This is one of those worthy American TV half hours based on a serious short story by a major writer, in this case William Faulkner. The story is about an odd spinster in a small town in Alabama in the 1890s, and her strange tale. It is the first directorial effort of Lyndon Chubbuck, who did very well at it. The story is enough to sustain 27 minutes with the well-scripted narration of John Houseman to carry it through its exposition, and Houseman delivers this in his usual confiding but magisterial style, as if he were an old judge telling us of a case he had once presided over. I am not a William Faulkner fan, but never mind, this is an interesting film and I preferred the fact that it was short, so that I was not subjected to Faulkner's gloom for too long. The story, as one might expect, has a grisly aspect, but to avoid revealing too much, I draw back my breath and say no more about that. What is most striking about this film and makes it work is the excellent central performance of Anjelica Huston as Emily. She has to pull this off with minimal dialogue, as an exercise in sheer 'presence projection'. Despite this being a very early effort of hers, it is entirely successful, and she already seems an old pro, despite being young at the time. This is certainly an early performance to be proud of, and she need have no fear of being embarrassed by juvenilia in this case. It is a very fine film, and the sort of thing of which more should be done. All those who band together to bring classics to the screen on American TV are heroic figures deserving of our thanks. If only this kind of thing could happen more often, but alas, the unstoppable Rise of Decadence will make films like this seem in retrospect like the last flickerings of culture before the candle went out.
Review of A Rose for Emily
