Fortune and Men's Eyes (1971)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writers:

John Herbert (play)
John Herbert (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

What goes on in prison is a crime.

Plot:

The young, naive Smitty is sent to prison for six months; Cathy, his girlfriend, watches as he disappears behind the bars and barbed wire...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Naked Men Fight | Male Frontal Nudity | Homoerotic Fight | Prison Riot

Cast

Wendell Burton	...	Smitty
Michael Greer	...	Queenie
Zooey Hall	...	Rocky
Danny Freedman	...	Mona
Larry Perkins	...	Screwdriver
James Barron	...	Holy Face Peters
Lázaro Pérez	...	Catso
Jon Granik	...	Sgt. Gritt
Tom Harvey	...	Warden Gasher
Hugh Webster	...	Rabbit
Kirk McColl	...	Guard Sullivan
Vance Davis	...	Sailor
Robert Goodier	...	Doctor
Cathy Wiehl	...	Cathy
Georges Allard	...	Fiddler

Also Known As:

Aux yeux du sort et des humains (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Québec, Canada

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Title is taken from a Shakespearean poem entitled "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes".

Candid Prison Drama

It was a good thing they had a cast-audience group discussion following off-Broadway weekend performances of "Fortune and Men's Eyes."

That way whatever questions may have been on attendees' minds could be fielded directly to cast members and director, which were seated across the proscenium.

After the performance I had the pleasure of attending, I was struck by the candor of that production's "working family." Somehow, the intimate nature of the play appeared to make for great cast cohesiveness, and the discussion was lively and informative. It also provided greater clarity as to what both Playwright John Herbert had in mind and what the director was trying to express.

Unfortunately, in the film version (scripted by the playwright) there was something missing. Despite a fine cast delivering thoroughly thoughtful performances, an unrelenting downbeat pall seems to hover over everything.

It's been reported that the film's producers wanted the sensational qualities emphasized; they got their wish--probably at the expense of a broader, more poetic and philosophical statement of the human condition.

Michael Greer offered an outstanding Queenie, a character that is quite convincing. However, it's a bitter, sardonic soul whose surface sense of humor's only a cover for a wounded interior.

Zooey Hall's Rocky is likewise expertly rendered and completely believable--yet a crafty and cold individual with few redeeming qualities.

Wendell Burton's Smitty is the most empathetic character, yet a "pothead" and "looser"--not at all the "innocent" he purports to be.

Harvey Hart's & Jules Schwerin's codirection is adequate, given their parameters. Yet the entire production fails to rise much above the norm, despite many powerful and effective expose scenes.

It's interesting to note the careers of the above three lead actors: Burton had the most work, yet roles were few and far between, and he retired from acting at the early age of 40. Hall, despite his good looks and fine talent, only did three more films after this. Greer likewise had a very limited film career (his Queenie role perhaps seriously type casting him).

Though I never saw Sal Mineo's stage production, I heard that it was even more controversial and sensational than either of the above two versions.

And that's going some.