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Review of The Glass Menagerie
This movie started slow but got more interesting as it went on. The movie is about a woman dreaming of her past, a son trying to find a way out and a daughter stuck in circumstances. Also, a young man is added to the chaotic mess for a short time.
The mother, Amanda, is obsessed with her children’s lives and their mistakes. Though she means well, her actions and words are sometimes cruel. The son, Tom, is trying to escape from the life that keeps him in his mother’s clutches. To me it seems the only reason he stays is for his sister, Laura. Laura is a terribly shy, crippled girl who doesn’t have much in her life other than her glass collection. The last character in the story, the gentleman caller, only has a few scenes but play and important role in this movie.
The overall idea of the story is that Amanda is trying to find a husband for Laura. She wants Laura to have some one to take care of her before Tom leaves them just as his father did. This is where the gentleman caller comes into the movie. Amanda is hopeful this is the one for Laura. Jim, the gentleman caller, is the symbol for the thing that a person is always waiting for, as told by Tom.
A key moment in this movie is when Jim tells Laura about his girlfriend, Betty. At this point Laura is completely shocked and disappointed. I think Laura’s encounter with Jim helps her because she will become a stronger person.
The ending is not at all what I expected. The movie kept my attention as I waited for Jim and Laura to live happily ever after. Amanda also kept my attention, as I wanted to know how she would embarrass her children next. As a whole the story was good and so were the actors.
Review of The Glass Menagerie
Experience a time that remains only in the hearts and minds of those who were brought up during one of America’s most unforgettable times, which is the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Lost in one of the many crumbled apartments on a abandoned street in St. Louis, lies the troubled story of a old southern mother and her two grown children. This riveting tale shows the passion of a life yet to be fulfilled as Tom; the young son of Amanda strives to be more than just a worker at a shoe department. In this cinematic feature, director Paul Newman captures the essence of one of America’s most famous plays
Based on the critically acclaimed play by Tennessee Williams, “The Glass Menagerie chronicles the troubled relationship between an aging mother named Amanda Wingfield, and her painfully shy daughter Laura Wingfield, as told by the son and brother, Tom Wingfield, who is telling the story from his own vivid memory. This 1987 remake starts award winning actress Joanne Woodward as Amanda, a extroverted aggressive woman who has explicit memories about her past as a well known southern belle. She often pressures her daughter Laura to have the life that she always wanted. Tom, who is played by acclaimed actor John Malkovich longs for a life that is full of adventure and often goes to the movies to escape his dull life as a shoe department worker. In my opinion, this films captures more vivid details than the play that Tennessee Williams originally wrote.
Amanda often has delusions of being a southern belle and living a pampered life. But, her life has resulted in a complete reversal of fortune. She makes a living working in a department store selling magazine subscriptions. Laura is her partially handicapped daughter. She is also incredibly shy. Tom works in a shoe warehouse to provide financial support for the family. But, he longs for a life of his own. After a fight with his mother, Tom agrees to bring a gentleman over for dinner. The gentleman turns about to be Laura old crush, who immediately assumes that Laura has an inferiority complex and tries to help her come out of her shell.
I was interested in the dark format that this movie takes place. From the beginning you almost felt that something bad had happen by seeing Tom in the old decrepit apartment, where he had lived with his mother and sister. The lighting of the movie was rather bleak, but that did not take away the important dialogue of the story. Another big moment in the movie happen when Laura starts to open up with Jim. This is the only time that I see her character develop. I was not to crazy about the ending, because it could have been better.
In conclusion, The Glass Menagerie is great dramatic film that will probably stand the test of time. It gives a great lesson about living life to the fullest. And the consequences about waiting too late to chase a dream or tell a love one how you feel. I recommend this film to all.
The Glass Menagerie is about a mother who is trying to make a way for her son and daughter. Her son, Tom, is supporting their family by working at a warehouse to pay the bills. Their father is gone, so they are surviving off of what Tom can make. Tom’s sister Laura is a very shy and self-conscious girl who can’t even manage to take a business course. Their mother, Amanda, who tries to encourage them,only seems to push them away. She aggravates Tom to death and seems to eventually run him off. She also tries to marry off Laura, but the guy seems to already be engaged.
This was a very interesting movie and I think a lot of people can relate to having a mother just as aggravating, but Amanda also seems to push them away. Laura is a very shy girl and when her mother starts to tell her stories about how graceful and beautiful she used to be it makes Laura feel as if she can’t measure up to her mothers standards. I think that it makes her even more self-conscious and nervous about herself. Amanda feels that she is just going to have to marry her off, so she sends Tom to find her a gentlemen caller.
