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Movie Review
"The Glass Menagerie"
-by Tennessee Williams
After watching the first twenty or thirty minutes of the movie based on the play " The Glass Menagerie", I actually enjoyed it. The beginning was a little boring until it started to develop other characters and actually give hints as to what the rest of the movie was going to be about. It is also convenient to have a narrator to explain what is going on.
The movie is practically about a mother trying to control the future of her two children. It showes the difference between fantasy and reality. The mother is living in a world of fantasy trying to create her children's future for them, whereas her children know what exists in their future.
The audience to my movie review would be people who are thinking about seeing this movie, or people that are interested in Tennessee Williams' work.
So far the movie has developed only three characters. These characters are Amanda Wingfield, Laura Wingfield, and Tom Wingfield. Amanda Wingfield is the mother of Laura and Tom. She seems to have a very controlling personality over her two children. Laura is the crippled daughter, who is trying to look past her childhood illness, and Tom is the narrator of the story.
The movie opens up with the narrator, Tom, giving an introduction. It continues with the next scene taking place at the dinner table. Amanda is acting with her controlling personality telling Tom how to eat his dinner. The last scene we watched was between Amanda and Laura. Amanda was getting mad at her daughter Laura because she was skipping her business classes and never told her mother.
The movie followed a good story line. I never got lost or confused, but it was not predictable.
The Glass Menagerie (1987) is the second adaptation of the theatrical production written by hte famous playright Tennessee Williams. The movie is set somewhere in the 1950s-ish south. The story is about a fatherless family trying to cope with trials produced by the vagabond who left them to fend for themselves. Now Amanda (Joanne Woodward), must manage her son Tom (John Malcovich), and find a suitable husband for her daughter Laura (Karen Allen). Amanda is an overbearing woman, living in the past, who seeks to dominate Tom, forcing him to work at an unfullfilling job in order to support the family. Tom sacrifices his own desires for those of the family by working in the shoe warehouse for meager pay. Laura is a cripplingly shy girl who has some sort of unknown leg malady. The stroy revolves around Amanda's efforts to find a stable future for her daughter by means of a husband for her and also the appearance of a "gentleman caller" towards the end of the story. The movie adresses themes of sacrifice and self centerdness. The cinematography is exceedingly unspectacular and the acting has an unquestionably theatrical air. Amanda has a very overdone southern accent and gives a performance more fitting for a stage than the big screen. John Malcovich gives a noteworthy performance but it also seems a bit more fit for the stage. Karen Allen as Laura, gives the best "movie" performance of the three although Newman minimizes her role some what while focusing more on Johanne Woodward's character Amanda (Paul Newman's wife no doubt.) Overall a fair adaptation of the Tennessee Williams's classic play.
The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams
This play by Tennessee Williams starts out with exposition from our narrator, Tom. Amanda, Tom's mother, and Laura, Tom's sister are the other two main characters in the play, though another is added at the end.
The family lives in an old, run-down apartment in poverty due to their abandonment by the husband and father. Though the father never appears in the play, Tom tells us that he is an important silent character, which leads me to believe that Amanda's disillusioned personality can be blamed on his departure.
The plot of the play is to provide Laura with a husband that can provide for her and for her mother Amanda. Tom has high hopes of leaving the melancholy life of warehouse worker and provider for the family for an adventurous life of a merchant marine. Amanda knows her son's wishes, but realizes that Laura must be provided for because of her crippled leg and anti-social disposition.
Our final character is introduced unknowingly as Laura's first gentleman caller and in effect, as the salvation for the entire family.
The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Tennessee Williams and appears to be about a troubled family in a run down apartment. The son Tom must work at a factory to support the mother and a sister who is only mildly crippled. The story weaves a tale of control as the mother, Amanda, wants to build a fairy tale ending for her two children while the children have lives of their own that they want to live outside of their mothers control.
