University of Virginia Library

The Cast

The cast is superbly headed by
Robert Redford and Jane Ronda,
who won notoriety in her last epic,
Hurry Sundown. Miss Fonda
makes an art of handling herself
well in a semi-nude state, which is
a talent that must come easily
for one so graciously endowed by
nature. She is also a very talented
actress, who delivers her lines with
a warmth that strikes the viewer
as both sincere and believable.
Miss Fonda's performance as
Corie must inevitably be compared
to an earlier and similar role she
played in Tennessee Williams's
The Period of She has
matured since doing
the Williams comedy of that
"period of adjustment," which all
newlyweds experience. Her sense
of the comic has deepened and her
stage presence and her awareness
of meaning in lines has improved.

Robert Redford has admirably
tackled a role that is very foreign
to his nature. Mr. Redford is an
individualist and a man who adheres
to the outdoor life of a
remote area of Utah, while the role
of Paul Bratter requires him to be
a sophisticate, devotedly conforming
to the part of a successful
young lawyer. He plays his part
adeptly, as well he should, for it
was he who created the role on
Broadway.

Mildred Natwick, another member
of the Broadway cast, recreates
the role of Mrs. Banks,
Corie's mother, for the film. She
is perhaps the most lovable and
laughable character in the whole
show, drawing laughter from the
moment when she collapses in her
son-in-law's arms after climbing
five flights of stairs to the Bratter's
one-room flat. Miss Natwick,
already adjusted to the whims of
her daughter, is the stabilizing element
of the film. She, along with
Redford, represents normalcy
fighting a brand of youthful gaiety
found in Carie and Velasco. Although
Miss Natwick is much more
at home on Broadway than in
front of the camera, she readers
her role with zest and vigor.