Jim, the gentlemen caller is very nice to Laura and gives her advice with her self-consciousness, but seems to lead her on with a kiss. I don’t understand why he did that if he was already engaged. He really just made the situation worse for Laura. He compliments her continuously and then just lets her down in the end. This really bothers me for some reason and I just can’t understand why he did this. I did see a little symbolism in this part though. The unicorn seems to symbolize Laura. The horn which separates him from the other glass horses is like Laura’s defect which separates her from others. When the horn is broken off the horse becomes like all the others. I think that Jim made her open up and see things differently. His advice allowed her to open up for change and she began to see that she wasn’t that different.
There really wasn’t much to the movie, but I feel that some people can relate to different characters. I do hate the way it ended for the family, though. You never really see what happens to them, but you can tell that it’s probably not good. Laura probably didn’t find anyone to marry, and when Tom is back at their home in the movie you can see that it is abandoned and falling apart.
“The Glass Menagerie” directed by Paul Newman, starts out like a slow song, it takes a minute, but its succeeds in capturing your attention. While not the genre I normally would have any desire to watch, “The Glass Menagerie” becomes a very enjoyable movie, and in the end the slew of symbolisms becomes apparent. Actor John Malkovich does a great job as narrator, and as the very fed up Tom Wingfield. The rest of the cast does a good job as well, especially that in part of Amanda Wingfield who brings comedy to the movie as the extroverted mother.
The movie is based on the original play by Tennessee Williams which in 1945 won the prestigious New York Critics Circle Award. This was his first successful play and established him as an important American play writer. “The Glass Menagerie” takes place in St. Louis, Missouri during the Great Depression. The entire movie never leaves the confines of the small apartment where three very opposite characters, the Wingfields all live together. First you have Amanda the outgoing, sometimes annoying mother. Tom, the troubled poetic son who is fed up with life, and lives vicariously through movies. Finally the unbelievably shy daughter, who seems to only care about her tiny glass animal collection. Throughout the movie, their very different character traits cause chaos in the home. In the end the distant mother and son come together to try to help Laura find a gentleman, Jim O’Conner. who seems to have what it takes to save Laura.
I think the title “The Glass Menagerie” which is what Laura’s mother uses to refer to her glass collection, is a very interesting symbol in this movie. Lauras tiny glass animals are symbolic of her own incredibly fragile personality. As you will see in the movie, her emotional state is reflected in the collection. Her shyness becomes a tragedy in which Tom, and Amanda come together to rescue her from. Will she be saved? Or will the attempt fail and leave the family in chaos?
This movie is filled symbolisms that make it very complex and memorable. I really enjoy the conflict that forms between the very different family members all confined to the tiny apartment. What I like best is the mix of comedy in even the most serious of scenes. I recommend this movie to anyone, no matter what your taste in movies. The story is such that will grab your attention, and lead your into a very interesting story.
Review of the Glass Managerie
This movie has a very deep meaning. It is very hard to believe that people can live in such a way as this family did, but unfortunately it is very true. The Mother, Amanda, is obcessed with her children's lives and appears as a selfish, over bearing mother in the beginning. Then you realize that she is trying to live her life through her children and trying to patch her mistakes. Laura, is a very insecure indidvidual and seems as if she lives in some sort of fairytale land. She has a very big imagination and I simply admire her for trying to make the best out of the situation she is in.
The Glass Menagerie is directed by Paul Newman and the actors include: Joanne Woodward, Karen Allen, John Malcovich, and James Naughton.
Although this Drama does not focus on Tom's, the son, father, you start to figure out that a lot of his confusion and stress comes from the fact that he is the "Man" of the house and feels abandoned and undeserving of his father. The root to alot of this movie is the father,and that is why I believe they have his picture portrayed throughout this screenplay. Tom has no time to be a man of his age, he is too busy providing for his family and constanatly being threatened by his controlling mother. Although Laura is portrayed as a space cadet she really does make the movie, as a whole,really come ALIVE. The Mother is so busy wrapped up in her selfishness, but underneath her overbearung personality you really do see how genuinely she really cares for her children. All three characters will never understand what the other is going through and thats what makes the movie so interesting, they all fit together like a puzzle.
I really recommend this movie to others. It is a drama that anyone of any age will enjoy. It really does show the hardships of a sinle mother and trying to raise her childeren after being abandoned by her husband. This movie really opens your eyes and really makes you think about how hard it really is to run a family. Everyone can relate to one of the characters, whether it be the mother, Tom, or Laura. It really makes you see that no family is perfect and we all have our struggles but thats what makes you a family, in the end. It starts out very slow, but eventually keeps your attention, as well as, holds suspense most of the time!
