Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Better still, buy the soundtrack on CD. Dated, pretentious angst-ridden nonsense that is saved only partially by the fine music; and certainly not by an over-the-top Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. I usually like Wood (not quite so sold on Wagner), but here she seems shrill and the whole film looks and feels awfully dated. I'd rate it just ahead of the truly criminal Subterraneans of the same year (with another of my usual favourites, Leslie Caron). That also had a great soundtrack, including the great Gerry Mulligan, but in it's case it wasn't enough to induce me to watch it all the way through.This one I did, but I'm not sure it was worth the bother.

This film suffers from most of the shortcomings mentioned in many of the comments above. Nevertheless, it's worth watching for two principal reasons: The breath-taking, youthful beauty of Natalie Woods, the most beautiful young woman I've ever seen, and the performance of Pearl Bailey, a fascinating personality and a marvelous actress and singer. Sadly, Pearl doesn't get to sing nearly enough (2 blues songs), but her part alone was decently written, and she acquits herself quite well in the meaty role. Wagner does a creditable job despite having to recite the idiotic and banal lines of his character, and the others are passable at best. Hamilton is borderline OK and Kohner munches the scenery something awful in most of her scenes. Were it not for Woods' stunning beauty and Bailey's excellent work, this one would truly stink.

I happened to see this film years ago in a sleepless night, zapping through some of the less commercial public canals we still had at the time in Europe. It really opened my soul because of the music included. I will not comment on the quality of the script or the acting of the young couple Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner; others can do better than I. But I like the slow pace, the melodramatic story, the dialogue lines that stay in your head, and - above all - I was thrilled by the singing and acting of Pearl Bailey as Ruby Jones. If ever you have to explain the feelings that gave rise to the blues, ahead of the ubiquitous slavery hardships and working in the cotton fields, then this movie is a 'must-see'. When Chad is in the lowest of spirits and ends up in a morning-after hang-out, he runs into this Ruby Jones, an alcoholic, but warm-hearted black singer. And she treats him with a song, unaccompanied, raw voice, that expresses his feelings so well, and gives him the idea he is not the only unhappy, lost man on this globe. I don't know if Mrs Bailey sung the track herself or was dubbed, but she succeeds in getting the blues feeling across as I've never heard thereafter. Same when later on in the movie she sings to Chad, playing the trumpet: "What am I heading for? Blues is knocking at my door". Alas! this song is spoiled by a dubbed in band and even background vocals if I remember well - anyhow, it takes away from the simplicity of just a singer and a "horn player" (as she puts it throughout the picture). The sad story of the twists and impossibilities of human relationships is to me more real-life than most of the soapy Hollywood plots that come to us by shiploads these days. Endearing, that's probably the word that says it all.

I love this picture. I think it's one of his best. For years I have been hoping it come to VHS. It's time to go into that library of movies and put them in VHS. I hope someone take a look at this and put on tape.