (Jean Sorel). Filmed near the waterfront in Brooklyn, New York director Sydney Lumet captures the turmoil of a family torn apart from a story by Arthur Miller. All the players are excellent especially Mr. Vallone and Miss Stapleton. Unfortunately this film is no where to be found.Apparently it was also dubbed in French.

I saw this when it was first released, but I've never seen it since, not even on Turner or AMC. I'd love to know why it sank out of sight. Perhaps because Raf Vallone was virtually unknown in the USA? (Maybe if it had starred Van Heflin, who originated the lead role on Broadway.) I am glad to see a new production of it is underway. With Miller's recent death, maybe it will attract the attention it deserves as Miller's homage to Greek tragedy adapted to the lives of "ordinary" working people and to modern stagecraft. After more than 40 years, I finally saw a stage production last night, by the University of Oregon Theater Arts Dept. For a college production it was more than adequate, despite the awful acoustics of their theater. The young actor who played Eddie Carbone was quite good. But it whetted my appetite for a professional production. It's available in VHS on Amazon, but I don't want to buy it, just watch it.