Movie Review: The Glass Menagerie
The title of the movie being review is The Glass Menagerie, which is based on the famous Tennessee Williams’ play. The movie has an ensemble cast which includes Joanne Woodard, John Malkovich, Karen Allen, and James Naughton. The movie was released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures and was directed by Paul Newman. The movie is set in Depression-era St. Louis. The movie focuses on the Wingfield family and the trials and tribulations it goes through.
A rendition of Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie tells the story of the Wingfield family which lives in a poor part of St. Louis in the 1930s. The narrator of the story is Tom Wingfield (John Malkovich), an intelligent man who is unhappy working at a warehouse (he has hopes of becoming a “merchant seaman”) and likes to go to the movies to find “adventure.” Tom lives in an apartment with his mother Amanda (Joanne Woodard), an overbearing woman who often tells of the days when she was younger and had many “gentlemen callers,” and with his sister Laura (Karen Allen), a very shy, insecure, and crippled woman who keeps little animal figures made out of “glass” and displays them in a “menagerie.” Tom’s father, a telephone company worker, abandoned his family some time earlier. One day, Tom is persuaded by his mother to find a “gentleman caller” for Laura. Tom succeeds and invites his co-worker and former high school classmate, Jim O’Conner (James Naughton), to dinner. Jim is an ambitious and optimistic man who encourages Laura to be confident.
An interesting moment in the movie is when Laura and Jim discuss the “glass unicorn”. Laura hands the “unicorn” to an apprehensive Jim and tells him that she “trusts him.” Laura tells Jim that out of all the other “glass animals,” “the unicorn is her favorite one.” Jim replies that “unicorns are extinct.” This is an interesting point in the movie because it is when Laura really seems to be opening up to Jim. More importantly, this is the point where the dialogue seems to be more about describing Laura rather than the “unicorn.” Laura, instead of the “unicorn”, is Jim is apprehensive about holding or being near because she seems so fragile-just like “glass.” When Laura tells Jim that she “trusts him”, she seems to be saying that she not only “trusts him” to hold the “unicorn”, but she “trusts him” with her well-being. Jim’s response that “unicorns are extinct” seemed to be directly in reference to Laura. The response detail that Laura is a rare and very special woman. In this scene, the two actors, Karen Allen and James Naughton, give excellent performances.
The Glass Menagerie is a well- directed and well-cast movie. Under Paul Newman’s direction, movie-goers are able to get a close-up view of the character’s expressions, and thus, their emotions. The actors do Tennessee Williams’ script justice as they deliver their performances with the right emotions. This is an intriguing movie which I highly recommend everyone watch. The Glass Menagerie (1987): Drama, Adaptation. Rated PG: Length- 2 hrs. 10 min. Released by: Columbia Pictures.
It is very hard to live life through someone else. The mother who is played by Amanda Wingfield feels like she can be happy with herself by trying to live her life through her kids. Maybe she feels her life is a disappointment and this is the reason so many bad things has happened. Eventually, her children understand the reason she acts as she does which is one important part of the film.
The Glass Menagerie is a film directed by Paul Newman. The characters include Amanda Wingfield (the mother), Laura Wingfield (the daughter), Tom Wingfield (the son and narrator), also Jim O’Conner (the gentleman caller). The film shows the struggle of a family during the Depression Era in the 1930s.
The father, who is barely talked about in the story plays a big role of the family. Even though he never speaks he still is a part of the things that happen to the family especially the son. If his actions were different maybe the Wingfield family would have experienced a diverse lifestyle.
Laura who is the daughter has a very hard time dealing with things in her life. One of the highest points in the story is her becoming comfortable with herself. She comes to a point where she becomes very comfortable with the things in her life that made her special than other people.
This movie would be good for any family no matter the age. It’s a movie filled with many important things that can make people weak or stronger. It can help families learn how to deal with certain differences that people have or life itself.
Review of The Glass Menagerie
“I turned back time. I reverse it to that quaint period, the thirties, when the huge middle class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes failed them, or they had failed their eyes.” The narrator’s opening monologue draws you in from the beginning, and it is just a foretaste to the movie’s lyrical language.
The movie, The Glass Menagerie, originally a play by Tennessee Williams, was directed by Paul Newman in 1987, and brought to life by actors: Joanne Woodward(Amanda Wingfield), Karen Allen(Laura Wingfield), John Malkovich(Tom Wingfield), and James Naughton(Jim O’Connor). Set in St. Louis in the depression years, The Glass Menagerie, presents us with Amanda Wingfield, the ex-Southern belle mother whose husband “fell in love with long-distance and disappeared into it”; Laura, the crippled and psychologically fragile daughter; Tom, the son who spends every evening at the movies and dreams of following his father “into long-distance”; Jim, the gentleman-caller who offers hope and delivers despair. The Glass Menagerie tackles the problems of flawed memory, unfulfilled dreams, and a mother who tries to change her disappointments to rights through her children.