The crowd that the movie would pertain to is a blue collar family who has to work to get by. The blue collar crowd would best connect with the drama and the hardship of being left by a neglectful father to fend for themselves.
The characters in the play are Tom played by John Malcovish, the mother Amanda played by Joanne Woodward, and the daughter played by Karen Allen. The narrator is Tom and he tells the story in relation to his past and the events that led to the downfall of his family. The play doesn’t tell of what happens to the family after the event of the climax. The acting and lighting was dark as if in a theater watching a play instead of watching a movie.
The movie had its moments and was a great adaptation of the play and followed the script very closely. The only thing that would turn people away from the movie is the incisive rambling of that old woman.
"The Glass Menagerie"
-Tennessee Williams
Not being the most flashy or extravagant film, "The Glass Menagerie" is moderately interesting. This is most definitely meant to be performed on a stage. watching a movie set in one setting with only three main characters is very boring in most cases. The use of symbolism makes it hard to understand at some points and makes the viewer think to hard to enjoy the movie.
It begins with Tom (John Malcovich) giving an introduction to the film and what was going on. The setting is probably sometime shortly after World War II. During this rendition of Tennessee Williams play, Amanda (Joanne Woodward), her son Tom, and daughter Laura (Karen Allen) are living in an old apartment after their father has left them. Amanda lives in the past and contiously reminisces about her times on "Blue Mountain" and brags about all the gentleman callers she had. Her daughter, Laura has never had a gentleman caller and Amanda takes it upon herself to find her one. Amanda is crippled and this makes her very self conscious. Her escape from this seems to be her glass collection. Tom works at a factory to support the family and dreams of leaving them (his family) for a better job. Eventually Laura finds her a gentleman caller thanks to Tom.
The audience in this film could be anyone because its a very clean film. However, the use of symbolism throughout the play would make it hard for children to understand the meaning and what exactly is going on.
As far as acting goes for this movie, I've seen better. John Malcovich and Karen Allen give solid performances while Joanne Woodward seems to overact her character. Its almost annoying listening to her talk in that fake southern accent, however she does a good job of portraying Amanda's personality from the play itself. Paul Newman (the director) really focus' a lot on Woodward and in one seem actually blocks John Malcovich's face, while hes talking, with the back of her head.
All in all it was a solid performance and interesting story that makes this film a renter.
Movie Review
The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
Paul Newman directs this touching movie of Tennesee Williams's play about a family stuggling to cope with reality and their attempt to escape from it. Joanne Woodard plays the overbearing mother Amanda, once a dazzling southern beauty, that trys to control her two children's lives. Karen Allen, the crippled and very timid daughter Laura, learns to escape by surrounding herself with her glass figurine collection that is as fragile as she is. Her brother Tom, played by John Malkovich, works at a local warehouse to support his family whereas his father long gone, "fell in love with long distance," but spends hours at the movies for excitment and adventure that he craves for. His dream is to have his own adventures as a merchant marine but is forced to work at the warehouse to support his family. This movie displays the character's difficulties of accepting reality,how they try to overcome it and face the agonizing control of memories that people live with.
Movie Review
"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams
This play turned movie was mildly entertaining. The fact that the entire movie was based around one scene kind of boring. The movie was directed by Paul Newman and has three main charaters and one supporting charater. The main characters were as following: Amanda Wingfield( Joanne Woodward),Tom Wingfield(John Malkovich), and Laura Wingfield(Karen Allen). The supporting actor was Jim O'conner(James Naughton). The story takes place sometime shortly after World War II where the husband has left the wife (Amanda Winfield) and her two children (Tom Wingfield and Laura Wingfield),to live in an old apartment. Tom brings home the money to support his family while his sister Laura tries to get over her crippling that has pleaged her all of her life and the mother completely tries to control every single aspect of their lives.
The audience in this movie/play could really be teenagers and up just for the simple fact of having to deal with some of the problems that the family faces.
