To my mind, anything with Hepburn in it is worth seeing. She brings an intelligence to every role she plays, and often brings out facets of a character we might not have seen in the performance of someone else. In this case, Hepburn is not the usual broken, defeated Blanche DuBois-type woman that is usually associated with interpretations of Amanda Wingfield. I have seen the Gertrude Lawrence version, in which she is very good, but brings to mind a downtrodden Auntie Mame. I also saw Maureen Stapleton play Amanda on Broadway. It was a sad and compelling performance, but that Amanda was lost before the action of the play commenced - there was no hope for her.
In this version, however, Amanda is definitely a fighter, and I think the performances of the other three actors have been taken up a notch or two more than usual to accommodate Hepburn's dominance. The arguments that Tom and Amanda have are truly terrifying, and it is evident why Tom feels that his creativity is being stifled - this Amanda drives him crazy.
Here is how I see Hepburn's Amanda: she was a very successful Southern belle, who is not imagining or augmenting her reminiscences. She really was the star of the show back home, but she made a grave error in falling for and marrying a completely unsuitable man. You can imagine that Amanda and her husband had the same kind of screaming fights that she now has with her son. Amanda regrets her mistake, and she sees her flawed and needy children as a sort of karmic result of her bad marriage. However, she refuses to give up, and she hounds them relentlessly to do something "better" with their lives. She is especially hard on her son because she fears that his wanting to be a writer will lead him to become the shiftless dreamer his father was. Additionally, there is a mild inference that Tom's nightly trips 'to the movies' may have some darker ulterior motive (perhaps gay sex?), and that Amanda suspects this.
Sam Waterston is a very strong Tom Wingfield. This Tom is conflicted in his feelings for his mother, and he is very guilty about his inability to do anything for his sister. In addition, there is an element of selfishness in this Tom, which he certainly inherited from his mother as well as from his absent father. Undoubtedly, Amanda's upbringing was of the sort that produces a vain and self-centered woman. As in the case in many families, Tom and his mother are very much alike, and that makes for a lot of friction. The last scene of the play, where Tom is anguished at his self-imposed isolation as well as his guilt in abandoning his sister and his mother, is beautifully played by Waterston. The play, certainly autobiographical, is also something of a metaphor, which Tennessee Williams used over and over, the acting out of his guilt at being unable to prevent his own sister from being lobotomized. It isn't likely he could have done very much as a young man to help her, but he never got over sharing her feeling of helplessness.
Michael Moriarity's performance as the Gentleman Caller is very interesting. He is a perfectly nice guy who gets caught in the mind games that the Wingfields play. It makes his ultimate rejection of Laura that much more poignant: he isn't the fast-talking, possibly dishonest guy that would be all wrong for her, but rather a decent young man who might have made a difference in her life, if he weren't faithful to his existing girlfriend. Then again, if Laura had really wanted him, she could have used all of the techniques she learned from her mother's tales of gentlemen callers to win him over. What we have in the Wingfields are three characters who don't like where they are, but who, because of weakness or psychological dependency, can't find a way out.
Joanna Miles' portrayal of Laura is especially interesting. In the first place, this actress was rather tall and robust looking, not the usual broken blossom associated with this role. But because of this, she very much looks like she could be Hepburn's daughter. Laura's fears and insecurities are shown very subtly by Miles. In this family relationship, the mother reads the cues of helplessness given by the daughter and lets her remain outside of society. However, for all of Laura's weaknesses and inability to cope, you sense a steely center. She does not do what she does not want to do, even though her brother does bend to Amanda's will to a degree. It was a common ploy in earlier days for women to pretend to be incapacitated so that they didn't have to participate in everyday life, and more particularly, so that they wouldn't be considered marriage material. After Tom leaves his family, you can imagine that the battle of wills in the Wingfield home will continue, but this those battles will be between Amanda and Laura.
