Suddenly, Last Summer

This bizarre and often distasteful movie at the end of the 1950s was an omen of things to come, as it went far beyond prevailing norms of decency into a world that the average filmgoer had no idea existed. The one-act play on which the film was based consisted essentially of monologs by two women and was the second half of a Williams' bill known collectively as the "Garden District" when originally presented Off-Broadway (the opening half was entitled "Something Unspoken"). Robert Lansing starred in the role played here by Clift, Anne Meacham did the Taylor part, and Hortense Alden was in the Hepburn slot. In 1958, when the play was produced, it was strong stuff, a...