The narrator is Tom Wingfield who is a would-be poet and chief supporter of his impoverished mother and crippled sister. At first, Tom’s comes across as somewhat arrogant, but it later seems to be wry, self-defensive humor. His cynical, wry humor more and more clearly grows out of his frustration with being the unwilling support of a fatherless household. He begins to resent his managerial mother and helpless sister. Amanda Wingfield takes some getting used to in the movie, but she eventually captures the role of a woman determined to save her children from their own grim lives. Laura’s character is gentle and has a loveliness to her. She is delicate and fragile, and her collection of glass figurines remains a metaphor for fragile and easily broken spirits. Jim, the gentleman caller, is romantic and charming, and its no surprise Laura fell in love with him.
The key point in the movie is when Jim announces he is engaged. This point plays a key role in revealing the fragility of all the characters. When Jim breaks the horn of Laura’s unicorn figurine and announces he’s engaged, the possibility that he will help Laura overcome her self-doubt and shyness is also destroyed. When Amanda finds out this engagement she loses all hope that Laura will attain the popularity and social standing she, herself lost. As Jim is leaving the apartment because he has to pick up his girlfriend, Laura decides to give him the broken figurine as a souvenir. After Amanda and Tom’s fight over the engagement, Tom leaves his family to live a life of adventure, but the emotional burden of his sister stayed with him forever.
I would definitely recommend this movie for both children and adults. I have read William’s play version, so I can say that Paul Newman did an excellent job keeping the moving exactly like the play. I think the struggles in the movie dealing with family and tight family ties that strangle, are issues most of us, even in our modern times, can understand and relate to. The movie was able to convey emotions with precision that it had me fully into the lives of the characters. This movie is worth seeing again.
Review of the Glass Menagerie
As movies go I wasn't to involved with this one. I loved the story line and the symbology; but the acting and the overall presentation of the movie was not that great for me. It started slow, and though there were a few humorous parts on the part of the mother played by, Joanne Woodard, I think she tried to control every scene; which could have been due to her being married to the director.
The movie is based on the Tennesse Williams play, which I did enjoy reading. It is directed by Paul Newman and features Joanne Woodward, Karen Allen, John Malkovich. It takes place in the 1930's during the depression and is based on a mother,Amanda, and her two grown children, laura and Tom.
The mother is obsessed with finding a mate for her daughter and will go to any length to make it happen. Laura is a very shy woman, who hides away from people due to her anxieties over her being handicapped. Her one love is her glass menagerie, she puts all of herself into her collection.
The son tom has invited a man from his work over for dinner one night; whom to laura's astonishment is the one boy she had a crush on in school. After dinner while the mother and Tom clean the dishes away Tom and Laura have a moment. He gets her to open up and makes her feel comfortable with him. She takes out her favorite piece of the glass collection, the unicorn, which later falls off a table and the horn is broken off. When Laura speaks of this she seems to speaking about herself. "maybe it will make him feel less freakish, maybe now he will fit in with the others" she says; which could be seen a symbolism for her feeling comfortable for the first time around someone. Later they share a kiss, and then he reveals that he has a serious girlfriend. Even though he was already taken, he still made a huge impact on Laura, he was able to make her see that her handicap should not control her life and that she should trust people enough to be more comfortable around them.
I would recommend the story but the movie just wasn't my cup of tea, it starts slow and ends slow; you never get a clear picture of what happens to the girl and mother. All in all I would give it three stars ....out of ten.
The Glass Menagerie
The movie The Glass Menagerie is based on a famous screenplay written by Tennessee Williams. It won the prestigious New York Critics Circle awards in 1945. The cast consists of John Melodic, Joanne Woodard, James Naughton and Karen Allen. It was released in 1987 and directed by Paul Newman. Although, it only has of a cast of four, the character types are very vibrant and dynamic. Its dramatic theatrical characters are balanced by the sweet musical selection made for each scene. The movie is set during the Depression era in St. Louis, Missouri and mainly revolves around one family’s roller-coastering life. Some say each character in the play had small similarities with Williams’s life.
The whole move takes place in a small but well keep apartment in St. Louis, Missouri the nineteen thirty’s. Where the Wingfield family reside (Tom, Laura, and Amanda). John Malkovich, who plays the narrator, plays Tom the son. His character is that of a struggling poet trying to find is way in an industrial world. He is stuck working at a warehouse and living with his Nagging mother and child like sister Laura. Laura the sister is a shy child like women who was crippled by a childhood illness. This illness has also caused her to invert her self to the point of frailty. Then you have Amanda the strong and over baring mother who is so caught up with the bitterness of her own past that she unwittingly is cruel to her children. Her character is so over powering at some points you want to slap her. But then you see a slightly southern tenderness shine through. The last character Jim O’Connor does not live in the apartment but is Tom’s friend from high school who works at the warehouse in a position above Tom. He is a dinner guest and intended suitor for Laura.
