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The Fugitive Kind film image; woman sits behind a brooding man with a guitar

Tennesse Williams’ play Orpheus Descending follows “Snakeskin” (Marlon Brando), a wanderiing musician who washes up in a small southern town and lands a job working in a store owned by Lady Torrance (Anna Magnani) and her bed-ridden husband. Snakeskin is pursued by a tipsy admirer (Joanne Woodward) who encourages him to cut loose but he’s more interested in Lady…

Sidney Lumet’s movie brings together two of the greatest actors of the period (three, if you count Woodward), reason enough to check out this underrated poetical drama. Then there’s the teasing detail that Brando’s role inspired the character of the snakeskin-jacketed Sailor Ripley (Nic Cage) in Wild at Heart. In fact, the line “”A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages” comes from this movie (and provided Angelina Jolie with a tattoo).

Tragic, operatic and signature Tennessee Williams, The Fugitive Kind remains a forgotten gem of American cinema.

Nicholas Bell, ION Cinema

Director

Sidney Lumet

Cast

Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Joanne Woodward, Maureen Stapleton, Victor Jory, R. G. Armstrong.

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

1960

Language

English

19+
121 min

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Thursday July 03

2:00 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Saturday July 05

5:50 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Credits

Screenwriter

Tennessee Williams, Meade Roberts

Cinematography

Boris Kaufman

Editor

Carl Lerner

Original Music

Kenyon Hopkins

Art Director

Richard Sylbert

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