The plot is almost razor-thin (a couple is haunted by his nightmarish drug addiction) and focuses more on the relationships that involve the main characters and those in their orbit. But Michael Gazzo's story is very engagingly done, because although it feels slow in the first thirty minutes, you become gradually absorbed into their problems (which cover more than just the drug use).
What impressed me most was the casting of Lloyd Nolan as the ineffectual father. The casting works very nicely, because Nolan uses more of an 'old-school' style of Hollywood film acting; and this, juxtaposed against the hardline method turn by Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa who play his embittered sons makes the contrast and generational gap between them all the more noticeable.
Eva Marie Saint appears as the only female in this mêlée of simmering emotions, taking over from Shelley Winters who did the stage version (Winters was married to Franciosa). As much as I like Saint and can see how Fox would have considered her more glamorous movie star material, I think it might have been edgier with Winters who probably nailed the character's working class origins.
I have not seen the stage version or read the play, but I think anyone seeing the film for the first time can guess where director Fred Zinnemann has taken a few cinematic liberties with the story. There are some brief moments where we cut away to Don Murray's character wandering the street, struggling with the thought of robbing a kind old woman so he can afford a quick fix from his dope dealers. The way these exterior scenes are filmed at night provide a sense of foreboding and increase the film's overall moodiness.
The best scenes occur at the end when Murray comes out of the closet about his addiction. There is a memorable dinner scene where he admits he's a junkie to the father, and for the first time, dear old pop realizes that the brother (Franciosa) has been in on the secret the whole time. I don't think the wife's reactions are exactly right-- she was supposed to have been in the dark about the root of her crumbling marriage, thinking there was another woman, but Saint plays it almost too reassuringly, as if it's no big deal and would you please pass the stew.
The ending, where they do a group intervention is truly riveting drama. I can only imagine what it was like on stage, where the intimacy of the theatre brings the audience and performers that much closer together. It's harrowing to say the least. But there is a sense of satisfaction (and relief) that Nolan's deadbeat dad has finally taken some responsibility about the mess he has created. The film does not end with any easy answer, just the idea that the problem has now been addressed and they can all begin to move forward.
What impressed me most was the casting of Lloyd Nolan as the ineffectual father. The casting works very nicely, because Nolan uses more of an 'old-school' style of Hollywood film acting; and this, juxtaposed against the hardline method turn by Don Murray and Anthony Franciosa who play his embittered sons makes the contrast and generational gap between them all the more noticeable.
Eva Marie Saint appears as the only female in this mêlée of simmering emotions, taking over from Shelley Winters who did the stage version (Winters was married to Franciosa). As much as I like Saint and can see how Fox would have considered her more glamorous movie star material, I think it might have been edgier with Winters who probably nailed the character's working class origins.
I have not seen the stage version or read the play, but I think anyone seeing the film for the first time can guess where director Fred Zinnemann has taken a few cinematic liberties with the story. There are some brief moments where we cut away to Don Murray's character wandering the street, struggling with the thought of robbing a kind old woman so he can afford a quick fix from his dope dealers. The way these exterior scenes are filmed at night provide a sense of foreboding and increase the film's overall moodiness.
The best scenes occur at the end when Murray comes out of the closet about his addiction. There is a memorable dinner scene where he admits he's a junkie to the father, and for the first time, dear old pop realizes that the brother (Franciosa) has been in on the secret the whole time. I don't think the wife's reactions are exactly right-- she was supposed to have been in the dark about the root of her crumbling marriage, thinking there was another woman, but Saint plays it almost too reassuringly, as if it's no big deal and would you please pass the stew.
The ending, where they do a group intervention is truly riveting drama. I can only imagine what it was like on stage, where the intimacy of the theatre brings the audience and performers that much closer together. It's harrowing to say the least. But there is a sense of satisfaction (and relief) that Nolan's deadbeat dad has finally taken some responsibility about the mess he has created. The film does not end with any easy answer, just the idea that the problem has now been addressed and they can all begin to move forward.