The Fugitive Kind (1959)

 The Fugitive Kind (1959)

Based on Orphic themes (at the very least, the title of the play which inspired it is,) the film, after some minor plot complications, tells the story of a musician/gigolo who finds work at a store owned by a man with a terminal disease (or so it’s gossiped: “He’s never coming back down those stairs”) and his immigrant wife, whose father was killed for selling liquor to Black folks.

These kinds of low-living characters like drifters, hustlers, gigolos and midnight cowboys have never had nothing to offer me by way of audience identification. I assume they are perfectly valid characters for drama, but they just don’t resonate with me, I find it nearly incredible to believe that they exist. Who are these fellows who remain irresistible to women despite being obvious losers with nothing to offer?

I’ve also never gotten Marlon Brando’s appeal. Yeah, I know. What the hell is wrong with me, right?

Fortunately for the drama, the Italian wife’s personal tragedy is more than enough to sustain interest.

It’s slow in gaining focus and developing, but when it finally gets there, her story packs quite an emotional wallop.

With Anna Magnani (who despite bags-under-the-eyes emphasizing make-up looks wonderful), Joanne Woodward, Maureen Stapleton, and Victor Jory.