Based on a play , filmed on wide screen,which is unusual for such a drama filmed in an enclosed place ,"the story on page one" is directed by the playwright himself ,which was rare (his contemporary peers Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller,Edward Albee et al never directed a film); some may find it a bit talky ,and directing takes a back seat to acting.
First shock is sex symbol Rita Hayworth as a plain housewife ,devoid of her usual sex appeal ,an act of self-renewal ;she portrays the woman at home ,before women's lib movement , totally dependent on her husband who "feeds her, pays for the car and the house " as the prosecutor claims.
Ditto for Gig Young ,cast against type too (one is far from the ruthless cynical emcee from "they shoot horses,don't they? (AA)) as momma's little boy .
Tony Franciosa is true to form ,but in a conventional part .
But the elders steal the show : Hattie Brown as Hayworth's mother, a woman who knows what submissive housewife means and who's afraid of her addicted -to -alcohol son-in-law ; and mainly impressive holier-than-thou Mildred Dunnock ,a character who could be in a Williams' play , an over possessive mommy who 's got sonny under her thumb ,for his own good.
Eventually , the so-called crime is secondary : the defendants ' prisons are not those of the state : they are to be found in their home.
First shock is sex symbol Rita Hayworth as a plain housewife ,devoid of her usual sex appeal ,an act of self-renewal ;she portrays the woman at home ,before women's lib movement , totally dependent on her husband who "feeds her, pays for the car and the house " as the prosecutor claims.
Ditto for Gig Young ,cast against type too (one is far from the ruthless cynical emcee from "they shoot horses,don't they? (AA)) as momma's little boy .
Tony Franciosa is true to form ,but in a conventional part .
But the elders steal the show : Hattie Brown as Hayworth's mother, a woman who knows what submissive housewife means and who's afraid of her addicted -to -alcohol son-in-law ; and mainly impressive holier-than-thou Mildred Dunnock ,a character who could be in a Williams' play , an over possessive mommy who 's got sonny under her thumb ,for his own good.
Eventually , the so-called crime is secondary : the defendants ' prisons are not those of the state : they are to be found in their home.