The story line in this movie is pretty simple to follow and shouldn't be confusing to anyone. The camera during the entire movie had closeups of only one person and that person was Amanda Wingfield. This could be because of the significant role she played or just the simple fact of she was the directors wife.
Overall though it was a well performed movie. The only thing I saw that was a little over reacted was Johanne Woodwards portrayal of a southerner at times. It seemed almost as it was too fake sounding. This is definately a movie worth renting if there is nothing left.
Movie Review
The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Paul Newman this screen adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play is terrible true to the stage version. Set in St. Louise Missouri during the Great Depression, this big screen version of a “Memory Play” portrays the life of Amanda Wingfeild (Joanne Woodward) an aging debutant past her prime, her daughter Laura (Karen Allen) a young woman slightly crippled by a childhood disease, and her son Tom (John Malcovich) a would be poet as they struggle though life in a melancholy existence. Tom narrates the movie which takes place in two time periods, the present from which he narrates and the past in which the majority of the plot takes place. The scene is set in a tiny apartment that is inhabited by the three characters and is symbolic of the claustrophobia felt by Tom who drudges through life scratching out a meager existence working in a shoe warehouse to support his family. His boring life is made even more unbearable by his nagging mother who lives in a long since gone reality of her days as young women in the south. Trapped in the past Amanda wants the same opportunities for her daughter to receive gentleman callers as she once did. In hopes of finding Laura, a cripplingly shy girl, a husband, Amanda asks for Toms help by suggesting that he bring home a gentleman from work. The film itself is a bit hard to follow if you’re not paying attention because of the change in time from present to past. The symbolism, such as the glass that Laura collects, which is representative of her fragile being, and the irony of Toms perspective on his diluted family while he himself practically lives in the movies to escape his depressing reality are all that make this film interesting. However the characters do a great job of bringing Williams work to life on the screen.
The Glass Menagerie
The film adaptation of The Glass Menagerie (1987), directed by Paul Newman, does an excellent job adhering to Tennessee Williams' original play. It is a family drama set in the winter and spring of 1937 in St. Louis.
The Glass Menagerie is a story of a family that must continue on in the absence of their husband/father after he's left them. The mother, Amanda Wingfield (Joanne Woodward), is an overbearing, controlling woman living in her own glory days as a Southern belle and refusing to accept her current realty. Tom Wingfield (John Malcovich), the son/brother and narrator, is an aspiring poet that escapes his reality of supporting his family through literature, movies, and alcohol. Laura Wingfield (Karen Allen), the daughter/sister, is a 23 year-old woman with some sort of disability (wears some sort of leg brace and walks with a limp) that lives in her own reality of glass figurines and old records left by her father. Jim O'Connor (James Naughton) is a co-worker of Tom's and potential gentleman caller for Laura. Mr. Wingfield, the father/husband, appears only in a prominently displayed portrait in the Wingfield living room as he left them several years before.
The general theme of reality is pushed to its limit within the confines of each character. Perhaps the most important of the reality/fantasy conflicts is that of Tom and the decision he must make between his obligations to his family and those to himself.
Overall The Glass Menagerie is a fair representation of the famous Williams play. While somewhat predictable, it lends a point of interest by taking place not only in the past (the majority of the story) but the present as well (through Tom's narration). The acting is a bit overdone, more suited to the stage than screen and the cinematography is quite plain, almost boring. Rarely do we see more than a wide shot of the entire scene. However, there are a few tighter shots of Amanda's scenes, perhaps due to Woodward being Newman's wife?
The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
The basic plot of this movie is that Tom Wingfield (John Malkovich) wants to escape from the home where his mother's (Joanne Woodward) only concern is finding a suitor for his shy sister (Karen Allen). The movie begins in the present with Tom narrating the story of his family’s past. The setting of the movie is in a northern American city. As the characters are introduced, we begin to pick out their not-so-subtle nuances. Amanda (the mother) is an overbearing, annoying actress who lacks the Southern charm that seems inherent in the original play. Her daughter, Laura, is overly shy but at the same time captures attention with her sweet manner. Both Amanda and Laura seem to be infatuated with their worlds of glass menageries. Tom comes off as selfish and seems to spend the entire movie trying to justify his self-centeredness, mostly by blaming his mother. Tom is the only character who seems to live in the real world.