The main plot of the movie is about the children but the mothers overwhelming chairacter is hard to avoid. Amanda’s main quest is to find some one to take care of Laura and push her son to be more of a man than his father who is only portrayed as a grinning photograph. Amanda will not let go of Tom until she is sure that Laura is stable with some one to take care of her. So Tom arranges a gentlemen caller but things do not go according to plain. The movie is full of symbolisms that unfold through out the movie. I recommend this movie for any one who is in search of find the courage to be their self.
Review of The Glass Menagerie
The play The Glass Menagerie, was wrote by a Tennessee Williams’. In 1987, the play became a movie that Paul Newman directed. The cast of the movie includes, Joanne Woodard, John Malkovich, Garen Allen, and James Naughton. The movies main emphasis is on the Wingfield family and how they struggle through the depression era.
The remaking of The Glass Menagerie, wrote by Tennessee Williams’ shows the story of how in the 1930s the Wingfield family could barely manage through the tough times. The Wingfield family lived in an apartment in the poor area of St. Louis. The narrator of the story is the son Tom (John Malkovich). Tom is a young gentleman who is unhappy with his job and his life at home. He lives with his overbearing mother Amanda (Joanne Woodard) and his very shy sister Laura (Karen Allen). Tom is always setting out to find “adventure” by claming that he is going out to the movies every night. The mother is the one who reminisces on the past and often tells her children about the days when she had numerous gentlemen callers. His sister Laura is a young woman that had to wear a metal brace on her leg growing up, and due to that she is very shy, insecure, and doesn’t deal well with people. Tom’s father who is often talked about was known to work for the phone company; and left family at an early age. As the mother is always reflecting on her past about the gentlemen callers, she is able to get Tom to bring one home for Laura. Tom brings his fellow co-worker Jim O’Conner (James Naughton) home with him and as it turns out the co-worker was a school classmate of both Jim and Laura. You come to find that Laura was fond of Jim in high school. After dinner Jim is able to break down Laura’s wall of shyness and we were able to discover some of her life attributes.
As Laura and Jim’s conversation continues on, she talks about here glass figurines. She picks up her favorite one which is a unicorn and gives it to Jim to hold. I found this part of the movie to represent something important. Here Laura is showing that she not only does she trust Jim to hold her most valuable possession, but she trust him with her feelings. During the night Laura continues to be intrigued by Jim ways and words. So as the movie ends we must ask ourselves, did Laura let her guard down to fast, or was Jim way out of line.
I give the movie three out of five stars. Paul Newman does a great job by following the play that was done by Tennessee Willams’. I recommend this movie for all ages, it opens are eyes to how people lived during the depression era.
The Glass Menagerie
(1987)
Who wants Amanda Wingfield for a mother-in-law? I do not which runs the guys off more, Laura’s shyness or the shrill, grating voice of mother Amanda. The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Tennessee Williams, and has been directly remade for television and film since the 1970s. This version was directed by Paul Newman and stared Joanne Woodward as the mother, John Malkovich as Tom, Karen Allen as Laura, and James Naughton as Jim O’Connor, the gentleman caller. I think this film was particularly well cast. Woodward, hailing from Georgia, gives a credible, while exaggerated performance of a time-trapped Southerner. Malkovich and Allen are both from the Midwest helps to amplify the disconnect between the old, gentile past and the new, urban present.
Malkovich starts the film as an older Tom informing the audience of the difference in memory and reality. While this play is told from by the most rational character, he even admits to memories selectivity. Memory is an emotional recall; not usually an entirely factual representation. The movie chronicles the story of a struggling family of the Great Depression.
The mother and grown children were abandoned by the father. The mother waivers between lamenting their present situation, nagging her children, and recalling her pleasant memories. Laura spends her time living in a fantasy world of glass figurines. Both are impractically fragile. Tom seeks a fulfilling life, but is unable to divorce guilt from the zeal of self gratification. All he wants is to leave the apartment and live an adventure. However, the adventure he leads is not the one on the movie screen. He at his mother’s insistence brings a man home to meet the shy Laura. The mother wishes to find a husband for her daughter. The film gives some indication she knows Tom will soon leave, and she fears for the survival of her child. The Gentleman Caller arrives. His identity is revealed as a former classmate of the Winfield’s’ and the person Laura had an unrequited attraction to.
