BBBB.5
(out of 5)
Fascinating film that was shocking for the sixties and is deep, absorbing viewing for today. Joanne Woodward plays a frustrated and bored small-town schoolteacher whose fantasy life and sexual desires go way beyond the limits that have been set for her (it’s the earliest Hollywood film I have ever seen that deals with a woman masturbating and feeling emotionally conflicted about it). Eventually, Woodward meets a man from the big city who asks her out and gives her the opportunity to change her life completely, though she’s not sure she wants what she wants when she finally gets it. Woodward is astonishing in the role, plain and dowdy on the outside, while all the time her emotions are churning violently on the inside. Estelle Parsons is equally fascinating as her colleague and good friend, whose desire for her reveals itself in a painfully vulnerable moment of the film. Based on the novel A Jest of God by Margaret Lawrence (the original Manitoba location has been moved to Oregon), this film was directed by Hollywood superstar (and Woodward’s husband) Paul Newman.
USA, 1968
Directed by Paul Newman
Screenplay by Stewart Stern, based on the novel by Margaret Laurence
Cinematography by Gayne Rescher
Produced by Paul Newman
Music by Jerome Moross
Production Design by Robert Gundlach
Costume Design by Domingo A. Rodriguez
Film Editing by Dede Allen
Academy Award Nominations
Best Actress (Joanne Woodward as “Rachel Cameron”)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Estelle Parsons as “Calla Mackie”)
Best Picture (Paul Newman, producer)
Best Writing (Screenplay–based on material from another medium) (Stewart Stern)
Golden Globe Awards
Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama (Joanne Woodward)
Best Director (Paul Newman)
