Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

Atmospheric and engrossing, but eventually comes up short

First of all, just to clear the boards, this really can't be considered an adaptation of Nelson Algren's novel. Although it flirts with some taboo subjects, things never get beyond mere flirtation. And, given Kennedy-era year it was made, it's impossible to expect a faithful depiction of the text from that time and place.

Laurence Harvey's lovesick Dove Linkhorn arrives in New Orleans searching for the gal that stole his heart. Complications arrive in that the "gal" is a) now a popular and highly-paid prostitute in a brothel called The Doll House and b) she's played by Capucine, who is absolutely captivitating in her beauty and refinement but, as such, also mindbogglingly miscast. It's difficult to imagine her Hallie and Harvey's Linkhorn ever sharing a passing conversation, much less a small-town romance.

For his part, Harvey -- whose strange intensity usually gives me the willies and/or leaves me cold -- manages to make for an interesting Texas drifter even though he constantly seems to be playing a character far younger than his age. He projects an oddly likeable nobility through, especially during a confrontation with a storefront preacher.

Barbara Stanwyk gets props for playing an out-of-the-closet lesbian -- which is the movie's prime claim to fame -- but her portrayal is a bit of a Model-T. Nowadays, her attempts to control and possess Hallie seems to have more to do with grouchiness than the desire that dare not speak its name.

A very young Jane Fonda stands out in the juicy role of Kitty, a hitch hiker Dove falls in with. Even as she morphs from Depression-era scamp to full-bosomed harlot to call-girl-in-training, she still seems the realest thing onscreen.

After giving a nod to the great black-and-white cinematography, and the style and compositions of the shots, I have to point out that "Walk" has some of the worst editing I've ever seen in a major motion picture that's otherwise confident and assured. Takes go on forever, past the point of monotony; there are lots of strange and unnecessary cuts and cut-aways, and it all feels about an hour longer than it should be.

When the big denouement comes -- involving two men who struggle with a gun that shoots the wrong person, and summarized by a quickie epilogue (delivered by way of a windblown newspaper headline) -- there's a suspicion that the film has walked *up to* the wild side, but hasn't fully crossed that crucial border. July 18, 2007

Definitely worth a look

I first saw this film many years ago on TV & always remembered the soundtrack and the nobility of the hero's quest. Its an excellent and bizarre Southern melodrama with great performances by a very young Jane Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck. The music and credit sequences are outstanding by any standards. The movie itself is strangely moving and well-made. June 28, 2007

Cast on the wild side

When Hollywood attempted to loosen the strictures of the Hays code in the 50s and 60s it often turned to the Southern Gothic as a way for testing permissibility because everything they hinted at could easily be chalked up to Southern decadence; this 1962 Edward Dymytryk melodrama is based on a Nelson Algren novel, but it plays like something by Tennessee Williams. A handsome Texas "dirt farmer" searches New Orleans high and low during the Depression for his lost sweetheart from back in the Lone Star state, unaware that she has become the kept woman for the mistress of the toniest and most corrupt bordello in the French Quarter; he is aided in his quest by a runaway juvenile and a Mexican-American café owner, both of whom yearn for him but realize the nobility of his quest. Columbia cast almost every one of these characters wildly against both type and nationality, with Laurence Harvey as the Texan, Capucine as his sweetheart, Barbara Stanwyck (honking Brooklyn accent and all) as the New Orleans madam, and Anne Baxter as the Mexican-American; everyone seems to be taking their parts very seriously, but only Baxter succeeds with her accent (she and Jane Fonda, as the wayward juvenile, seem to be the only two having any fun at all). The film is worth seeing if only for its beautiful camerawork, particularly in the bordello, and for its famous score by Elmer Bernstein and credit sequence by Saul Bass. June 23, 2007

For the eclectic collector

I'd rate this 4.2 stars but gave it 5 above to encourage buyers to support DVD manufacturing of smaller, more obscure titles. Consumers need more rarities to continue to surface :)
Interesting film with a young Jane Fonda very effective in a supporting role, she's terrific as the immoral, thieving temptress from Hell. I disagree with a previous Amazon review; Fonda's Southern accent works just fine in the context of the film. Certainly, she was young enough here to portray a just-about-legal sociopath. The film could have used even more of Fonda than the screen-time she has, in my opinion.
Anne Baxter is very interesting and takes chances outside of the comfort zone which many film stars tend to cling to; not all of her choices necessarily work, but she's victorious, overall, and creates a memorable, likeable characterization. Hers, too, is a supporting role, though somewhat larger than Fonda's.
In yet another striking supporting performance in the film, Barbara Stanwyck was years ahead of her time (as is the film) in portraying a lesbian character; she's believable- complex, dangerous, sad, lonely, corrupt, all-the-while dealing with unrequited love as the proprietor of a New Orleans brothel. Ultimately, the film chooses to characterize her as a hardened, "bad" woman due to her sexuality, likely the 'Hayes Code' wouldn't allow 1962 American cimema to show a 'good' lesbian.
The male lead, Laurence Harvey, is sympathetic and the 'hero' of the piece, searching in New Orleans for a lost-love he hopes to find, with Capucine the object of his affection in her not-bad/not-great portrayal of an indifferent woman who is 'kept' by Stanwyck.
Stunningly memorable opening credits with an incredible black cat lurking about, with director Edward Dmytryk actually getting the cat to give a conscious performance (!) taking a 'walk on the wild wide'. Okay, that sounds loopy, but the cat definitely appears aware of being photographed and filmed. An artful, great opening sequence, judge for yourselves :)
Buy it before it goes out of print. A great looking, stylized 'seedy movie' with a lot to appreciate along with its imperfections.
For those who like their DVD collections to be electic, this one's a keeper. The movie-poster-quality photo of Jane Fonda on the dvd cover also is on the disc itself, minus the cat-eyes behind her.
You won't easily find this movie in stores or in the used bins, thank you Amazon! I bought it 13 months ago, then re-watched it this week, and I look forward to revisiting it again in the future.
A final note of possible interest is that actress Joanna Moore, who the following year would give birth to Tatum O'Neal, has a small role in which she has her moments. You can see more than a bit of the late actress in Tatum's current television work, in both looks and performance, she seems to be more-so her mother's, than Ryan's daughter. February 5, 2007

A travesty on every level

What were they thinking??? This is one of the most poorly cast movies in the history of Hollywood. Laurence Harvey is supposed to be a Texan, but he doesn't look like a cowboy/farmer and can't do the accent. Jane Fonda is supposed to be a 16 year old Texan, but she doesn't look 16 and can't do the accent either. Anne Baxter is supposed to be a Mexican -- yeah, right. And we're supposed to believe that Barbara Stanwyck, with her New York accent, runs a New Orleans Cat House? Puh-leeez!!! There's not one genuine southern accent in the entire film. The story is totally uninvolving, the characters are unbelievable and, except for Baxter, unsympathetic. The direction is all over the place, and the art direction fails to evoke the 1930s. Don't waste your time or money on this misbegotten abortion. March 17, 2006

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