With four outstanding performances, this version of The Glass Menagerie is a must-see. When I was a girl, such great American (and other) plays were broadcast every week, and not just on 'educational' channels. I am very glad that many of these performances are available on DVD, now that I am old enough to understand what I am seeing. Unfortunately, many of these transfers are not wonderful, and the video may not be of the best quality. Nevertheless, they are worth seeing to study and to enjoy. We were blessed to have a talent like Hepburn perform for us. I hope that each succeeding generation will view her work, which we are lucky to have preserved.
In this version, however, Amanda is definitely a fighter, and I think the performances of the other three actors have been taken up a notch or two more than usual to accommodate Hepburn's dominance. The arguments that Tom and Amanda have are truly terrifying, and it is evident why Tom feels that his creativity is being stifled - this Amanda drives him crazy.
Here is how I see Hepburn's Amanda: she was a very successful Southern belle, who is not imagining or augmenting her reminiscences. She really was the star of the show back home, but she made a grave error in falling for and marrying a completely unsuitable man. You can imagine that Amanda and her husband had the same kind of screaming fights that she now has with her son. Amanda regrets her mistake, and she sees her flawed and needy children as a sort of karmic result of her bad marriage. However, she refuses to give up, and she hounds them relentlessly to do something "better" with their lives. She is especially hard on her son because she fears that his wanting to be a writer will lead him to become the shiftless dreamer his father was. Additionally, there is a mild inference that Tom's nightly trips 'to the movies' may have some darker ulterior motive (perhaps gay sex?), and that Amanda suspects this.
Sam Waterston is a very strong Tom Wingfield. This Tom is conflicted in his feelings for his mother, and he is very guilty about his inability to do anything for his sister. In addition, there is an element of selfishness in this Tom, which he certainly inherited from his mother as well as from his absent father. Undoubtedly, Amanda's upbringing was of the sort that produces a vain and self-centered woman. As in the case in many families, Tom and his mother are very much alike, and that makes for a lot of friction. The last scene of the play, where Tom is anguished at his self-imposed isolation as well as his guilt in abandoning his sister and his mother, is beautifully played by Waterston. The play, certainly autobiographical, is also something of a metaphor, which Tennessee Williams used over and over, the acting out of his guilt at being unable to prevent his own sister from being lobotomized. It isn't likely he could have done very much as a young man to help her, but he never got over sharing her feeling of helplessness.
Michael Moriarity's performance as the Gentleman Caller is very interesting. He is a perfectly nice guy who gets caught in the mind games that the Wingfields play. It makes his ultimate rejection of Laura that much more poignant: he isn't the fast-talking, possibly dishonest guy that would be all wrong for her, but rather a decent young man who might have made a difference in her life, if he weren't faithful to his existing girlfriend. Then again, if Laura had really wanted him, she could have used all of the techniques she learned from her mother's tales of gentlemen callers to win him over. What we have in the Wingfields are three characters who don't like where they are, but who, because of weakness or psychological dependency, can't find a way out.
Joanna Miles' portrayal of Laura is especially interesting. In the first place, this actress was rather tall and robust looking, not the usual broken blossom associated with this role. But because of this, she very much looks like she could be Hepburn's daughter. Laura's fears and insecurities are shown very subtly by Miles. In this family relationship, the mother reads the cues of helplessness given by the daughter and lets her remain outside of society. However, for all of Laura's weaknesses and inability to cope, you sense a steely center. She does not do what she does not want to do, even though her brother does bend to Amanda's will to a degree. It was a common ploy in earlier days for women to pretend to be incapacitated so that they didn't have to participate in everyday life, and more particularly, so that they wouldn't be considered marriage material. After Tom leaves his family, you can imagine that the battle of wills in the Wingfield home will continue, but this those battles will be between Amanda and Laura.
With four outstanding performances, this version of The Glass Menagerie is a must-see. When I was a girl, such great American (and other) plays were broadcast every week, and not just on 'educational' channels. I am very glad that many of these performances are available on DVD, now that I am old enough to understand what I am seeing. Unfortunately, many of these transfers are not wonderful, and the video may not be of the best quality. Nevertheless, they are worth seeing to study and to enjoy. We were blessed to have a talent like Hepburn perform for us. I hope that each succeeding generation will view her work, which we are lucky to have preserved.