Lilith (1964)

Lilith is a about a mysterious young woman in an elite sanitarium in New England, who seems to weave a magical spell all around her. A restless, but sincere young man with an equally ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writers:

Robert Rossen, J.R. Salamanca (novel),

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, Peter Fonda

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview:
Warren Beatty	...	Vincent Bruce
Jean Seberg	...	Lilith Arthur
Peter Fonda	...	Stephen Evshevsky
Kim Hunter	...	Dr. Bea Brice
Anne Meacham	...	Mrs.Yvonne Meaghan
Jessica Walter	...	Laura
Gene Hackman	...	Norman
James Patterson	...	Dr. Lavrier
Robert Reilly	...	Bob Clayfield

Storyline

Lilith is a about a mysterious young woman in an elite sanitarium in New England, who seems to weave a magical spell all around her. A restless, but sincere young man with an equally obscure past is seemingly drawn into her web. As time passes, their relationship deepens and intensifies, and the differences between them begin to blur, leading to a shocking, but oddly logical conclusion.

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Plot Keywords:

lilith | psychologist | schizophrenia | character study | gender | 

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Taglines:

Before Eve there was Evil... and her name was Lilith!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lilith - La dea dell'amore

Filming Locations:

Chestnut Lodge - 500 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Rossen was dying when he made this film and many regard it as an act of expiation for his behavior during the McCarthy witch hunts in the 50s when he was a leading friendly witness.

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Goofs

When the staff and patients are loading up to go on their picnic, one of the cars is a 1959 Ford station wagon. When they arrive at their destination, the car has changed into a 1960 Ford wagon.

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Quotes

Lilith Arthur: You've killed with these hands. Why?
Vincent Bruce: That's the business of a soldier.
Lilith Arthur: You must love your God a lot to kill for him and still go on loving him. I'd never ask that of a lover. I'd only ask his joy.

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Connections

Featured in From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1995)

User Reviews

Inspiration for Shutter Island?

Coming on the heels of Splendor in the Grass and All Fall Down, one can surmise the reasons behind Warren Beatty's decision to play the male lead in Lilith. In those two earlier films, he had played brooding and laconic young men, a group to which Vincent Bruce belongs. Beatty had also previously played a callous gigolo (to great effect) opposite Vivien Leigh in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. Lilith would provide him with the opportunity to reprise his earlier portrayals, with the added shades of a seemingly compassionate, diligent young man.

Had Lilith required Beatty to exude only these facets of Vincent Bruce, his performance would have been more than adequate; but the character has additional complexities which Beatty never registers well. For that reason, I believe he is miscast in this film. On the other hand, Jean Seberg truly shines as Lilith Arthur, the disturbed young woman. Her expressions in the close-ups disclose her unhinged state of mind. Seberg's performance could profitably be used in acting classes everywhere. Anne Meacham, Peter Fonda, Kim Hunter, and Jessica Walter are also very good, but Gene Hackman deserves a special mention for a brief but indelible appearance.

Beyond the performances, the film is a languorous, plodding vehicle, sometimes too painful to watch, as is the scene between Peter Fonda and Warren Beatty in the garden, toward the end. Beatty's disengaging comportment invalidates any sympathy the spectator might feel for him in the end, unlike, say, Shutter Island, for which this film might have served as inspiration.