Copyright 1956 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Globe: 17 November 1956. U.S. release: November 1956. U.K. release: 11 February 1957. Australian release: 7 February 1957. Sydney opening at the Century. 8,465 feet. 94 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Re-married mother tries to win back the love and respect of her teenage daughter after an eight-year separation.
NOTES: "A Roomful of Roses" opened on Broadway at the Playhouse on 17 October 1955, running a modest 88 performances. Patricia Neal starred. Miss Keim was the daughter and Mr. Berlinger her "interest". Guthrie McClintic directed. Miss Keim's movie career seems to consist of only four films: These Wilder Years (1956), The Wayward Bus (1957), Some Came Running (1959) being the others. This film was the debut debut of Warren Berlinger. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Black-and-white Art Direction (lost to "Somebody Up There Likes Me"), and black-and-white Costume Design (lost to "The Solid Gold Cadillac"). This was Fox's second black-and-white CinemaScope movie. (Love Me Tender was the first).
COMMENT" Very much a filmed stage play. True, Brackett has made some attempt to open it up — even plagiarizing his famous "Garbo laughs" gag from "Ninotchka" — with little success, no doubt because hampered by this movie's modest budget. The story remains stubbornly pretentious and slight, wordy and conventional.
Directed in a smooth but incredibly dull fashion, it's hard to believe that this is the same Edmund Goulding of "The Razor's Edge" and "Nightmare Alley". The acting is merely as competent as the script will allow — which doesn't amount to much in the way of interest — though Miss Rogers looks quite fetching, her age apparent only in moments of emotional stress.
Aside from the bright CinemaScope photography, credits and production values are distinctly middle-drawer (the music score is almost a liability). Odd that the sets and costumes were nominated for Oscars — though the sets especially do have to be seen on the CinemaScope screen to be fully appreciated.
SYNOPSIS: Re-married mother tries to win back the love and respect of her teenage daughter after an eight-year separation.
NOTES: "A Roomful of Roses" opened on Broadway at the Playhouse on 17 October 1955, running a modest 88 performances. Patricia Neal starred. Miss Keim was the daughter and Mr. Berlinger her "interest". Guthrie McClintic directed. Miss Keim's movie career seems to consist of only four films: These Wilder Years (1956), The Wayward Bus (1957), Some Came Running (1959) being the others. This film was the debut debut of Warren Berlinger. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Black-and-white Art Direction (lost to "Somebody Up There Likes Me"), and black-and-white Costume Design (lost to "The Solid Gold Cadillac"). This was Fox's second black-and-white CinemaScope movie. (Love Me Tender was the first).
COMMENT" Very much a filmed stage play. True, Brackett has made some attempt to open it up — even plagiarizing his famous "Garbo laughs" gag from "Ninotchka" — with little success, no doubt because hampered by this movie's modest budget. The story remains stubbornly pretentious and slight, wordy and conventional.
Directed in a smooth but incredibly dull fashion, it's hard to believe that this is the same Edmund Goulding of "The Razor's Edge" and "Nightmare Alley". The acting is merely as competent as the script will allow — which doesn't amount to much in the way of interest — though Miss Rogers looks quite fetching, her age apparent only in moments of emotional stress.
Aside from the bright CinemaScope photography, credits and production values are distinctly middle-drawer (the music score is almost a liability). Odd that the sets and costumes were nominated for Oscars — though the sets especially do have to be seen on the CinemaScope screen to be fully appreciated.