Paradise Lost (1971)

Spanning three years (1932-1935) during the Depression, the manufacturer (Eli Wallach) of a handbag business enjoys a middle class prosperity even though his company is struggling. But it isn't long before he and his family become victims of the Depression and start to see their lives unraveling. Based on the 1935 play by Clifford Odets and directed by Glenn Jordan (ONLY WHEN I LAUGH). Odets' play reflects the leftist (some would say communist) leanings prevalent in certain segments of the artistic community in the 1930s. It's a talky piece (it runs 2 1/2 hours) where the author lectures us using his talking head characters about the class system in America as well as the illusion that we are a democracy. It's not revived often and one can see why as it's a very topical (of its era) piece. As theater, it's rather tiresome but it remains an important artifact of the era and how the theater attempted to reflect the current social situation in its art. The acting is generally good across the board although some of the actors tend to overplay. The large cast includes Bernadette Peters, Jo Van Fleet, Fred Gwynne, Cliff Gorman, Rose Gregorio, George Voskovec, Mike Kellin, Biff McGuire and Sam Groom.