Toys in the Attic (1963 film)

Last updated
Toys in the Attic
Toys in the attic.jpg
Promotional movie poster
Directed by George Roy Hill
Screenplay by James Poe
Based on Toys in the Attic
1960 play
by Lillian Hellman
Produced by Walter Mirisch
Starring Dean Martin
Geraldine Page
Yvette Mimieux
Wendy Hiller
Gene Tierney
Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc
Edited by Stuart Gilmore
Music by George Duning
Color process Black and white
Production
companies
Meadway-Claude Productions Company
The Mirisch Corporation
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • July 31, 1963 (1963-07-31)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.1 million [1]

Toys in the Attic is a 1963 American drama film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Yvette Mimieux, Gene Tierney and Wendy Hiller. The film is based on a Tony Award-winning play of the same name by Lillian Hellman. The screenplay adaptation is by James Poe, and the original music score was composed by George Duning.

Contents

Plot

Julian Berniers returns from Illinois with his young bride Lily Prine to his family in New Orleans. His spinster sisters, Carrie and Anna, welcome the couple, who arrive with expensive gifts. Julian tells them that, though his factory went out of business, he did manage to save money. Although the sisters are skeptical, there is much talk of a long-hoped-for trip to Europe for the two sisters. In fact, Julian has money from a real estate deal that he pulled off with the help of Charlotte Warkins, a former lover, who is now in an abusive marriage.

Carrie is obsessed with her brother. Her jealousy, deriving from her sublimated incestuous desires for him, is aimed at Lily. Carrie tricks Lily into informing Charlotte's husband of a rendezvous between Charlotte and Julian, at which Julian was to give Charlotte her half of the money, then Charlotte would leave her husband and flee town. Charlotte's husband sends thugs to beat up Julian, maim Charlotte, and take both halves of the money.

Julian discovers that Carrie has manipulated Lily into phoning Charlotte's husband and convincing Lily that Julian and Charlotte were going to leave together. After Carrie hurls insults at Julian and Anna, telling them they will both be failures, both leave the house. Julian finds and reconciles with Lily, and Anna leaves for Europe. Carrie is left alone, deluding herself into thinking they both will return one day.

Cast

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 40% based on 5 critics, with an average rating of 4.8/10. [2]

The film recorded a loss of $1.2 million. [1]

The film was nominated for the Best Costume Design (Black & White) Oscar (Bill Thomas), and it received nominations for the Best Actress Golden Globe (Geraldine Page) and the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (Wendy Hiller). [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Hiller</span> English stage and film actress (1912–2003)

Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation Rating the Movie Stars, described her as "a no-nonsense actress who literally took command of the screen whenever she appeared on film". Despite many notable film performances, Hiller chose to remain primarily a stage actress.

<i>Bugsy</i> 1991 biographical film by Barry Levinson

Bugsy is a 1991 American biographical crime drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by James Toback. The film stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, and Joe Mantegna. It is based on the life of American mobster Bugsy Siegel and his affair with starlet Virginia Hill.

<i>Avalon</i> (1990 film) 1990 film directed by Barry Levinson

Avalon is a 1990 American drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson and starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright and Aidan Quinn. It is the third in Levinson's semi-autobiographical tetralogy of "Baltimore films" set in his hometown during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s: Diner (1982), Tin Men (1987), and Liberty Heights (1999). The film explores the themes of Jewish assimilation into American life, through several generations of a Polish immigrant family from the 1910s through the 1950s.

<i>Marvins Room</i> (film) 1996 American drama film

Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the play of the same name by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however, Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvette Mimieux</span> American actress (1942–2022)

Yvette Carmen Mimieux was an American film and television actress who was a major star of the 1960s and 1970s. Her breakout role was in The Time Machine (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her acting career.

<i>The Nasty Girl</i> 1990 West Germany film

The Nasty Girl is a 1990 West German drama film based on the true story of Anna Rosmus.

<i>Jane Eyre</i> (1996 film) 1996 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli

Jane Eyre is a 1996 romantic drama film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre. This Hollywood version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is similar to the original novel, although it compresses and eliminates most of the plot in the last quarter of the book to condense it into a two-hour film.

