Four years after making the critical and financial hit Cat on the Hot Tin Roof, the team of director Richard Brooks and star Paul Newman decided to reunite in 1962 for another adaption of a Tennessee Williams play, Sweet Bird of Youth. The play had debuted on Broadway a few years prior with Newman in the lead role and garnered several Tony nominations, including Best Actress for star Geraldine Page. Rather than mess with what was already working, Brooks brought over nearly all of the actors from the Broadway run to reprise their roles in the film adaptation. Although the creative team was in place to capture the magic, censorship laws of the time kept the film from being as impactful as it should have been.
Sweet Bird of Youth is the story of a handsome young wanderer named Chance Wayne (Paul Newman), who has returned to his hometown of St. Cloud, Florida after years away attempting to break into acting in Hollywood. Chance has returned with a drunken, depressed older actress named Alexandra Del Lago (Geraldine Page) by his side. Alexandra has run away from a perceived implosion of her career in Hollywood by whisking away with Chance, a virtual failure in his desired career who hopes to use Alexandra to make himself a star. To complicate matters, Chance is unwelcome in his hometown after being driven away from his true love, Heavenly (Shirley Knight), daughter of corrupt politician Tom “Boss” Finley (Best Supporting Actor winner, Ed Begley). Finley has nothing but contempt for Chance, and with help from his nefarious son, Tom Jr. (Rip Torn), he aims to keep his daughter’s perceived virtue intact to give him a moral boost in his reelection.
This is a film filled with unlikable people acting in all manner of loathsome ways for their own personal gain. While this may not seem like the most enjoyable way to spend your time, the stellar performances from everyone involved makes this engaging throughout. The one on one scenes between Newman and Page in their hotel room cut with a knife, with the characters going from vulnerability to anger in an instant. Likewise, Begley and Torn play irredeemable characters with such gusto that you cannot help but be drawn in by their performances. The direction of the movie is not flashy, but it does have some interesting shots and set pieces that elevate it from feeling like a filmed version of the play.
Sweet Bird of Youth has a lot going for it, from standout performances to delicious dialogue and intriguing revelations. Unfortunately, the censorship laws of the time kept this one from going for the jugular, which likely would have made this more of a well-known classic. In the Tennessee Williams play, some of the characters have truly shocking things happen to them that have been severely sanitized for the film. After hearing the actors talk about the differences in the special features, it all clicks together as to why the movie leaves you with a bit of a shoulder shrug. The movie does not stick the landing, but there is still a lot to enjoy in what we got.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Sweet Bird of Youth with a new 2020 1080p master transfer that is very pleasing. The level of detail and clarity throughout is very impressive with a nice amount of film grain intact. The film is shot with a more muted color palette, but there are some bright colors within the set design that pop off the screen along with the green of the Florida foliage. The black levels are also stable and deep throughout. The only minor issue that is apparent is a 30-second sequence where the transfer drops to more of a DVD quality about 36 minutes into the movie where “Boss” Finley is talking to Heavenly. The presumption is this is an issue with the quality of the elements they had available, and it is a very minor issue in an otherwise excellent presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that is of the highest quality. Dialogue is the particular driving force of the movie, and everything comes through crystal clear from beginning to end. The track balances these vocals with numerous crowd scenes and an understated score with magnificent clarity. Warner Archive has provided a great audio track free of any damage that serves the movie well. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.
Special Features
- Sweet Bird of Youth: Chasing Time – A nearly 12 minute retrospective with some of the cast discussing the film and comparisons with the stage version. This is very insightful and worth watching.
- Rip Torn and Geraldine Page Screen Test – Raw footage in which Torn plays the Chance Wayne role opposite his future wife. The footage gives you a taste of some of the dialogue that was censored in the film.
- Theatrical Trailer – A three-minute trailer that plays up the “adults only” marketing that sold the film as highly provocative.
Final Thoughts
Censorship keeps Sweet Bird of Youth from being an all-time classic, but it is still very entertaining and boasts an amazing cast including the always-dependable Paul Newman. Warner Archive provides an amazing A/V presentation, as always, and even ports over the DVD-era extras. This is a great release from a great company, and fans of the film will surely be thrilled to finally own this on Blu-Ray. Recommended
Sweet Bird of Youth can be purchased directly through Warner Archive or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
