Desire Under The Elms (1958)

A farmer's son (Anthony Perkins) bitterly resents his tyrannical mean spirited father (Burl Ives) and holds him responsible for the death of his mother (Anne Seymour) because of his treatment of her. When his father returns from a trip with a new young wife (Sophia Loren) and announces he will leave the farm to her, passions erupt but not in the way they expected. Based on the play by Eugene O'Neill and directed by Delbert Mann (MARTY). This is a fairly faithful rendering of O'Neill's version of a Greek tragedy. Contemporary reviews were unkind but despite flaws, I found it well done. Although Burl Ives is physically wrong for the role, that didn't bother me. The problem is that Ives is a limited actor and his performance here is too reminiscent of his other two 1958 performances, Big Daddy in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF and his Oscar winning turn in THE BIG COUNTRY. Perkins and Loren (her character rewritten as an Italian immigrant) are just fine. The strong underscore is by Elmer Bernstein. With Pernell Roberts, Frank Overton, Jean Willes and Rebecca Welles.