Toys in the Attic (1963)

Sadly Over-hyped

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

George Roy Hill's second feature film - following his 1962 version of Tennessee Williams' 'Period of Adjustment' - takes us yet again on a tour of one of those big crumbling Southern mansions in which people flutter about talking incessantly and family skeletons come crashing out of closets.The very conventionality of Hill's stagey direction, Carey Odell's meticulous set, Joseph Biroc's photography and George Duning's music seem designed to make us feel we've seen this all before, so when the bombshell is finally dropped about one of the sisters' relationship with her brother its done so casually - and simply told us, rather than conveyed visually - that I did a double take and thought, Did She Really Just Say That? Likewise, after such a slow build-up (SPOILER COMING) the shocking moment of gruesomely intimate violence near the end (not shown in the play) made me wonder if I'd really just seen it.As usual its fun to see Geraldine Page roll her eyes, wiggle her mouth and play with her hands, but naturally Wendy Hiller's is by far the better performance in the less showy role...

As is pointed out in the acclaimed biography of Dean Martin by Nick Tosches, Toys In The Attic was the last serious role that Dino attempted on the big screen. His less than stellar reviews in comparison to Jason Robards, Jr. who did it on the stage probably convinced Martin to stick with what he knew best.I don't think Dean was all that bad in the part, the problem was he did not have that much to work with. When you think about it the roles he played in Some Came Running and Ada could have been dress rehearsals for Julian Berniers in Toys In The Attic. I just don't think the play itself is up to the standards Lillian Hellman set for herself in The Little Foxes.In fact the subject matter seems to be more Tennessee Williams than Lillian Hellman. Martin is the younger ne'er do well brother of spinsters Geraldine Page and Wendy Hiller. Page is kind of Blanche Dubois flighty type on the surface, but she really rules the Berniers roost. And she's got a nice incestuous thing for her brother.Who is now married to Yvette Mimieux, a young, but even mentally younger child like bride. Dino's got a deal cooking with the wife of a big tycoon played by Larry Gates. Years ago he had a fling with his wife Nan Martin, but now they're just seeking to take the big guy for a big score.On stage the Gates and Martin parts are not played, but talked about. When Lillian Hellman's play was on stage the sisters were played by Maureen Stapleton and Anne Revere. Revere in the part Hiller does won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. The play ran 463 performances in the 1960-1961 season.I think if the part Dino had was played by Paul Newman or Montgomery Clift, the film might have been marginally better. But even more so Lillian Hellman was poaching on Tennessee Williams subject matter and she should have kept off the grass.

Dean Martin, (Julian Berniers) gave an outstanding performance in this role with a very dramatic role as a brother who had two sisters who both loved him very much. However, Julian was a shady character who was always a constant failure in whatever he did and got himself involved with all kinds of women who could provide him with money. Every time he got in trouble Julian ran home to his two sisters who always managed to lend him money. Finally, Julian comes home and manages to have plenty of money, like $150,000 dollars and buys everyone lots of clothes and even trips to Europe and a new refrigerator for their home. Dean Martin and Geralldin Page, (Carrie Berniers) both gave an outstanding performance which made this a great film to watch and enjoy.

Lillian Hellman's play "Toys in the Attic" was adapted for the screen in 1963. The story is reminiscent of Williams, as it concerns a southern family with lots of hidden secrets. Dean Martin stars as Julian, a man who's made a career out of losing jobs and money. He returns to the family home in New Orleans with his young bride (Yvette Mimieux) with a plan to make a quick fortune. Martin is ok in this role, and Mimieux plays her part as the naive bride very well. But the reason to see this is the powerful acting of the two ladies who play Julian's sisters. Oscar winners Wendy Hiller (Anna) and Geraldine Page (Carrie) are amazing in this picture. Anna is the more mature, careful sister, while Carrie is emotional and dramatic. Carrie's obsession with Julian is unhealthy, and Anna realizes this. And there is also some conflict with Julian's mother-in-law, and the people he's scheming to make money with. Honestly, unless Ms Hiller or Ms Page is onscreen, then this film bores me. As Carrie, Geraldine Page gave another of her incredible screen performances. From "little girl flirty" to "self righteously indignant", Ms Page doesn't strike a false note once in this picture. Carrie's obsession with her brother causes trouble for everyone else, and in some ways resembles the character Alma that Page played in "Summer and Smoke". As Anna, Wendy Hiller perfectly plays the older sister who's spent years worrying and caring for her siblings, yet all the time knowing what the deep secret is in her family's attic. Gene Tierney is impressive in a small role as Dean Martin's mother-in-law, as is Larry Gates as the vengeful businessman Martin deals with. But despite Dean Martin's top billing, this is a show for the talents of two gifted actresses, with Geraldine Page and Wendy Hiller making the most of this Southern gothic melodrama.