The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

"The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," is a real gem but it is not for everyone. If you are not a big Tennessee Williams fan, you probably will not like it. If you are unfamiliar with Tennessee Williams, then you are better off watching "A Streetcar Named Desire," or "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Admittedly, this is not one of Williams' best stories. The reason the film works so well is the acting and directing.

I had seen Bryce Dallas Howard in a few other films but they did not prepare me for this absolutely thrilling performance. This is not just the best performance of the year but it is the best performance in the past several years. She brings the character of Fisher Willow to life the way that Vivian Leigh did for Blanche DuBois. In many ways Fisher Willow is like a young version of Blanche.

Fisher is a typical Williams' heroine. She initially comes off as a selfish, self centered, Southern Belle but underneath she is much more fragile than anyone suspects. Bryce Dallas Howard is able to bring this out with such complexity and nuance that we can sympathize with a character that we should not care about so much. Even in her best moments she seems as though she could shatter at any moment.

This performance alone is enough reason to see this film.

The story follows the familiar themes covered in other Tennessee Williams stories: loneliness, loss of wealth, fall from grace, and battling interior demons. The teardrop diamond could represent the wealth and status her family once had. It is not just a $5000 jewel. It is a symbol of what her family once was and what was once the old South.

Jodie Markell does an impressive job directing. Her style is old school. She knows when to let the camera linger and when to let the scenes play out. The film does not seem rushed and it never drags. The cinematography is gorgeous with burnished orange dominating the color palette.

"The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," may not be one of the four best movies made from a Tennessee Williams story but it is not far behind. This is mandatory viewing for any fan of Tennessee Williams.

From the very start of this film there is an underlying tension. Between the script (And who can write better than Tennesee Williams in this genre) the editing, score and direction, we have the feeling that Fisher is bringing a nasty storm our way. She may not mean to, but she is a selfish and spoiled girl. She meets and falls in love with Jimmy, a working class young man with a deep loyalty to his father, an alcoholic who survived the Spanish American War and his mother, who has been locked up in an asylum.

Jimmy's mix with the rich and disloyal world of Fisher brings about a series of events and though they were foreshadowed, we never knew exactly what was coming.

the film is filled with terrific performances but none compare to that of Chris Evans, who plays Jimmy. From his authentic Tennnsee accent and the way he handles a filter less cigarette (not bad for a Boston boy) to the things he is able to say with his eyes. He fights his way through the film for what is right; for the dignity of his parents and every word he speaks is free of any sort of "acting techniques". When he stands in the rain and cries, we are barely able to keep from crying as well.

This film will be a classic and should have caught the eyes of the Golden Globes, the Accademy and Cannes. The fact that Tenesee Williams didn't win best original screenplay (he was not even nominated) nor Chris Evans win best actor is a travesty. But Hollywood prefers Chris pumnped up and suited as Captain America. This film (along with London) is proof that this young man is the next generation of brilliance.

It's hard not to call this movie a gem because of its title and since other people have in their reviews, but it really is.

I can see why people didn't like this that much in 2008, but I think if this were released today it would get at least slightly higher reviews.

I've never heard of the play before seeing the movie, so it's definitely still good even if watched without knowledge of it.

Fans of movies about human behavior will probably love this, but I think it's still a good movie even if you don't particularly like movies about in-depth characters, etc.

As a rule I despise the collective works of Tennessee Williams, but this production really works. Everything from the authentic costumes and sets to the collection of actors (a far cry from the melodramatic Leigh, Taylor, Brando and rest of the troupe of old previously favored for earlier renditions of Williams' work). Chris Evans and Bryce Dallas give an amazing performance, and compliments to the remaining cast and crew for making an awful piece of literature come alive in a most surprisingly delightful way.

I am a major fan of the works of Tennessee Williams and have everything that he has ever wrote that has been published. I also have all of the original 15 film adaptations of his work and all the remakes over the years. Tennesee Williams wrote this screenplay in 1980, but it was published posthumously in 1984. Then, we had to wait 24 years for it to be filmed. From my research, the film was made in 2008, but not released until January 2010. I do not understand the film industry's priorities that would withhold a film for two years. The film follows Tennessee Williams' screenplay very closely except for an added first scene that sets the tone for the screenplay's first scene where the underlying conflict is discussed but not shown. For most viewers, this added additional scene makes the conflict more understood rather than relying on the dialog to pick it up. It is refreshing to see a Tennessee Williams film where his screenplay is used. The majority of the screenplays for the 15 classic films were written by Gore Vidal to "clean them up" for audiences and censors. I will not discuss a synopsis of the film's characters and action. Instead, I recommend that if you like the drama of Tennessee Williams that you see this new film.