Customer Reviews
Gloom, doom, and Loren - By: Kona, 06 Aug 2007 
It is the 1850s in a rocky New England farm that is home to the despotic owner, Ephraim Cabot (Burl Ives) & his resentful son Eben (Anthony Perkins). At 25, Eben is only staying on the farm because he expects to inherit the land, even though his greedy & cruel father swears that will never happen. The old man goes off & marries Anna (Sophia Loren), a seductive woman of Eben's age. She is repulsed by her husband, but desperately wants the farm, so there is immediate friction between Anna & her new stepson. Hatred soon turns to lust, however, & the two make good use of the hay loft. Anna gives birth to a son & Ephraim declares that the farm will be his alone one day, a decision that leads to a shocking act.
Eugene O'Neill's classic tragedy makes just an OK transition to the screen, despite the talented cast, literate script, & dramatic score by Elmer Bernstein. Something is missing; one never feels any passion or joy or urgency between Eben & Anna; in fact, they both seem to sleepwalk through the story, reciting their lines when it's their turn & glowering throughout. The one who reallly shines is Burl Ives; he is totallly convincing as the hateful, Bible-quoting father & his robust & gleefully evil performance is reason enough to watch the movie. A big problem was the farm; it was the sole location & the object of everyone's desire, & yet the scenes were obviously filmed indoors, giving it a false, stagey look. The pervasive mood is of unremitting gloom, & since none of the characters is likeable or heroic, one is left feeling empty, wishing there had been more of an emotional connection between them & with us.
desire under the elms - By: Ms. N. Canham, 11 Jul 2007 
I originallly bought this film as i saw anthony perkins was starring in it. Being a fan of his work i was eager to see him away from psycho. This is a reallly good film to watch of an afternoon when you want a bit of romance. The film is very well acted & the story line is great.
Definetly worth a watch if your a fan of anthony perkins.