We learn early in the movie that the family’s father is absent. His job became too important, but the family doesn’t hold that against him until there’s a conflict, in which case, blame eventually works its way around to him. Tom is forced to work at a warehouse for little pay to support the family, although he would rather spend his time doing something else. One central theme of the play is the need to make sacrifices. Several other conflicts, both inside and between characters, lead up to the main topic of the movie: finding Laura a suitor.
Taking the year (1987) into account, lighting was excellent throughout the movie. There were darker scenes, but not so black as one cannot see the characters. Camera work was sub-par. When characters were in dialogue with each other, one would be shot from behind so that only the back was visible. Also, every shot seemed to be level with the characters, almost to the point that the surroundings were not important.
This movie is appropriate for most audiences. There are scenes of smoking and shouting between family members. Characters drink wine and there are a few curse words. Also, some ages may be unable to understand the meaning of the play.
Overall this movie was average. The acting ranged from terrible to charming. Dialogue often gave insight to the characters’ relationships. The movie asks some interesting questions: What is a ‘glass menagerie’? What characters in the movie identify with the glass? What, or who, is the family’s salvation? Why is the size of the father’s portrait important? Why is Amanda so concerned with Laura’s future, while Tom is not? What are symbols in the movie?
Review of The Glass Menagerie (film adaptation)
by Brian Brathovd
In 1987, Paul Newman had the dubious distinction of attempting to adapt Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie to film. Whether or not this was a good idea is still up for debate.
The very first thing that strikes a viewer about the movie is the poor production quality. The audio and visual quality is sub par even for an independent film. The score is unimpressive, and low budget television of the day generally had better editing and was more refined.
Beyond production itself, the actors are not the best choices. This is possibly because anyone who would have been right wouldn't touch such a poorly conceived project. John Malkovich (Tom) actually performs very well, but still seems too old for the character. For the Role of Amanda, Newman had the idea to throw his wife in the fray. Joanne Woodward fits the role of Amanda adequately, but as the film wears on she becomes annoying.
Karen Allen (Laura) has had her impressive moments. None of them came in this particular film. Something just does not fit. This reviewer has personally witnessed a college student that could do the gentleman caller scene as Laura much better. Her failure as an actor is compounded by the fact that she is way too old for the character.
James Naughton (Jim) was the worst choice. He is far too old for the role. Casting a man in his 40's to play an early twenty-something has got to be the biggest short fall of the entire production.
The story and plot are everything expected, and very familiar to fans of theatre. Fans of he play, however, would be very disappointed by the sum of the film's parts. Viewers not familiar with the play would fail to see the point altogether.
Two thumbs down for this debacle.
DANIEL WISE COMMENT AND MOVIE REVIEW
THE GLASS MENAGERIE
BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS.
