I had been meaning to watch this drama for some time, having bought the 'Laurence Olivier Presents' 3-disc set years ago. The subsequent deaths of Olivier, Woodward and then Carrie Fisher put me off for reasons of sadness, I guess, but now, with Coronavirus turning people's thoughts towards entertainment from the archives, this is a compelling watch.
I am not familiar as others are with previous versions of Inge 's play, so I came to this with a fresh perspective, and while the subject is downbeat and Olivier gives his own version of American (with occasional British accent slip - ups), his performance is a compelling hark back to his performance as the fallen millionaire in Wyler's "Carrie" (1952). Woodward is also touching and compelling in a very unassuming way (among an excellent, mostly American supporting cast), even if she tends to fade into the background whenever Olivier is on screen, or the very attractive looking Carrie Fisher, giving us a reminder of why she was such a hot property at the time of 'Star Wars' in 1977.
I am not familiar as others are with previous versions of Inge 's play, so I came to this with a fresh perspective, and while the subject is downbeat and Olivier gives his own version of American (with occasional British accent slip - ups), his performance is a compelling hark back to his performance as the fallen millionaire in Wyler's "Carrie" (1952). Woodward is also touching and compelling in a very unassuming way (among an excellent, mostly American supporting cast), even if she tends to fade into the background whenever Olivier is on screen, or the very attractive looking Carrie Fisher, giving us a reminder of why she was such a hot property at the time of 'Star Wars' in 1977.