Sweet Bird of Youth (1989) (TV)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writers (WGA):

Tennessee Williams (play)
Gavin Lambert (teleplay)

Release Date:

1 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The melodrama of a failing, aging movie star who takes up with an ambitious masseur who takes her home...

Plot Keywords:

Aging | Atmosphere | Has Been | Age Difference | Stylized

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Alexandra Del Lago
Mark Harmon	...	Chance Wayne
Valerie Perrine	...	Miss Lucy
Kevin Geer	...	Tom Junior
Seymour Cassel
Ronnie Claire Edwards	...	Aunt Nonnie
Cheryl Paris	...	Heavenly Finley
Rip Torn	...	Boss Finley
Charles Lucia
Teddy Wilson
Megan Blake
John Fleck
Tom Nolan
Billy Ray Sharkey
Ruta Lee	...	Sally Powers

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L

Company:

Kushner-Locke Company, The

Trivia:

Rip Torn (Boss Finley) was in the original film version as Finley's son.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: This remake is set in the late 1950s. Yet Alexandra del Lago pays with a credit card, not with checks as in the original play and original film. Also some of the costuming, especially Heavenly's, is much later in style than the 1950's-early 1960s.

Movie Connections:

Version of Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)

Bland and empty adaptation of the classic Williams play

For some reason Elizabeth Taylor and a number of others at the time thought Mark Harmon was an up and coming "hot" actor- here he is without charisma and luke warm - totally miscast as Chance Wayne, a man who must be loaded with charm, beauty and ambition. As Alexandra del Lago, Miss Taylor lacks both acting ability, insight into the character, and star power. She can't have NOT seen Geraldine Page's classic performance in the role - Page WAS an actress, never really a star, but makes us believe Alexandra was and is BOTH. Miss Taylor is woefully miscast here and quite lackluster. Where was Marsha Mason when they needed a potentially great Alexandra del Lago?

The teleplay stripped the great speeches and the symbolism of the original play and left us a "drek" vehicle. This is one production that deserves to have all of its prints and negative burned.