Paul Newman is arguably the greatest actor of his generation, with celebrated roles in such films as The Hustler, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke and The Sting among many others. But sadly his work as a director is seldom discussed outside the most ardent cineaste circles.
His directorial debut; Rachel, Rachel (1968) was a hallucinatory spiral into the disconnected world of a middle-aged school teacher. Starring his wife, the superbly talented Joanne Woodward; with whom he shared fifty years of marriage. The legendary couple would co-star in ten films, with Newman directing four more starring Woodward.
Following a fine adaptation of Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion (1970) Newman's third directorial effort would be an adaptation of Paul Zindel's quizzically titled Pulitzer Prize-winning play; The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds. The play premiered in 1964, at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. Before beginning an off-broadway run spanning 819 performances; from April 7th, 1970 through May 7th, 1972.
The story focuses on middle-aged Staten Island widow, Beatrice Hunsdorfer (Joanne Woodward) as she struggles to make a life for herself and her two daughters: rebellious epileptic Ruth (Roberta Wallach) and shy, introvert Matilda (Nell Potts). Despite her lower-middle-class existence, Beatrice still has some degree of vanity. In the films opening scene; Beatrice tries on wigs in a department store. Staring at herself in the mirror, it is quite obvious she does not like what she sees. Though she attempts to attract the romantic interest of her neighbor, only to brand him a "homo" when he declines her company.
The state of the Hunsdorfer home effectively sums up their lives. A house dilapidated enough to prompt Beatrice to label it "A pigsty". Her two daughters could not be more different from one another. Ruth, the eldest, suffers from epileptic seizures and is openly defiant of her mother, cruelly mocking her in front of her classmates by performing a skit in character as Beatrice. Rather ironic given that she is most likely to end up like her mother. Matilda, on the other hand, is almost a complete opposite. A quiet, shy and inhibited creature, interested in science and animals. Especially the rabbit she brings home from school. She attempts to explain her scientific interests to her mother and sister but is met only with incredulity and disinterest. Her science project serves as a metaphor for her personality and gives the film its name.
Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room "A nice little neighborhood place" she intends to call "The Man-In-The-Moon Tea Shop". In the meantime, she rents out her spare room to elderly boarders. The latest of which is an ancient wheelchair-bound woman. As Beatrice matter of factly states; "If anybody had ever told me when I was younger I'd end up feeding honey to a zombie I'd have told em' they were crazy, I'd be better off driving a cab". The presence of someone so frail and close to death is somewhat disturbing to Ruth, whilst relating her disgust of the situation to Matilda, she suffers a seizure.
Matilda's project earns her a place as a finalist in the school science fair. Which requires the attendance of her mother on stage in the auditorium. Beatrice promises to avoid embarrassing her daughter and say something simple if Matilda wins. Dressed in a garish fashion, Beatrice arrives late at the school, only to humiliate her daughter and make a fool of herself in front of the entire school, proclaiming "My heart is full" to the stunned reaction of the crowd.
Upon returning home from winning first prize at the science fair, Matilda discovers that Beatrice has killed her pet rabbit. she cradles it in her arms as she carries it outside, laying it down in front of her mother. Matilda's internal monologue brings the film to a close, professing her love for science and her wonder of the universe and the atoms that hold it together. In a reply to Beatrice's earlier question as to whether she hates the world, Matilda solemnly states "No mama, I don't hate the world".
The film is anchored by the highly underrated Woodward's tour de force as Beatrice. A performance that would win the Georgia native her first and only best actress award at the Cannes film festival. The Newman's real-life daughter; Nell Potts, is surprisingly good as Matilda. The film's theater origins are clear, nonetheless, the staging is effective. Woodward's portrayal of a down-on-her-luck widow struggling to raise her two daughters ranks among her very best work. The story does at times draw parallels with a project later undertaken by the Newman's; the 1987 film adaptation of Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie. In which Woodward again displays her talent for inhabiting complex and deeply troubled women.
Newman's direction is assured and purposeful. He directs as you imagine an actor would; searching for truth in the performances, rather than in visual flair or style. Newman's stature in the industry had the potential to launch him into a Clint Eastwood-like second career as a director. Yet I feel his project choices, while unique and interesting from a critical perspective, were somewhat limiting when considering box office appeal. Following Newman to the places he wanted to go as a filmmaker may have proved a bridge too far for a movie-going public otherwise entranced by his screen persona. Newman would direct five feature films and one TV movie; The Shadow Box (1980), also starring Woodward. He would serve as producer on several films, including one of his most famous; Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969). His final credit as a producer would also prove to be his last on-screen role; portraying Max Roby in the 2005 HBO miniseries Empire Falls.
Paul Newman died on September 26th, 2008, leaving behind an enviable body of work and portraying some of the most iconic characters in film history. His work behind the camera is interesting but not stellar, you may surprise many film fans by informing them that his directorial work even exists. You may also delight by introducing them to it, for if his presence as an actor was unique, I would argue his sensibilities as a filmmaker followed suit.
This piece was also published by Moviejawn
The Effect Of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (1972) will be released on Blu-Ray from Twilight Time on February 20th, 2018.