<i>Peter Pan</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Herbert Brenon

Peter Pan is a 1924 American silent adventure film released by Paramount Pictures, the first film adaptation of the 1904 play by J. M. Barrie. It was directed by Herbert Brenon and starred Betty Bronson as Peter Pan, Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook, Mary Brian as Wendy, Virginia Browne Faire as Tinker Bell, Esther Ralston as Mrs. Darling, and Anna May Wong as the Indian princess Tiger Lily. The film was seen by Walt Disney, and inspired him to create his company's 1953 animated adaptation.

<i>Billy Bathgate</i> (film) 1991 film by Robert Benton

Billy Bathgate is a 1991 American biographical gangster film directed by Robert Benton, starring Loren Dean as the title character and Dustin Hoffman as real-life gangster Dutch Schultz. The film co-stars Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi and Bruce Willis. Although Billy is a fictional character, at least four of the other characters in the film are real people. The screenplay was adapted by British writer Tom Stoppard from E.L. Doctorow's 1989 novel of the same name. Doctorow distanced himself from the film for the extensive deviations from the book. It received negative reviews and was a box-office bomb, grossing a mere $15.5 million against its $48 million budget.

<i>Sex and the City</i> (film) 2008 film by Michael Patrick King

Sex and the City is a 2008 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Michael Patrick King in his feature film directorial debut. It is a continuation of the 1998–2004 television series about four friends, Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York Goldenblatt, and Miranda Hobbes, and their lives in New York City.

<i>Three in the Attic</i> 1968 film by Richard Wilson

Three in the Attic is a 1968 comedy-drama film directed by Richard Wilson and starring Christopher Jones and Yvette Mimieux, with Judy Pace and Maggie Thrett. Nan Martin, John Beck, and Eve McVeagh appear in supporting roles. Jones plays Paxton Quigley, a lothario who swears his fidelity to all three of the women he is dating, each of whom is unaware of his deception. When they learn the truth about Paxton, the women lure him into a college dormitory attic, where they each take turns attacking Paxton sexually in order to punish him.

<i>Seasons Beatings</i> 1999 French film

Season's Beatings is a French comedy-drama film directed by Danièle Thompson, released in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Jessica Parker</span> American actress (born 1965)

Sarah Jessica Parker is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both screen and stage. Her accolades include six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<i>Toys in the Attic</i> (play)

Toys in the Attic is a 1960 play by Lillian Hellman.

<i>Jackson County Jail</i> (film) 1976 Michael Miller film

Jackson County Jail is a 1976 American crime film directed by Michael Miller, and starring Yvette Mimieux, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Carradine.

<i>Petals on the Wind</i> (film) 2014 American film

Petals on the Wind is a 2014 Lifetime movie sequel to the 2014 adaptation Flowers in the Attic, starring Heather Graham, Rose McIver, Wyatt Nash, Bailey Buntain and Ellen Burstyn. It is based on V. C. Andrews' 1980 novel of the same name, the second novel on the Dollanganger series. The film follows the surviving Dollanganger children—Cathy, Chris and Carrie—ten years after escaping the attic. Despite attempting to move on with their lives, after multiple failed attempts and tragedies occur, Cathy decides it is time to take revenge on her mother.

<i>Grace and Frankie</i> American comedy television series (2015–2022)

Grace and Frankie is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who form an unlikely friendship after their husbands reveal they are in love with each other and plan to get married. Sam Waterston, Martin Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Ethan Embry, June Diane Raphael, and Baron Vaughn co-star in supporting roles.

<i>Blackbird</i> (2019 film) 2019 American drama film

Blackbird is a 2019 American drama film directed by Roger Michell and written by Christian Torpe. It is a remake of the 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, also written by Torpe. It stars Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Lindsay Duncan, Rainn Wilson, Bex Taylor-Klaus, and Sam Neill. A family of three generations gather over a weekend to say goodbye to its matriarch Lily, who suffers from an incurable disease. With the help of her husband Paul, Lily has chosen to pursue euthanasia when the weekend is over. But as the end approaches, their mother's decision becomes more and more difficult to handle for her two daughters, and old conflicts resurface.

<i>My Little Sister</i> (2020 film) 2020 film

My Little Sister is a 2020 Swiss drama film written and directed by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. It was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>The Beanie Bubble</i> 2023 film by Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash Jr.

The Beanie Bubble is a 2023 American comedy-drama film directed by Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash Jr. from a screenplay by Gore, based on the 2015 book The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette about the Beanie Babies bubble. The film stars Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan.

References

  1. 1 2 Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 171.
  2. "Toys in the Attic (1963)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. "Toys in the Attic". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved 23 August 2021.