After almost six decades, this gem of a movie directed by William Wyler is finally on DVD.
The movie inspired me to read "Sister Carrie", Theodore Dreiser's novel on which it was based. I had to know more about those characters that I found so effecting. Dreiser partly based the story on the life of his sister Emma. The characters seem so convincing it's not surprising to learn that they were drawn from real people and events.
Jennifer Jones plays Carrie, a young country girl who becomes involved with two men, Charles Drouet and George Hurstwood, in turn-of-the-century Chicago. Both men take advantage of her but neither offers unselfish, unqualified love. Through these difficult relationships, Carrie becomes a wiser, more independent woman, ultimately achieving fame on the stage.
Eddie Albert plays Charles Drouet, and to his credit his performance holds up well against Olivier's tour-de-force.
Laurence Olivier plays George Hurstwood, the older man who wins Carrie over with his suave demeanour, and respected position as the manager of a big hotel. He wants one more chance at real love after enduring an unhappy marriage. But as his position and powers decline, he becomes increasingly dependent on Carrie while she gains inner strength and leaves him.
The harsher tone of the novel was softened in the movie version, especially with George Hurstwood's character. In the novel, he is more pompous and mean-spirited, while the breakdown of the relationship between he and Carrie is far more uncompromising.
Dreiser had been involved in discussions about the filming of "Sister Carrie" as early as the 1920's. At that time, he thought there would need to be compromises made with the story, and that the ending in particular would require a more optimistic tone. These seem to be bigger changes than the ones the screenwriters ultimately made, but whatever his intention, the ending in the film is a bleak one.
You can't take your eyes off Olivier as he goes from the sophisticated, dapper manager, fully in charge of his life, to the homeless, shuffling and stubble-chinned figure he is at the end. Although there were tensions between Olivier and Jones on the set, she fit her role as perfectly as her beautiful Edwardian-era costumes fit her.
Despite brilliance all round, there were no Academy Awards for anyone, not even a nomination for the stars, but their work has stood the test of time. Dreiser died five years before "Carrie" was made, and had no hand in the film. Who knows if he would have felt that the movie captured the spirit of his novel and brought to life his intriguing and complex characters? But I certainly do.
The movie inspired me to read "Sister Carrie", Theodore Dreiser's novel on which it was based. I had to know more about those characters that I found so effecting. Dreiser partly based the story on the life of his sister Emma. The characters seem so convincing it's not surprising to learn that they were drawn from real people and events.
Jennifer Jones plays Carrie, a young country girl who becomes involved with two men, Charles Drouet and George Hurstwood, in turn-of-the-century Chicago. Both men take advantage of her but neither offers unselfish, unqualified love. Through these difficult relationships, Carrie becomes a wiser, more independent woman, ultimately achieving fame on the stage.
Eddie Albert plays Charles Drouet, and to his credit his performance holds up well against Olivier's tour-de-force.
Laurence Olivier plays George Hurstwood, the older man who wins Carrie over with his suave demeanour, and respected position as the manager of a big hotel. He wants one more chance at real love after enduring an unhappy marriage. But as his position and powers decline, he becomes increasingly dependent on Carrie while she gains inner strength and leaves him.
The harsher tone of the novel was softened in the movie version, especially with George Hurstwood's character. In the novel, he is more pompous and mean-spirited, while the breakdown of the relationship between he and Carrie is far more uncompromising.
Dreiser had been involved in discussions about the filming of "Sister Carrie" as early as the 1920's. At that time, he thought there would need to be compromises made with the story, and that the ending in particular would require a more optimistic tone. These seem to be bigger changes than the ones the screenwriters ultimately made, but whatever his intention, the ending in the film is a bleak one.
You can't take your eyes off Olivier as he goes from the sophisticated, dapper manager, fully in charge of his life, to the homeless, shuffling and stubble-chinned figure he is at the end. Although there were tensions between Olivier and Jones on the set, she fit her role as perfectly as her beautiful Edwardian-era costumes fit her.
Despite brilliance all round, there were no Academy Awards for anyone, not even a nomination for the stars, but their work has stood the test of time. Dreiser died five years before "Carrie" was made, and had no hand in the film. Who knows if he would have felt that the movie captured the spirit of his novel and brought to life his intriguing and complex characters? But I certainly do.