THIS movie The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is about an elderly woman named Gertrude Lawrence who plays the role of Amanda Wingfield, who is the mother of Jane Wyman who is playing the lead role as Laura Wingfield, and The mother Amanda also has a son Arthur Kennedy who plays the lead role as Tom Wingfield. Throughoutv this epic play and movie screenwrite the mother Amanda Wingfield imposes her own humorous glances and faces and her sense of satirical impatience towards Her son Tom and his guest Mr. John Compton when he invites him to dinner little does he know that he himself the well to do buisness man Mr. Compton will have the pleasure of courting Toms sister Laura for the evening, whom he hasd forgotten for a few moments that he had been once well aquainted wuith her and Tom in High School. As in earlier in the movie toms motheruses her sense of humor often around the dinner table and during conversation. Earlier in the movie we see tom sit down for dinner with his mother as she scolds Tom about his table manners and ettiqacy, " She says Now Tom! Tom! don't eat food without chewing because it makes you look like a cow and cows have special digestive systems to help them swallow their food down!" Throughout this movie The mothers sense of satirical humor carries on with her and follows Tom and Laura throughout the remainder of the movie. The audience in this movie should be for teens and parents since some of the ssatirical humor and comments thrown are about dating, business, smoking, recreation, and love making and about sittuations which are common in the daily lives of other people. Some scenes discuss material about these life sittuations which could help or be benneficial to someone whishing to know about one of these topics such as dinner ettiqacy, or dating a young woman. The mother in this movie is simply trying to get her point across to her son and Laura because she wants both of them to learn better according to her standards. Did you know that during the 1920's and 1930's some homes still did not have running water and if you did have it you were fortunate to have it. This is why Ms Wingfield invited Mr. Compton to wash his hands before supper. Also she whished to check up on Mr. Comptons personal Hygene. Also during the 1920's and 30's people were stilll being taught some of the basics of personal hygene.During this time it was common to see vendores set up booths about personal cleanliness,and healthcare,or medicine at many festivals. T%he movie The Glass Menagerie gets its title from the daughters personal sense of enjoyment for her set of special glass figurines which she cared so much about.
Paul Newman directed a very good play called "The Glass Menagerie", written by Tennesse Williams. This play is about a family that is trying to make it in their society with what they have. The father is out of the picture. Even though he is dead, he still plays a big part in their lives. The mother, Amanda, played by Joanne Woodard, is a mother who loves her children and she just wants to see them happy. Especially her beautiful daughter, Laura, who is played by Karen Allen. She is a crippled young lady, who does not have a job. Amanda is very worried about her daughter's life. She is worried that there will be no one to take care of her after she dies. Amanda's son, Tom, played by John Malkovich, is to busy with following his dreams that he isn't worried about his sister. Tom ends up following in his father's foot steps which is to "fall in love with long distance." I think this play was very good. It keeps you guessing on what was going to happen next. It made you want to watch all of it just to see how the family ends up.
Movie Review
"The Glass Menagerie"
By: Tennessee Williams
Paul Newman directed the movie "The Glass Menagerie" which was a play written by Tennessee Williams. In the movie John Malcovish plays the son Tom, Joanne Woodward plays the mother Amanda, and Karen Allen plays the daughter Laura.
The mother, Amanda, wants the best for her children. But she pushes them away by worrying about them all the time. She tries to push her dreams into the life of Laura.
Laura is pressured by her mother to find a gentleman caller to take care of her but Laura is just to shy so her mother asks Tom to find a gentleman caller for Laura without her knowing of it. Tom works at a factory to support the family since his father left. He wants to be a merchant marine but his mother wants to find Laura a gentleman caller before he takes off and leaves so she will have someone to take care of her.
I liked this movie. It was a little boring at the beginnng but it got better. You were always wondering what was going to happen next.
“The Glass Menagerie” Movie Review
In this film, a family of three living in St. Louis in the 1930s copes with daily life, both trying to support each other and find themselves. The mother, Amanda Wingfield, played by Joanne Woodward, deals with the pain of the present, and nearly every situation in the play, by storytelling, especially her happy times as a young Southern girl. Her storytelling and domineering personality very nearly overshadow the entire play.
The brother/son Tom Wingfield, played by John Malkovich, is a mysterious and somewhat harsh person, who escapes the everyday grind by “going to the movies” and writing poetry. He is the stable character of the play, showing consistency and, I think, the most audience-appealing performance. Who hasn’t wanted to leave everything you hate behind to travel to distant and exotic lands? The sister/daughter Laura Wingfield, played by Karen Allen, is a very delicate and hesitant person. She lives for her glass collection, obsessing over every fleck of dust and gingerly handling them to observe how the light illuminates them in every way. There is a supporting character, Mr. Jim O’Conner, played by James Naughton. He is meant to be a love interest for Laura, but as we see, does not fulfill his position.
