Autumn Leaves (film)
Encyclopedia
Autumn Leaves is a 1956 Columbia Pictures
drama film
starring Joan Crawford
and Cliff Robertson
in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol
and Hugo Butler
, though it was credited to Jack Jevne
, Rouverol and Butler being blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The film was directed by Robert Aldrich
and produced by William Goetz
. Autumn Leaves won an international award for its director and has been released to VHS.
) and his father (Lorne Greene
) abruptly enter the scene. Burt is haunted by the day when he discovered his wife and father making love; he begins displaying signs of mental instability with their sudden, unwelcomed presence in his life. When he becomes violent, Millie sends him to a mental hospital. His condition improves with treatment, and he severs connections with his past. Millie happily discovers he still loves her and they look forward to a brighter future. Cast includes Ruth Donnelly
as Millie's landlady Liz, Marjorie Bennett
as a diner waitress, and Frank Gerstle as Mr. Ramsey.
. Cole's rendition is used over the film's title sequence. The song's original title is "Les feuilles mortes" with music by Joseph Kosma
and lyrics by Jacques Prévert
. English lyrics were written by the American songwriter Johnny Mercer
(1949). The song was introduced by Yves Montand in 1946 for the film Les Portes de la Nuit.
The film has grown in stature among Aldrich fans since its 1956 premiere and is now regarded as one of the director's best films. Dan Callahan of Slant Magazine (June 16, 2004) wrote, "All of Aldrich's early work is intriguing, but Autumn Leaves is his secret gem. It's been passed over as camp because of its star, Joan Crawford, but Aldrich brings all his hard edges to this woman's picture. The collision of his tough style with the soapy material makes for a film that never loses its queasy tension."
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and Cliff Robertson
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly...
in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol
Jean Rouverol
Jean Rouverol is an American author, actress and screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios in the 1950s.-Biography:...
and Hugo Butler
Hugo Butler
Hugo D. Butler was a Canadian born screenwriter working in Hollywood who was blacklisted by the movie studios in the 1950s.-Biography:Born in Calgary, Alberta, his father had acted and written scripts in silent films...
, though it was credited to Jack Jevne
Jack Jevne
Jack Jevne was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 58 films between 1919 and 1956.He was born in Provo, Utah and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Air Raid Wardens * Barnacle Bill...
, Rouverol and Butler being blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The film was directed by Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
and produced by William Goetz
William Goetz
William Goetz was an American Hollywood film producer and studio executive. William Goetz died of cancer in 1969 at his home in Los Angeles and was buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California....
. Autumn Leaves won an international award for its director and has been released to VHS.
Plot and cast
Spinsterish Millicent "Millie" Wetherby (Crawford) works at home as a self-employed typist. One evening in a diner, she meets a lonely young man named Burt Hanson. They take a liking to one another and begin dating. When Burt proposes, Millie accepts and they marry. Burt's ex-wife Virginia (Vera MilesVera Miles
Vera Miles is an American film actress who gained popularity for starring in films such as The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Psycho and Psycho II.-Early life:...
) and his father (Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
) abruptly enter the scene. Burt is haunted by the day when he discovered his wife and father making love; he begins displaying signs of mental instability with their sudden, unwelcomed presence in his life. When he becomes violent, Millie sends him to a mental hospital. His condition improves with treatment, and he severs connections with his past. Millie happily discovers he still loves her and they look forward to a brighter future. Cast includes Ruth Donnelly
Ruth Donnelly
Ruth Donnelly was an American stage and film actress. Her father was the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey....
as Millie's landlady Liz, Marjorie Bennett
Marjorie Bennett
Marjorie Bennett was an Australian television and film actress who began her career during the silent film era.-Career:Bennett was born in York, Western Australia; her sister Enid was also an actress...
as a diner waitress, and Frank Gerstle as Mr. Ramsey.
Song
The film's original title was The Way We Are but was changed to capitalize on the success of the then popular tune "Autumn Leaves" as sung by Nat King ColeNat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
. Cole's rendition is used over the film's title sequence. The song's original title is "Les feuilles mortes" with music by Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma
Joseph Kosma was a Hungarian-French composer, of Jewish background.-Biography:Kosma was born József Kozma in Budapest, where his parents taught stenography and typing. He had a brother, Akos. A maternal relative was the photographer László Moholy-Nagy, and another relative was the conductor Georg...
and lyrics by Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
. English lyrics were written by the American songwriter Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
(1949). The song was introduced by Yves Montand in 1946 for the film Les Portes de la Nuit.
Reception
Although Bosley Crowther panned the film in the New York Times of August 2, 1956, (calling it a "dismal tale") Lawrence Quirk in Motion Picture Herald and William Zinsser in the New York Herald Tribune commented favorably upon the film. Autumn Leaves was a modest box-office success, chiefly among Crawford's female fans. The actress thought highly of the film, deeming it the "best older woman/younger man movie ever made," and added, "Everything clicked on Autumn Leaves. The cast was perfect, the script was good, and I think Bob [Aldrich] handled everything well. I really think Cliff did a stupendous job; another actor might have been spitting out his lines and chewing the scenery, but he avoided that trap. I think the movie on a whole was a lot better than some of the romantic movies I did in the past...but somehow it just never became better known. It was eclipsed by the picture I did with Bette Davis."The film has grown in stature among Aldrich fans since its 1956 premiere and is now regarded as one of the director's best films. Dan Callahan of Slant Magazine (June 16, 2004) wrote, "All of Aldrich's early work is intriguing, but Autumn Leaves is his secret gem. It's been passed over as camp because of its star, Joan Crawford, but Aldrich brings all his hard edges to this woman's picture. The collision of his tough style with the soapy material makes for a film that never loses its queasy tension."
Awards
- Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
(Aldrich), Berlin International Film Festival 19566th Berlin International Film Festival-Jury:* Marcel Carné* Bill Luckwell* Giuseppe Vittorio Sampieri* Koichi Kawakita* Leo J. Horster* Ilse Urbach* Ludwig Berger-Films in competition:* ...erwachsen sein dagegen sehr by Wolf Hart* Autumn Leaves by Robert Aldrich...
.
External links
- TCM Spotlight Autumn Leaves.