The Fugitive Kind (1959)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (screenplay) and
Meade Roberts (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 December 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

...and now the screen is struck by lightning !

Plot:

Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence...

Plot Keywords:

Jacket | Cemetery | Drifter | Small Town | Rainstorm

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier
Anna Magnani	...	Lady Torrance
Joanne Woodward	...	Carol Cutrere
Maureen Stapleton	...	Vee Talbot
Victor Jory	...	Jabe M. Torrance
R.G. Armstrong	...	Sheriff Jordan Talbott
Emory Richardson	...	Uncle Pleasant, the Conjure Man
Madame Spivy	...	Ruby Lightfoot (as Spivy)
Sally Gracie	...	Dolly Hamma
Lucille Benson	...	Beulah Binnings
John Baragrey	...	David Cutrere
Ben Yaffee	...	'Dog' Hamma
Joe Brown Jr.	...	'Pee Wee' Binnings
Virgilia Chew	...	Nurse Porter
Frank Borgman	...	Gas Station Attendant
Janice Mars	...	Attendant's Wife
Debbie Lynch	...	Lonely Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeanne Barr	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Neil Harrison	...	(uncredited)
Herb Vigran	...	Caliope Player (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lumet

Writing credits
Tennessee Williams		(screenplay) and
Meade Roberts		(screenplay)
Tennessee Williams		(play "Orpheus Descending")

Produced by
Martin Jurow	....	producer
George Justin	....	associate producer
Richard Shepherd	....	producer (as Richard A. Shepherd)

Original Music by
Kenyon Hopkins

Cinematography by
Boris Kaufman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carl Lerner

Art Direction by
Richard Sylbert

Set Decoration by
Gene Callahan		(as Eugene Callahan)

Costume Design by
Frank L. Thompson		(as Frank Thompson)

Makeup Department
Robert Jiras	....	makeup
Phil Rhodes	....	makeup (as Philip Rhodes)
Mary Roche	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Steve Bono	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles H. Maguire	....	assistant director

Sound Department
James A. Gleason	....	sound recordist (as James Gleason)
Frank Lewin	....	sound editor
Dick Vorisek	....	rerecordist (as Richard Vorisek)
Philip Gleason	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Stunts
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Fortune	....	head gaffer
Edward Knott	....	head grip
Saul Midwall	....	camera operator
Muky	....	unit photographer (as Muky Munkacsi)
Jimmy Gatland	....	grip (uncredited)
Harold Posner	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
George Newman	....	wardrobe
Flo Transfield	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Kenyon Hopkins	....	conductor

Other crew
Stephen Bono	....	production coordinator
Helen Burta	....	production secretary
Marguerite James	....	script supervisor
Mickey Knox	....	dialogue supervisor
Jud Taylor	....	dialogue supervisor
Robert Whitehead	....	producer: Broadway, Producers Theatre, Inc.
Mart Crowley	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Pennebaker Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
• Key Video (1987) (USA) (VHS) (Pan-and-scan for CBS/Fox Video)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Brazil:14 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Milton, New York, USA

Company:

Pennebaker Productions

Trivia:

Of the cast of the 1957 Broadway production, Maureen Stapleton and R.G. Armstrong made the transition to the screen. While Armstrong reprised his role as Sheriff Talbott, Stapleton took the supporting role of Vee Talbot. Interestingly, Stapleton also was the original Serafina in Williams' "The Rose Tattoo," a role that also was played by Magnani on-screen.

Quotes:

Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:I got myself into a situation here, Lady.
Lady Torrance:No, you're not fooling me, mister. She's waiting for you outside.
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:No.
Lady Torrance:In her car, yes.
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:No...
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:I want you to understand.
Lady Torrance:What?
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:I got myself into a situation here that I can't get out of.
Lady Torrance:Not in a town like this.
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier:I've been threatened with violence if I stay here through the night.

Movie Connections:

Version of City Island (2009)

Soundtrack:

Blanket Roll Blues

two superb performances

While The Fugitive Kind suffers from inconsistent pacing and some over-blown dialog, it is worth watching for the peerless performances delivered by Anna Magnani and Victor Jory. Magnani's desperate vulnerability and passionate need for love and vindication are so powerfully and truthfully portrayed that even the great Brando seems pale and insubstantial beside her. Without Jory's vilely hateful depiction of the dying husband, however, even Magnani's powerhouse performance couldn't save the film. Seldom has such wanton cruelty been so effectively captured on screen. Brando is a bit mannered at times but the sheer animal magnetism he possessed at this point in his career transcend the script's pretensions. Woodward wrings more than could rightfully be expected from her over-written part. R.G. Armstrong as the corrupt sheriff and Maureen Stapleton as his kind-hearted wife shine in supporting roles, but it is Magnani and Jory who transform the film into a riveting cinematic experience.