''Desire Under the Elms'' is a 1958 American film version of the 1924 play ''

Desire Under the Elms ''Desire Under the Elms'' is a 1924 play written by Eugene O'Neill. Like ''Mourning Becomes Electra'', ''Desire Under the Elms'' signifies an attempt by O'Neill to adapt plot elements and themes of Greek tragedy to a rural New England setting. ...

'' written by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

. The film was directed by

Delbert Mann Delbert Martin Mann Jr. (January 30, 1920 – November 11, 2007) was an American television and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film '' Marty'' (1955), adapted from a 1953 teleplay of the same name which he ...

from a screenplay by O'Neill and

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' ...

. The cast included Sophia Loren as Abbie (known as Anna in the film),

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influentia ...

as Eben,

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

as Ephraim,

Frank Overton Frank Emmons Overton (March 12, 1918April 24, 1967) was an American actor. He was best known for the roles of Maj. Harvey Stovall in '' Twelve O'Clock High'' (1964-1967), Sheriff Heck Tate in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962) and General Bogan in ...

as Simeon, and

Pernell Roberts Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. (May 18, 1928 – January 24, 2010) was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartw ...

as Peter. The film was nominated for Best Black and White Cinematography ( Daniel L. Fapp) at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and Laurel Awards in 1959. It was also entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival.

Story

Widower Ephraim Cabot, a greedy New England farmer who has overworked two wives to their graves, works his three sons from the two women as slaves. The farm's land originally belonged to the second wife, and before her death she pleads with Eben, the youngest son, to take the farm from the old man as his birthright. Eben buys out his half-brothers' shares of the farm with money stolen from his father, and Peter and Simeon head off to California to seek their fortune. Ephraim announces that his desire is for the farm not to be left to anyone, but rather burned to the ground on his death. Later, Ephraim returns with a new wife, Anna, a beautiful and headstrong woman from Italy, who enters into an adulterous affair with Eben. Soon after, Anna bears Eben's child, but lets Ephraim believe that the child is his, with the old man's assurance that the farm shall be willed to her. The proud Ephraim is oblivious to his neighbours' open mocking of him as a cuckold. Eben and Anna argue and, in a fit of jealousy because of comments from his father, Eben tells Anna he wishes the baby were dead and desires to never see Anna again. Madly in love with Eben and fearful of losing him because of the argument, Anna kills the infant, thinking this will prove to Eben her commitment to him. However, an angry and distraught Eben threatens to tell the sheriff what she has done and departs. Before the sheriff arrives Eben returns to the farm and admits to Anna the depths of his love for her and confesses his own role in the infanticide. The old man condemns them both, calls out God, and is content that the farm will not fall into anyone's hands. The sheriff comments to his deputy that he wishes he could possess such a special farm as Ephraim's and then takes the two lovers to jail.

Cast

* Sophia Loren as Anna Cabot *

as Eben Cabot *

as Ephraim Cabot *

as Simeon Cabot *

as Peter Cabot *

Rebecca Welles Rebecca Welles (born Reba Tassell; February 5, 1928 – February 13, 2017) was an American television and film actress. Early years Welles was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lena (née Schiller and Samuel Tassell. Her only sibling was fas ...

as Lucinda Cabot (as Rebecca Wells) *

Jean Willes Jean Willes (born Jean Donahue; April 15, 1923 – January 3, 1989) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career. Early years Willes was born Jean Donahue In Los Angeles. She spent pa ...

as Florence Cabot * Anne Seymour as Eben's mother *Roy Fant as Fiddler

Production

Don Hartman acquired the story for Paramount Pictures and took it over when he left Paramount to become an independent producer. He died shortly after its release.

Reception

The film was panned by critics.

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' blamed Ives's weak portrayal of Ephraim for causing "the whole ambitious project to fall flat":

Burl Ives is wrong for the role. In the first place, he's fat and flabby, not hard and sinewy. He looks more like Foxy Grandpa with a pious black hat on his head than like a gaunt and tireless old toiler with limbs resembling those of an ageless elm. What's more, he plays Ephraim Cabot in a heavy, shuffling way and speaks his taunts and fulminations pretty much in a stagey monotone. He lacks the air of slow destruction that should go with the cold New England hills. He is not very much of a menace. He is the mortal weakness in the film.

Honors

*Best Cinematography-Black & White Academy Award ( Daniel L. Fapp) - nominated *Palme d'Or,

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

- nominated *Best Cinematography-Black & White,

Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the ...

(Daniel L. Fapp) - nominated

References

External links

* {{Delbert Mann 1958 films 1958 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films scored by Elmer Bernstein American films based on plays Films based on works by Eugene O'Neill Films directed by Delbert Mann Films set in Connecticut Paramount Pictures films Films based on works by Euripides Works based on Hippolytus (play) Modern adaptations of works by Euripides 1950s American films