As the mother dreams of her children’s happiness, the brother dreams of far off places with no responsibility, and the sister dreams of little glass ornaments, no one is happy or even satisfied with their lives and it shows. The depressing tone of the play reflects in the acting, which I deem to be mid grade for the most part. The overbearing mother, the rebellious son and the introspective daughter may have been new concepts for the time the play was written, but those stereotypes are worn out. I get that everyone is a glass menagerie in themselves. Every person is fragile and could utterly fail if pushed the right way, but everything in the movie is so exaggerated that the symbolism drowns in the theatrical swamp of Southern charm and over-acting. I would say nine times out of ten I prefer a book to its movie adaptation, and this is no exception. Mildly entertaining, but a decidedly outdated and middle of the road effort.
Movie Review:
"The Glass Menagerie"
Director: Paul Newman
Original Writer: Tennesse Williams
The Glass Menagerie is a wonderful movie. It is filled with fantasy, romantic longing, abandonment and humanistic tension.
The movie is about an older mother, Amanda (Joanne Woodward), with children in their twenties who have moved to the city of St. Louis due to their father's job who then abandons them and the mother is left to raise the children alone. The son, Tom (John Malcovich),takes on the role of the provider without a choice and the daughter, Laura (Karen Allen), is crippled. Throughout the movie the mother is obsessed with getting her daughter a gentleman caller.
The movie is portrayed as a memory giving the sense that nothing in the movie comes from reality. The lighting in the movie adds to the effect of portraying a memory. It is always dim and almost fog-like. Even the end is lit by candle and like a memory flickers untill it goes out and is forgotten.
The sense of unreality is also seen with the characters who each live in a world of fantasy. Tom has dreams of becoming a writer and seeks adventure. He often uses movies as an escape from his life at home. His character is conflicted by his love for his mother and sister and the desire to escape. Amanda is probably the most out of touch with reality. She cannot move past the memory of her youth and her husband who deserted her. She keeps her appearance nice as if to suggest that she will not accept the financial situation they are in. Laura is also living in an imaginary world with her "Glass Menagerie." The reason for each living unrealisticly is that they are each unhappy with their lives and are unable to change it. Amanda is upset that she was once prominant and now lives poorly. Laura is deeply affected by her defect. Tom is resentful that he is given the pressure of being the provider. I believe that the actors did well portraying each character as Williams may have intended.
The plot of the movie was easy to follow and was filled with suspense from wondering if the gentleman caller would ever appear.
The movie has many things under the surface which are portrayed with symbolism. Symbols include "The Glass Menagerie" itself which represents Laura and her glasslike qualities. The unicorn,which was Laura's favorite glass figure that represents how Laura is differnt than most people.
Laura has the nickname, "Blue Roses", which is also symbolic in that they represent how Laura is a rare type of person but has attractive qualities.
" The Glass Menagerie" is a movie that provides an escape from reality and makes one realize that we are not alone in desire for what we do not have. Many people like the characters in the movie draw on fantasy to make it through monotony of everyday life.
The glass menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
The Movie opens with Tom (John Malkovich) returning years later to the lower-middle-class apartment house in St. Louis where he and his mother Amanda (Joanne Woodward) and his sister Laura (Karen Allen) lived together. Smack in the middle of Depression America, he, too, is any man who longs to escape the average life and demands of his mother. Climbing up the fire escape, he finds the apartment abandoned, the windows broken out and the floors cluttered with debris. Laura(Karen Allen) is crippled by her shyness and the deformity of one of her legs. She is doomed to live in waiting for a gentleman caller who will never come. Williams based this character on his own troubled sister rose whose memory haunted him much like Laura haunts Tom.
Paul Newman's adaptation of The Glass Menagerie is a reverent record of Tennessee William's 1954 dream play. It's a play of stunning language and brilliant performance creating living nightmares well defined by Newman's direction.
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