Top 50 Actresses, #36 - Natalie Wood: "Splendor in the Grass" (1961)

Movie Stats:
Released 1961 (USA)
American, in English (minor non-translated Italian)
Director - Elia Kazan
Stars - Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty

Plot Summary:
In 1920s Kansas, a passionate teenaged romance between Wilma Dean “Deanie” Loomis (Wood) and Bud Stamper (Beatty) is torn apart by societal & familial expectations.

Warnings:
Sexual assault; implied rape (nothing on-screen); violence; minor gore.

Bad Stuff:
It’s pretty melodramatic. It felt a little bit like “Reefer Madness” in that it takes the point to a ridiculous extreme. “See, if you don’t allow teenagers to have sex, they’ll go mad! Mad, I tell you!”

I kept forgetting that it was set in the 1920s. Apart from the costume & set design, it didn’t feel like it was. I think my particular problem was with the dialogue. It seemed more like 1950s dialogue.

The heavily horn-laden soundtrack killed me.

Good Stuff:
While I did think it overstated its case, I liked that it sharply called into question societal norms about sex. It was also good at showing how much pressure families can put on teenagers in general, and how that pressure, while usually well-meaning, can be detrimental. I thought it was rather advanced for a film of its time.

It makes you uncomfortable in the best kind of way. It’s not pleasant or fun. A lot of scenes had my shoulders up around my ears, but I think that was the intent. It’s supposed to make you think, “Wow, this is really messed up,” so that you call things into question.


Good acting. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Wood, Audrey Christie (as Deanie’s mother, Mrs. Loomis), and Pat Hingle (as Bud’s father, Ace Stamper).

About the Performance:
As mentioned above, I think Wood is very good in this. At first, I didn’t appreciate exactly how good she was because her character is so young and innocent (and frankly childlike for someone who’s supposed to be 17 or 18). It wasn’t until her character went through a crisis, and then came out the other side as a much more mature person, that I truly began to admire her performance. I’ve never had much of an opinion about her. Looking at some of my other reviews of her films, I don’t tend to mention her. But this one made me interested in seeing more of her work.

Other performances of Wood’s I’ve reviewed: West Side Story; The Searchers; Rebel Without a Cause.

The Verdict:
This was much better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a sappy romance movie. Not only is it not that, the film is just as good at showing what’s unhealthy about Deanie and Bud’s relationship as it is showing how unrealistic societal standards about sex have been for a very long time. It tackles a lot of uncomfortable issues. While it can be heavy-handed, I still found it interesting and engaging. Plus, I really liked that it didn’t go for the most simplistic happy ending.

I give it 4 stars.