{"id":5739,"date":"2008-07-20T17:28:51","date_gmt":"2008-07-21T00:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5739"},"modified":"2020-12-14T17:18:39","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T00:18:39","slug":"autumn-leaves-1956","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5739","title":{"rendered":"Autumn Leaves (1956)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[<strong>Note:<\/strong> The following review is of a non-<em>Guide for the Film Fanatic<\/em> title; click <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=4388\">here<\/a> to read more.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;The present is made up of little bits of the past &#8211; you can&#8217;t just throw it out of your mind like something used up and worthless!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster-192x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-57878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster-192x300.png 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster-657x1024.png 657w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster-82x128.png 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster-173x270.png 173w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/Autumn-Leaves-Poster.png 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA lonely typist (Joan Crawford) takes a chance on marriage with a much younger veteran (Cliff Robertson) she meets at a cafe, but soon discovers that her new husband has been lying about his past.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cliff Robertson Films<\/li>\n<li>Joan Crawford Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<li>May-December Romance<\/li>\n<li>Mental Breakdown<\/li>\n<li>Robert Aldrich Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nRobert Aldrich&#8217;s first collaboration with Joan Crawford (six years before <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2144\"><em>What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?<\/em><\/a>) received scathing reviews from Bosley Crowther of the <em>New York Times<\/em> upon its release (&#8220;The situation&#8230; couldn&#8217;t have been handled less considerately or convincingly&#8221;) but has recently been resurrected as an unfairly maligned sleeper, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\"><em>Time Out<\/em> of London<\/a> noting that it cuts &#8220;a radical cinematic swathe through weepie material&#8221;, and <em>Slant Magazine<\/em> (referring to it as Aldrich&#8217;s &#8220;secret gem&#8221;) offering a veritable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slantmagazine.com\/film\/autumn-leaves\/\">film school treatise on the screenplay&#8217;s Freudian underpinnings<\/a>. In truth, <em>Autumn Leaves<\/em> is a surprisingly complex and thoughtful treatment of a cinematic topic (marital distrust) which has often been mined for sensationalist gold (as in Crawford&#8217;s earlier, differently enjoyable <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4948\"><em>Sudden Fear<\/em><\/a>), but rarely in just this way.<\/p>\n<p>Crawford and Robertson (21 years apart in real-life age) make a surprisingly believable May-December couple, with plenty of chemistry between them; they and their co-stars &#8212; including a well-cast Lorne Green and Vera Miles &#8212; give fine, nuanced performances. The film as a whole is elevated by both Charles Lang&#8217;s atmospheric cinematography and Aldrich&#8217;s distinctive directorial touch, which turn many would-be &#8220;ordinary&#8221; scenes (Crawford hesitating before answering the phone; Robertson standing in a hotel hallway) into haunting meditations on the characters&#8217; psyches. With plenty of unexpected twists, the plot never fails to keep us on our toes; and while the film&#8217;s ending may come across as unnecessarily melodramatic, it somehow serves as a fitting ending to this emotionally intense whirlwind of an unconventional love story. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joan Crawford as Millicent Wetherby<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-crawford.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-crawford.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5741\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cliff Robertson as Burt Hanson<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-robertson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-robertson.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5742\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ruth Donnelly as Millie&#8217;s chatty landlady, Liz<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-neighbor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-neighbor.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5743\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vera Miles as Burt&#8217;s ex-wife<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-miles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-miles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5744\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Charles Lang&#8217;s b&#038;w cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5745\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Aldrich&#8217;s unique directorial style<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-directorial.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/autumn-directorial.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5746\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an all-around &#8220;good show&#8221; by a renowned director. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048967\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1956\/08\/02\/archives\/screen-a-new-agonizer-joan-crawford-stars-in-autumn-leaves.html\">NY Times Original Review (spoiler alert)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/autumn-leaves\/review\/125967\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.slantmagazine.com\/film\/film_review.asp?ID=1131\">Slant Magazine Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3741\/autumn-leaves#articles-reviews?articleId=161062\">TCM Article (spoiler alert)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Note: The following review is of a non-Guide for the Film Fanatic title; click here to read more.] &#8220;The present is made up of little bits of the past &#8211; you can&#8217;t just throw it out of your mind like something used up and worthless!&#8221; Synopsis: A lonely typist (Joan Crawford) takes a chance on marriage with a much younger veteran (Cliff Robertson) she meets at a cafe, but soon discovers that her new husband has been lying about his&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5739\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missing-title-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5739"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57880,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5739\/revisions\/57880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}