Absolutely fascinating and fairly gripping adaptation of Tennessee Williams play, by Gore Vidal. (Williams gets a screenplay credit without having worked on it.)
Montgomery Clift is the brain surgeon called in to lobotomize Elizabeth Taylor at the insistence of her aunt Katharine Hepburn, who by the time her first long scene is over, we begin to suspect is bonkers herself. It all revolves around the death of her (never seen) son, who we also think is probably extremely suspicious. Madness, incest and homosexuality are stirred together in a merry stew.
With Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, Gary Raymond.
Jack Hildyard on camera, Arthur Ibbelson operating, William Hornbeck the supervising editor (John Jympson did the assembly). Oliver Messel was the production designer. Music: Malcolm Arnold, Thomas Stanford.
It was in 1956 filming Raintree County (also with Taylor) that Clift crashed his car into a tree and had to have his face rebuilt. By this time he was uninsurable, but Liz came through for him.
A Columbia release. Most enjoyable, especially Taylor kissing Clift and then his boss walks in.
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