Movie Review: The Young Philadelphians (1959)

An epic family drama, The Young Philadelphians is a sprawling story of romance and ambition. Undoubtedly sudsy, it is also undeniably engrossing.

On her wedding night, Kate Judson (Diane Brewster) is abandoned by her new husband William (Adam West) of the highly respected Lawrence family. She seeks comfort with her other lover, construction company owner Mike Flanagan (Brian Keith), and conceives a son. Kate ensures her newborn carries the Lawrence name to improve his societal standing. 

Tony Lawrence (Paul Newman) grows up under the watchful eyes of Kate and Mike. As a young man studying law he befriends playboy Chet Gwynn (Robert Vaughn), who is in line to inherit a large trust fund but is having difficulties with his stodgy guardians. Tony's first love is Joan Dickinson (Barbara Rush), but her father Gilbert (John Williams), a respected lawyer, delays their impetuous marriage plans by promising to mentor Tony after he graduates. A distraught Joan marries Carter Henry (Anthony Eisley) instead.

Tony adopts a more ruthless streak and secures a position with John Marshall Wharton (Otto Kruger), who runs the most prestigious law firm in Philadelphia. He navigates the passionate advances of Wharton's younger wife Carol (Alexis Smith). After serving in the Korean War and helping a severely wounded Chet, Tony makes a name for himself as a tax lawyer. Still to come is a difficult reunion with Joan, and a court case involving Chet that threatens everything Tony has achieved.

An adaptation of the Richard P. Powell book, The Young Philadelphians is two hours and twenty minutes of captivating storytelling. Producer James Gunn also the wrote the screenplay, and embraces the chapter-like structure with brisk pacing, trusting the audience to keep up with the many ups and downs experienced by Tony Lawrence. Director Vincent Sherman is more functional than flamboyant, but does infuse the narrative with a sense of elegant quality. 

The episodes are held together by several overarching themes. Mom Kate and secret dad Mike nurture their son from a distance, trying to influence and help Tony without revealing his true lineage. The passion between Tony and Joan sparks early, and after she marries someone else they have various encounters over the years, two individuals who understand each other best to the point of inflicting both pain and joy.

But the narrative's most persistent thread is Tony's perfect imperfection, his pursuit of prestige and career glory sometimes causing him to trample on others, but also creating opportunities to help and exert expanded influence. Tony learns early a certain ruthlessness is required to climb the ladder, then has to modulate in accordance with his moral code.

The final chapter is a court case gathering up all the accumulated complexities of Tony's life. Gunn and Sherman demonstrate courage to present the complicated trial in sufficient detail to heighten the drama, although the ability of a tax lawyer to shine in a high profile criminal case begins to stretch credibility.

Paul Newman is a mixture of easy intensity and marginal over-emoting, but carries the load lightly. Robert Vaughn earned a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for a pivotal role full of churning anguish. Alexis Smith, in a small role, leaves an indelible mark as a younger wife looking for adventure, and Barbara Rush adds a sparkle as Joan, although she is less prominent after the opening third.

The Young Philadelphians enjoy lives and loves full of twists and turns, most of them delivered with aplomb.



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Movie Review: The Constant Nymph (1943)

A love triangle featuring a subdued underaged romance, The Constant Nymph offers plodding treatment of a controversial subject.

In Belgium, classical music composer Lewis Dodd (Charles Boyer) learns that his most recent composition was performed in London and flopped. In need of fresh inspiration, he relocates to the rural Swiss mountain farm of his friend and music aficionado Albert Sanger (Montagu Love). Albert is in ailing health, but his four spirited teenaged daughters are excited to welcome Lewis. In particular, Tessa (Joan Fontaine) harbors a deep crush, and hopes that one day Lewis will notice her, although she suffers from a weak heart and fainting spells.

But Lewis meets Tessa's sophisticated older cousin Florence Creighton (Alexis Smith) and they quickly get married, crushing Tessa's hopes. The extended family relocates to the London home of Florence's wealthy father Charles (Charles Coburn). Tessa and her sister Paula (Joyce Reynolds) are hustled off to a boarding school, while Lewis starts resenting Florence's conceited lifestyle and friends. When Tessa moves back into the Creighton house, the smoldering passion between her and Lewis becomes undeniable, igniting Florence's fury.

An adaptation of a novel and play by Margaret Kennedy, The Constant Nymph was out of general circulation for close to 70 years after initial release. Turner Classic Movies reached agreement with Kennedy's estate and the restored film re-emerged for broadcast in 2011. This 1943 version was already Hollywood's third take on the book, after adaptations in 1928 and 1933.

With the Lolita-like difficult subject matter of a fourteen year-old girl-woman dreamily lusting after a much older man who eventually awakens to her love and reciprocates (here in words only), director Edmund Goulding deserves credit for steering a steady path away from sordid implications. An overall sense of blandness helps, and Boyer rather flatly portrays Lewis as mostly oblivious to Tessa's passion until late, generally treating her as a younger ardent sister.

Fontaine, at 26 years old, does her best with unconstrained physical mannerisms to portray a barefoot farm-raised young teenager, but she can only do so much. On the screen Tessa is never anything other than an accomplished actress pretending to be a girl.

A stage director before moving to films, Goulding settles for lumbering theatricality and uninspired camerawork. Many of the scenes slowly sink due to length and listless talkiness. Somewhat saving the day is Alexis Smith in fine form as Florence Creighton. Finally here is a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, but who also pays the price for the hurriedness with which she snags Lewis. Florence emerges as the most emotionally involved woman, and her struggle to control her rage and not lose her man gives The Constant Nymph some verve.

The cast also includes Brenda Marshall as Tessa's oldest sister Toni, and a rather wasted Peter Lorre as Toni's shifty suitor then husband Fritz.

Kennedy infuses the relationship between Tessa and Lewis with an inspirational subtext to soften the troublesome age difference. Wise well beyond her years and inspired by her father, Tessa deduces Lewis will only unleash his musical creativity when he finds true love and experiences heartache. The Constant Nymph follows a predictable narrative path to misery as a gateway to inspiration. Pity the film itself is more stilted than imaginative.

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