Overwrought is too mild a word for this lulu of a Gothic melodrama. Of course being a Eugene O'Neill story the epic tragedy is no surprise but it is turned out in purple prose and declamatory acting. Sophia looks beautiful and full of ripe sensuality but as adrift as the rest of the cast. Burl Ives is made up to look older than his years but just looks foolish and Anthony Perkins keeps his twitchy intensity mostly under control but the film is just short of operatic overstatement which make it hard to take. Add into that the obviously fake settings and the whole thing is too much. Delbert Mann could be a fine director but he has no handle on this material.
Review of Desire Under the Elms
