Lonelyhearts (1958) Reviews

• Loneliness and the power of forgiveness

  blanche-22006-03-04

  Montgomery Clift is a writer hired to be "Miss Lonelyhearts" for a newspaper in "Lonelyhearts," a 1958 film also starring Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Delores Hart, and Maureen Stapleton in her film debut. About 30 years ago - yes, 30 - I saw the play "Miss Lonelyhearts" with none other than Kelsey Grammar, who had not yet gone to Hollywood. The play, as well as the book, are quite different from what ended up on the screen. In the film, the ending was changed to a more upbeat one. This is a great film if you're contemplating suicide because this will take you right over the edge. It is relentlessly depressing with some pathetic characters and some unlikeable ones. Adam (Clift)is a man with a hidden past that he keeps even from his girlfriend (Delores Hart). All the viewer really knows at first is that he was raised in an orphanage and has a father in prison. The paper on which Adam works is owned by William Shrike, an abusive, cynical man (Ryan) who is horrible not only to his employees but to his wife (Myrna Loy) because of her infidelity 10 years before. This is a man who carries a grudge. When he meets Adam, he thinks his sincerity is fake and becomes determined to wear him down. His first step is to hire him as Miss Lonelyhearts. Adam becomes very bothered by the problems his readers send to him, especially because he can't help anyone. When Shrike dares him to meet one of the letter-writers, he does so. It's Maureen Stapleton, a needy woman with a crippled husband who can't make love to her. The performances in this film are very good, but the film isn't. Clift apparently was very disappointed in it because it lacked none of the bite of the novel and none of the symbolism of Adam as a Christlike figure bearing the sins of others. Robert Ryan is very convincing as the hateful Shrike, and Myrna Loy is beautiful and sad as his wife. Stapleton received an Oscar nomination for her effective performance. An accomplished stage actress, Stapleton evokes the desperation of this lonely woman. Montgomery Clift by this time was almost at a point where he was dependent upon the kindness of strangers. He was too much of a risk for Hollywood to be interested. Like so many people who are victims of horrible accidents, he had become addicted to painkillers and alcohol. If not for Elizabeth Taylor making a case for him, he would not have been cast in "Suddenly, Last Summer." As it was, Mankiewicz almost stopped shooting on the film. He is fragile and glassy-eyed here, in obvious pain, and his voice slurs. The fragility works well in this role as does the sensitivity he brings to the part. He still had a beautiful smile, which unfortunately he doesn't get to use much here. It's always wonderful to see Montgomery Clift perform, even toward the end of his career. That interesting voice of his, the intelligence and sensitivity of his work, and the tenderness with which he approached a love scene were unmatched. His film career was relatively short, but he left a powerful legacy. "Lonelyhearts" is not a great film, but it stars Montgomery Clift, so it's worth seeing.

• M. Clift was still great post-accident!

  shepardjessica-12004-12-11

  Interesting newspaper tale with Montgomery Clift as interesting as ever, even though he'd had his car accident which changed his face. One of the best actors ever (along with Brando). He was great for the last 10 years of his life after his tragedy. Maureen Stapleton was heartbreakingly ignorant. Robert Ryan tough as nails. Myrna Loy beautiful and sensitive in a strange marriage and Mike Kellin adds authenticity. A great book by Nathaniel West who wrote DAY OF THE LOCUST. I know this film bombed in '58..who cares? Too hip for the room. Definitely in the top ten of that year and Clift added another great character, even though he must have been in pain. Best performance = Maureen Stapleton (nominated).

• Lonelyhearts- Something Even Beyond Dear Abbey **1/2

  edwagreen2006-10-20

  This film is based on the play "Miss Lonelyhearts." Montgomery Clift, the brooding loner of many films, is at it again as a man who is hiding a terrible secret from his fiancée-his father killed his mother when he was age 3 and is prison for this crime. A chance meeting with Myrna Loy leads Clift to a job as a newspaper writer writing an advice column to people in difficulty. A much older looking Ryan portrays a cynical newspaper head who never forgave his wife, Myrna Loy, for an affair that she had 10 years ago. Loy's character is never fully realized in that it's not allowed to develop in the film. She gives a good performance but it seems as if she is cut off. Maureen Stapleton makes a wonderful impression in her first movie and received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress for it. She is a mentally ill woman who meets up with Clift and her story telling leads to a near tragedy. She makes the most of the 3 scenes she is in. Her performance sets the stage for the career that was ahead of her-a troubled woman seeking understanding in a world beyond her. Delores Hart portrays Clift's understanding girlfriend. Miss Hart, who abandoned Hollywood in the early 1960s to become a nun, shows sympathy in the role of almost being in the wrong place at the wrong time as well. An interesting film showing that we can't necessarily laugh at the predicaments of all people.

• Ambitious but unsuccesful film version of a great novel.

  misterjones2002-09-08

  Nathaniel West's "Lonelyhearts" is a haunting novella about how an idealistic young man is affected by his job as an advice-giving columnist for his town's newspaper. It was intelligently adapted for the stage in the mid-50's, and the film version plainly uses that adaptation as a reference point as much as the novel itself. In ways, the film expands on the play's success, opening it up to reveal an idealized 50's picture-postcard town on the surface before centering on the insensitivity lying just underneath. Writer/Producer Schary and Director Donohue are to be commended for the atmosphere they have successfully created. It is unfortunate that they did not have enough faith in the material to resist the temptation to give it a happy ending, an ending which really is not in keeping with the events which precede it. It must have seemed like a great idea to cast Montgomery Clift in the lead role of Adam, and a few years earlier it would have been, but this compelling actor's personal demons had so impacted upon him by this time that it is impossible not to be distracted by his unhealthy state of being. His slurred speech, unsteady gait and jerky mannerisms are entirely at odds with this character, who is said to have never had a stronger drink than a coca-cola. He is too good of an actor not to have effective moments - he works beautifully with Onslow Stevens, who plays his father - but this is a performance that holds our attention largely for unintentional reasons. Maureen Stapleton is sensational in her film debut as a writer to the column who manipulates Adam, and her performance would be right at home in a more faithful and successful version of this novel. Otherwise, this is a well-intended film which fails both to adequately reflect the novel on which it is based and to succeed on it's own terms.

• Fantastic Montgomery Clift Film!

  whpratt12004-07-10

  Have not seen this film in many years and was able to view it on late late late night TV. Montgomery Clift,(Adam White),"Wild River",'60 gave forth a deep power from within his very soul and cried out through out the entire picture as a frustrated writer in his love relations and the conflict with his own father. Adam encounters a woman who seeks his help through a column in the local newspaper and she complains about her husband's performance in bed after so many years and then all things break loose. Robert Ryan,(William Shrike),"The Outfit",'74 is a very bitter man who heads the newspaper and is constantly beating down his wife,Myrna Loy,(Florence Shrike),"Song of the Thin Man",'47 for having an affair with a man ten years in the past. Maureen Stampleton,(Fay Doyle),"Cocoon",'85 gave a great supporting role and spins a close web around Adam. Montgomery Clift showed a great deal of physical and mental pain in this film, but it seemed to make his performance a MASTER PIECE of great acting for all generations to view.