SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH

US, 1989, 95 minutes, Colour.
Elizabeth Taylor, Mark Harmon, Rip Torn, Valerie Perrine, Seymour Cassell.
Directed by Nicolas Roeg.

Sweet Bird of Youth is a telemovie version of Tennessee Williams' play. Filmed in the '60s with Geraldine Page and Paul Newman, who created the roles on stage, the film was written and directed by Richard Brooks. Ed Begley won an Oscar for his role as Boss Finley.

Elizabeth Taylor, overweight, is the Princess Alexandra del Largo - capitalising on her own reputation and legend as the fading movie queen. Mark Harmon, popular from TV's St Elsewhere, is Chance Wayne. The film has a strong supporting cast including Rip Torn, who appeared in the original film with his wife Geraldine Page. The film was written for the television screen by author-critic Gavin Lambert (The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, Inside Daisy Clover) and was directed by British director-photographer Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Insignificance, Don't Look Now). The film uses the structure of the play, focuses on characters rather than on environment, includes many of Williams' speeches. An interesting version of a celebrated play.

1. The work of Tennessee Williams? His position in American theatre? The status of this play? Adapted for television audience? Stars and director?

2. The atmosphere of the South, the town of St Cloud and its environment? Background score, the range of '50s and '60s songs?

3. The title and its symbolism? Application to each of the main characters? Hope and regrets?

4. The adaptation from the play itself, TV focusing on speeches, characters and close-ups? The division of the screenplay into acts? The focus of the treatment?

5. Elizabeth Taylor as the princess: her appearance, weight? Her own career? The premiere and her running away, escape from Hollywood? The legend, her career in films, her husbands and divorces? Drink and drugs? Not properly focused on reality? In the motel, watching Chance doing the rubbing, the seduction?

6. Chance, saying his age was 31, from St Cloud, his hopes, becoming a gigolo, massaging elderly women, the encounter with the princess?

7. Their time together, driving, his telling his life story and his experience in St Cloud, his hopes for Hollywood? The hotel that had been pulled down, his love for Heavenly? His experiences in St Cloud? His meeting people in the hotel and the bar, their reactions to him and his coming back?

8. Booking in at the hotel, the registrar and his suspicions? The princess and her nightmares? Waking up, trying to focus on who Chance was?

9. The princess in St Cloud? Her bargain with Chance and her using him? Her harshness towards him? His part of the bargain? Insulting her, the wheelchair, etc? His wanting a deal for Hollywood, to take Heavenly there? The encounter with Miss Lucy, the princess's rudeness to her? The phone call to the press agent, his hopes, her change and discovery that she was appreciated, the Oscar nomination? Her decision to abandon Chance? Telling him the truth, reminding him of his youth, showing that he had no hopes? Her leaving, her future?

10. Chance and his love for Heavenly, meeting Miss Lucy and his trying to save her from the princess, singing the song? Going to see Heavenly, hearing the truth from her about the operation, her relationship with her father? Arguing with her? Watching the rally on television, seeing Heavenly? The threat by the doctor for him to leave town? The prospective marriage to Heavenly? The threat by Boss Finley's son? His growing sense of hopelessness during the phone call? His being left in the town with the truth? Their coming to castrate him? What future?

11. Boss Finley and his power, his drinking wife, his vindictive son, his reputation, money, the liaison with Miss Lucy, wanting Chance out of the town, his campaign and its righteousness, on the side of religion? His speech at the rally?

12. Heavenly, her relationship with her father, love for Chance, his leaving, the operation, her marrying the doctor, being on the platform, stepping down? The arguments with Chance?

13. Finley's son, resembling his father? The doctor and his doing Boss Finley's behest?

14. Miss Lucy, pleasant, dumb, gracious? With Alexandra, not being put off? Attracted by Chance, wanting to protect him? Being dropped by Boss Finley?

15. The hotel staff, the complicity against Chance? The people in the bar and their relationships with him?

16. The glimpse of Hollywood, the agents, the deals, the phone calls?

17. Tennessee Williams' skill in observing characters, using symbolic characters? His pessimistic outlook?