The movie is a tragedy, and the color palette highlights the feeling impending doom. The lighting blends the various shades of orange and yellow giving the impression of time, wear, and financial neglect. Even the costume colors of pink and white look out of place. Malkovich plays every motion and line with cynicism, regret, and his own inherent sense weirdness. The role is so staid to the point when the dramatic moments of dialogue show mania rather than mean sarcasm. Woodward performance is nauseatingly good. She irritates the crap out of me, and knowing that is her characters intention makes her performance successful. Allen plays the dreamy, vulnerable Laura well. I feel sympathy for the character. She makes me believe weakness is not always a character flaw, but a character trait.
This film is the most recent film Paul Newman directed, and after seeing this I understand why. The film is all about the actors and what the actors bring to the stage. It shows little directorial direction. The play is strong enough to withstand the absence of directorial vision, but I would have hoped for a production harnessing and developing the action talent instead of letting them run roughshod over the story development. Overall, I liked the film.
Tennessee William’s play “The Glass Menagerie” is captured perfectly in Paul Newman’s 1987 screenplay.
The movie is set in the 1930s and is about the characters’ struggle to cope in hard times, made even harder by their twisted illusions of reality. The movie begins as Tom Wingfield (John Malkovich) ascends the fire escape into the apartment. Tom lives with his controlling, chronically nostalgic mother Amanda (Joanne Woodward) and crippled shy older sister Laura (Karen Allen).
A poet at heart, Tom forces himself to return day after day to the shoe warehouse to support his family. Laura spends her days in a fantasy world polishing her glass collection and avoiding social contact at any cost (doomed to be painfully shy due to her ‘little defect’). His mother, Amanda, is overbearingly controlling and has, in his words, put him a ‘2x4 situation, in a nailed up coffin’. As Amanda begins to notice Tom’s flightiness she begins to obsess with finding a gentleman caller for Laura, who would never be able to make it on her own. As Tom brings a gentleman caller (James Naughton) onto the scene, the hope that Laura might live happily ever after is ripped away in a surprising and almost cruel ending.
The character and actor that stood out the most in the movie was Amanda, played by Joanne Woodward. Amanda’s endless stories of ‘Blue Mountain’ and her horde of ‘gentleman callers’ is practically nailed in the audience’s head as she explains everything in detail with her loud, almost grating voice. I believe this is how Tennessee Williams meant Amanda to be played because Woodward effectively gets the point across while adding humor to the mix.
Throughout the whole movie… whether I was wishing for Tom to throw Laura’s glass collection at his mother to get her to shut up… or whether I was wishing for Amanda to throw the ‘mayonnaise dressing and salmon loaf’ (no seriously) at Laura to get her to snap out of it and act normal… I was enthralled and caught up in the drama. While this might not be a movie for the kids, most adults should find it entertaining… and if they like to think deep, the movie is chock full of symbols so even better!
The movie The Glass Menagerie is an adaptation of Tennessee William’s play. The movie is directed by Paul Newman, who keeps the theatrical feel of the play in the movie. He has his wife, who is from the north play the southern character, Amanda, the mother of the story.
The Glass Menagerie is directed by Paul Newman. His wife, Joanne Woodward plays Amanda Wingfield, the overbearing mother in the play. John Malkovich plays Tom Wingfield, the rebellious son. Kara Allen plays Laura Wingfield, the very shy and weak daughter. James Naughton plays Jim O’Conner Laura’s only gentleman caller. In this movie the son, Tom longs to escape from his household, in which his mother constantly worries about their future and her daughter’s live life. The household is constantly filled with tension.
In the movie the son Tom, is constantly dreaming of moving away from his house. His sister and mother both depend on him and his salary at the warehouse. His mother Amanda finally starts to realize his desperation of wanting to leave the house and she makes a deal with him. If Tom brings home a man to support his sister then she will allow her son to leave. He agrees, and brings home a man named Jim O’Conner who his sister Laura had a crush on when she was in high school. At this point of the movie things get interesting.
Joanne Woodward, who plays Amanda Wingfield, seems to be completely wrong for the part. She tries to sound like a southerner, which does not work. Her part in the movie is so overbearing, it is almost annoying. The only reason she got this part in the movie is because her husband is the one who directed it. If it wasn’t for her this movie would have been pretty good.
Although Amanda’s character was not enjoyable I would still recommend this movie. It has a very good story written by a great playwright, Tennessee Williams. It is very nice how the movie keeps the theme of a play and constantly stays with the set. The cutbacks to the narration are also a very nice addition. Overall this movie is very interesting and entertaining.
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is a Tennessee Williams’ play set in depression era St. Louis. The movie follows the interactions of Amanda Wingfield, an overbearing mother, and her two adult children Tom and Laura Wingfield. Amanda, played by Joanne Woodward, is a magazine salesman who is so discontent with her failed marriage and lackluster life that she puts intense pressure on her children to become successful socialites while they still have a chance. While Amanda’s intentions are reasonable, her methods are a little extreme, causing more problems than progress.
