Autumn Leaves

Robert Aldrich, Joan Crawford and eerie direction equal a classic film, and do not miss. In fact, I woke up at 5 A.M. to watch Crawford (for the third time) in this intriguing and provocative film. Crawford is simply amazing, and really becomes a New England spinster, displaced in 1950's Los Angeles, who, per chance meets a young (and seemingly normal ) war veteran, well-portrayed by a dashing, yet strange Cliff Robertson. Joan again delivers, as a woman used to living alone, working as a typist, and eventually meeting an interesting younger man. Look for veteran character actress Ruth Donnelly as Liz, Joan's landlady who hopes she will find true love with Robertson. Robertson is oddly menacing and believable in this story as well. Aldrich and his direction are superb. The cinematography, abstract camera angles at the beach, and bizarre scenes, are classic. This film was produced in the late 1950's, and very ahead of its time. Highly recommended. 9/10.

Fine performances from Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson give this taught drama more emotional resonance than might be expected from the plot summary. Crawford is superb - all huge eyes and trembling lips, she makes the relationship with Robertson's character believable and moving. The tentative start to the relationship is especially effective. Burt Hanson's mental deterioration is quite graphically portrayed and at one point, I have to admit, I was peering through my fingers at the screen. It was purely by chance that I stumbled across this movie on late night television. Despite being a fan of classic movies all my life, I had never heard of this one and I have to say that I'm surprised. It deserves to be better known.

Trashy delight about the ill-fated marriage of a naïve middle-aged woman and an enigmatic younger man. Director Robert Aldrich worked surprisingly well with a latter-day Joan Crawford, taming the Hollywood queen bee and bringing her volatile personality down to scale. This gusty, absorbing nonsense gives Crawford a solid role as a single, stay-at-home typist who falls for shifty Cliff Robertson, a pathological liar. Florid melodrama filled with overripe dialogue, overheated set-ups (like the infamous thrown typewriter), fluttering hands and fluttering eyelashes. Aldrich keeps it all simmering nicely, and the entertaining results are certain to please soap buffs. *** from ****