Picnic
Directed by Joshua Logan
Written by Daniel Taradash from the play by William Inge
1955/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Helen Potts: At a picnic everybody disappears. Don’t you remember, Flo?[/box]
This movie just screams 50’s steaming repressed sexuality. And I mean that in the best possible way.
Drifter Hal Carter (William Holden) hits a small town on the morning of it’s Labor Day picnic and gets every woman he meets into an uproar. There is Milly Owens (Susan Strasberg), a bookworm and tomboy, seething with resentment at her older sister Madge (Kim Novak) “the pretty one”. And Madge herself, praised only for her looks, and being thrown at the richest guy in town (Cliff Roberts). The Owen’s roomer Rosemary Sidney (Rosalind Russell), a spinster school teacher whose bravado conceals a host of insecurities, can’t take her eyes off him either. He makes the girls’ mother (Betty Fields) very, very nervous and even old Mrs. Potts next door does not hide her soft spot for the man.
Truth to tell, Hal has plenty of problems of his own. He grew up in squalor and got to college on a football scholarship then flunked out and has struggled ever since. He can’t seem to keep out of trouble. He has come to town to see if his former college roommate, Madge’s boyfriend, will give him a job.
Hal’s sexual magnetism interferes with everybody’s plans at the picnic. While Madge and Hal are drawn ever closer, Rosemary’s frustration reaches the breaking point. With Arthur O’Connell as Rosemary’s boyfriend.
The scent of Freudian psychology wafts strongly over the entire plot and dates the picture. However, the performances are so strong that I didn’t mind. Holden seems about ten years too old for his part but, when he takes his shirt off so many times, I really can’t complain. For me, the most memorable player is Rosalind Russell. Her desperation is almost painful. I read that she asked not to be pushed for a Best Supporting Actress nomination, because she had always been a star. I love the score. Recommended.
Picnic won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and Best Film Editing. It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Director; Best Actor in a Supporting Role (O’Connell); and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.
Trailer
The dance – sexier than 99% of the post-Code sex scenes IMHO
For me, Holden’s age was a huge problem. He’s just not believable in the role. I love William Holden, but someone younger–or even younger looking like Montgomery Clift (say) would have been a better choice.
Hard for me to say that about an actor I love, but his presence made a lot of this film not work for me.
Well, I thought he was too old as well but the sexual magnetism part worked for me and that was what he was there for. I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy the rewatch as much as I did. It is really, really dated but has that kind of trashy pseudo-psychology that I eat up when I am in the right mood.
Monty Clift would have been another good choice for sure! And how about James Dean?
Dean would’ve been perfect, of course. He was the right age, had the magnetism and raw sexual power, and could’ve definitely pulled off the role perfectly.
Now that I think about it, Clift or Dean would also would have had a vulnerability that Holden lacked, while at the same time being bad boys.
I haven’t seen PICNIC in some time; however, all my memories support your views, including William Holden. His magnetism overrides his age. Very interesting about Roz Russell reluctance to be identified as a supporting player.
25 or 40 the man was a hunk and no woman over 14 could have missed it!
Agreed. I definitely noticed at 14.