Tom Wingfield, played by John Malkovich, is a factory worker who lives with and provides for his mother and sister. Tom is a dreamer who craves excitement and adventure but is unable to attain them because of his family. To compensate, he isolates himself, writes poetry, and watches movies for hours on end at night. In addition to being Amanda’s son he is also the narrator who gives retrospective explanations about the life of the family. Tom’s narration is questionable because he recalls the events from memory and because those memories stir up his emotions; It is hard to tell if Tom’s story is embellished or completely impartial.
Laura, played by Karen Allen, is Tom’s older sister. Amanda behaves as if Laura is the youngest of the children to let Tom know that he has to take care of his sister. This suggestion of inferiority stems from Laura’s paralyzing shyness and crippled leg. Laura’s shyness prevents her from freely interacting with strangers, so she spends most of her time at home with her glass collection which can be viewed as a symbol of her frailty. This behavior is disappointing to Amanda, who has such high hopes for her daughter. The only time Amanda seems proud of her is when they talk about a young man that Laura had a crush on in high school.
Amanda proposes that Tom should invite one of his coworkers to dinner to meet Laura. Laura agrees but only because she wants to please her mother. Tom brings home Jim O’Conner, played by James Naughton. Laura is mortified when she discovers that Jim is the same man she had a crush on and felt rejected by in high school, at this point Laura must deal with her introversion.
The cast and crew of this film was very successful in making this movie realistic. John Malkovich’s monotonous voice and lack of facial expressions is a perfect match of Tom’s character, Karen Allen has few lines in the story compared to the other actor’s which projects Laura’s shyness, and Joanne Woodward’s shrill voice adds to the frustration that her children feel. Overall this is a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone.
Review of the Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie, directed by Paul Newman, features Joanne Woodward, Karen Allen, John Malkovich, and James Naughton.
The story starts out slow with the narrator introducing the setting, but it does pick up and gets more interesting. The movie is about a mother (Amanda), that is a typical mother that wants the best for her son (Tom) and daughter (Laura). The mother is always interfering with her children’s lives trying to keep them straight and not following their parent’s foot steps. The mother tries to keep her son from ending up like his father, which was a drunk that left the family. She wants her son to have a successful job (he works in a warehouse) and to take care of her and his older sister, Laura. However, Tom has other plans. The mother wants her shy, crippled daughter Laura to get a business degree, and to marry a good man. The mother acts like the typical mother because she nicks picks on every little thing Tom and Laura do. I hate to say it but Amanda portrays how almost all mothers act at one time or another.
During the movie Amanda gets more and more depressed and worried because her children do things to disobey her and to top off the stress they are running out money because Tom doesn’t pay the bills. Also Tom goes out every night to the “movies” (the bar) and comes home intoxicated just like his father did before he left the family. Laura isn’t really keeping up with her end of the deal either. Later on into the story Amanda asks her son bring home a gentleman caller for Laura to meet and hopefully get married to.
Tom did keep his promise and brought home a man from Tom’s work (Jim O’Connor). After a couple hours of Laura finally comes out of the shell some and spoke some to Mr. Jim O’Connor about herself and her favorite things like her collection of little glass animals. After few minutes of getting to know each other some key moments do happen towards the depressing ending of the story.
I do recommend this to any one that likes sad, dramatic stories. The ending was mostly predictable but it does have a slight twist towards the end. It is a great representation on how things are today. A lot of our TV shows show similar stories to keep viewers watching. I guess society likes drama more than anything.
Review of The Glass Menagerie
This play was written by Tennessee Williams. The movie was directed by Paul Newman. The Glass Menagerie begins in the depression era of the 1930's about a dysfunctioal family that is very poor and struggling to survive in St. Louis, Missouri.
Amanda Wingfield(the mother), played by Joan Woodward, who is an dominant aggressive woman that pushes her fantasies and what she wants out of life on her children, Tom and Laura.
Tom Wingfield(her son), played by John Malkovich, who is a young man that works in a warehouse and dreams of an adventure that takes him far from the magical world of his mother and sister. He has such love for his sister, Laura Wingfield, who is played by Karen Allen. He wants Laura to despartely come out of her magical fantasy world that she is trapped in with her glass menageries. She becomes lost in this world because her gentleman caller breaks her favorite unicorn and her heart. The gentleman caller has a small role in this play but he is important. He opens her eyes only for a brief moment and spins her world around. This movie is a must see. It will keep your attention and make you wonder what the end has to hold for this dysfunctional family.
The Glass Menagerie
Directed by Paul Newman
Amanda, a frustrated mother long since deserted by her husband, clings to memories of her youth as a Southern belle. Unhappy with her son Tom’s progress in the world, she’s even more disappointed in her shy daughter Laura’s retreat from reality. When Tom brings home Jim, a gentleman caller, everyone is hopeful that something fine and beautiful will happen as a result.
Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie is an American classic. In this touching screen version, Joanna Woodward brings an impressive range of colors to the part of Amanda. Here is a once beautiful woman who wants all the best for her children but manipulates and criticizes them in the name of maternal love.
John Malkovich’s Tom provides a fine foil to Amanda. Alternately angry and restless, he’s a dreamer who yearns for adventure and life beyond the drudgery of supporting the family. This very talented actor conveys a tenderness for his sister and her plight.
The role of Laura is pivotal to the success of the drama. Karen Allen plays her convincingly as a shy, lost soul who for a magic instant is brought to life by Jim until he reveals his engagement to another woman.
Director Paul Newman remains true to the Chekhovian flavor of Tennessee Williams’s work. There is a visual flexibility to the staging of the play which matches its dreamlike quality. Best of all, this screen adaptation graphically depicts the loneliness and pain at the heart of this family circle.
The movie "The Glass Menagerie is a movie that does not come right of the gate and show you the main point. The movie is one that you really have to sit down and watch without any interuptions because one wrong move and you miss something.
The movie's three actors are a mother who is naive but has a good vision for where the family should be. A son whose objective is to find a way to make a living for the family and a daughter who is stuck in the middle of the feud between the mother and son.
The main accurence in the movie is the constent arguing between the mother and son because they are trying to find way to become better off finacially. The mother thinks that the one to do is to find a "gentlemen caller" to woo Laura so that she could be well taken care of. Tom on the other hand think that finding someone for his sister is a bit too much. Tom also likes to go out to the movies to avoid confrontation with his mother but it always comes back to haunt him.Meanwhile Laura is caught between this feud that heats up when Tom and Amanda argue or when he is going to find someone for his sister which leads to Tom going out on town and coming home drunk.
I think overall that the movie was a little dull and could have been easily done with better actors.
A Critique of The Glass Menagerie
This is a wonderful movie based on the critically acclaimed book The Glass Menagerie. The movie is generally about a old lady who can't get over her mediocre life and bad passed experiences. Meanwhile she lives there with her two children that are miserable and want to leave. It is probably one of the best stories Tennessee Williams has ever written.
The Glass Menagerie is directed by Paul Newman, and features star studded performances by Joanne Woodward, Karen Allen, John Malkovich, and James Naughton.
Amanda the mother in this film is living bi curiously through her children. This situation arises from the father running away. The two children Laura and Tom on the other hand are stuck with the burden of dealing with the over bearing mother. While the story continues the audience comes to find out that Tom wants to join the merchant marines and run off like his father but thats when the plot thickens. In order for him to leave his mother makes him promise that he will find a gentleman caller for his sister laura first. The ending of this mesmerizing film can only be learned through watching the movie.
I think this movie is wonderful and everyone should see it. It has a great plot and is written and directed very well I would recommend to an audience of all ages.
The Glass Menagerie
The story is about a mother (Amanda) who had a husband who walked out on her a her children sixteen years ago, and now her son (Tom) takes care of her and her daughter (Laura), who has a disability. Amanda has great dreams for her children. She wishes them great success in all of their endeavors; but Laura is extremely shy and she won’t leave the house. Tom is fed up with his boring life and he lets his selfishness gets the best of him and he wants to get out of the house and have great adventures. Amanda wants her son to be happy, but she also wants the best for Laura, so she asks for Tom to stay and support them until Laura receives a gentleman caller, who can instantly fall in love with her take care of her. Tom gets a gentleman caller to show up, his name is James O’Conner, Amanda was greatly delighted to have him over, and probably more delighted than Laura. This guy determines the fate of everyone’s future.
As far as movies go, The Glass Menagerie is not your typical Friday night must see for the week. Considering that the movie was based on a play that is found in Literature text books, the idea of having to watch it was somewhat sickening. Although, I had a very skeptical outlook, the movie ended up being very heart wrenching, in an annoying kind of way. The ending was much unexpected. It was somewhat bitter/sweet, considering the tragedy, but the actual freeing of a spirit, in a sense. The ending is what made the movie great for me. The actors in this movie were phenomenal, especially Joanne Woodward (Amanda). She made Amanda so real and brought out the dreadfully annoying characteristics of her. John Malkovich was great in bringing out the Tom’s character as the slightly disturbed gentleman seeking for an adventurous life beyond his simple lifestyle as a worker at the warehouse. Karen Allen’s (Laura) shy and insecure portrayal in the movie was outstanding. This movie started out being dry and bland but the climatic middle and the traumatic end is what made the whole movie come together. The Glass Menagerie is the new must see.
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