Winterset(film)
| Winterset | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Alfred Santell |
| Screenplay by | Anthony Veiller |
| Based on | Winterset byMaxwell Anderson |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Starring | Burgess Meredith Margo Eduardo Ciannelli John Carradine Edward Ellis |
| Cinematography | J. Peverell Marley |
| Edited by | William Hamilton |
| Music by | Nathaniel Shilkret(uncredited) |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $407,000[2] |
| Box office | $682,000[2] |
Wintersetis a 1936 Americancrime filmdirected byAlfred Santell,based on the 1935play of the same namebyMaxwell Anderson,in a loose dramatization of theSacco and Vanzettitrial and execution in 1928. The script retains elements of theblank versepoetic meter on which Anderson based his 1935WintersetBroadway theaterproduction.[3]
ActorBurgess Meredithmade his credited film debut as the avenging son Mio Romagna.[4]
The film greatly changes the ending of the play, in which the lovers Mio and Miriamne are shot to death by gangsters. In the film, the two are cornered, but Mio deliberately causes a commotion by loudly playing a nearby abandonedhurdy-gurdyand deliberately causing himself and Miriamne to be arrested, thus placing them out of reach from the gangsters. The film made a loss of $2,000.[2]
Cast[edit]
- Burgess Meredithas Mio Romagna
- Margoas Miriamne Esdras
- Eduardo Ciannellias Trock Estrella
- Maurice Moscovitchas Esdras
- Paul Guilfoyleas Garth Esdras
- Edward Ellisas Judge Gaunt
- Stanley Ridgesas Shadow
- Mischa Aueras A radical
- Willard Robertsonas Policeman
- Alec Craigas Oak
- John Carradineas Bartolomeo Romagna
- Myron McCormickas Carr
- Helen Jerome Eddyas Maria Romagna
- Barbara Pepperas a girl
- Fernanda Eliscuas Piny
- Lucille Ballas a girl (uncredited)
Reception[edit]
Writing forThe Spectatorin 1937,Graham Greenegave the film a good review, noting that "this play (in the original it was in blank verse) has [...] solid merits". Despite its genre, Greene commented that "there are situations [...] which have more intensity than mere 'thriller' stuff". He praised the "evil magnificence" of Ciannelli's acting as Trock, pointing out that "here, as in all good plays, it is in the acts themselves, as much as in the dialogue, that the poetic idea is expressed."[5]
Awards[edit]
The film was nominated for twoAcademy Awards,one forBest Art DirectionbyPerry Fergusonand the other forOriginal ScorebyNathaniel Shilkret.[6][7]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^"Winterset: Detail View".American Film Institute.RetrievedApril 10,2014.
- ^abcRichard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951',Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television,Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p56
- ^Ross, 2004: “...blank verse gangster story (loosely based on theSacco and Vanzetticase)...liberated from much of the poetic dialogue by screenwriterAnthony Veillier...”
- ^Ross, 2004: "Meridith would never become the [box office success the critics] predicted in reviews of Winterset."
- ^Greene, Graham(April 9, 1937). "Winterset".The Spectator.(reprinted in:Taylor, John Russell,ed. (1980).The Pleasure Dome.Oxford University Press. pp. 141–143.ISBN0192812866.)
- ^"The 9th Academy Awards (1937) Nominees and Winners".oscars.org.Archivedfrom the original on July 6, 2011.RetrievedAugust 7,2011.
- ^"NY Times: Winterset".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2012. Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2012.RetrievedDecember 8,2008.
References[edit]
- Ross, Donna. Winterset, 1936.UCLA Film and Television Archive: 12th Festival of Preservation, July 22-August 21, 2004. Festival guest handbook.
External links[edit]
- Wintersetat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
- WintersetatIMDb
- Wintersetis available for free viewing and download at theInternet Archive
- 1936 films
- 1936 crime drama films
- American black-and-white films
- American crime drama films
- American gangster films
- American films based on plays
- 1930s English-language films
- Films about capital punishment
- Films about miscarriage of justice
- Films directed by Alfred Santell
- Films set in 1920
- Films set in 1936
- Films set in New York (state)
- Films scored by Nathaniel Shilkret
- RKO Pictures films
- Works about Sacco and Vanzetti
- 1930s American films