Lonelyhearts

Nathanael West is probably one of the most disregarded major novelists in this century, but his dark, brooding, brilliant works do not translate well to the screen. Here his powerful novella about the lovelorn is brilliantly enacted, tautly directed, and scripted as faithfully as producer Schary's compassion for the public would allow. Clift, in one of his best roles, is a reporter who is assigned the lovelorn column of his paper by cynical publisher Ryan, who is also superb in his role. Clift comes to be known as "Miss Lonelyhearts" and, at first, does not take his job seriously. Then he begins to feel compassion for the poor, lonely, love-starved creatures who po...