This film hit the theaters at a time when Arthur Miller's prestige in the American Theater was at its zenith. I remember some critics quibbling over alterations to the original stage play that were made by Sidney Lumet in adapting it for the screen. Sadly, these considerations blinded many to the truly classic quality of the film. Raf Vallone was unusually effective in the lead role wherein his heavily accented English lent greater authenticity to the characterization than would have been likely with any contemporary American star. Lumet's largely New York based cast fired their performances with the kind of intensity that one might expect from the work you find in the films of Elia Kazan, Martin Ritt, as well as in this director's own long list of classic pictures.
"A View from the Bridge" offers the starkly dramatic portrait of a hero who, like so many figures in classic Greek Tragedy, is a man of many admirable qualities ultimately brought down by fatal weaknesses in his own character. Traditionally, the Greek tradition was to deal with high-born heroes like kings, divinities, and the like. Miller's variation on the theme was to give us a tragic hero who was a common man, a blue collar longshoreman in a gritty working class world. The feel of powerful physicality that you would expect to find in such a man is palpable with Vallone and lends great tension to the film as one becomes aware of the man's dangerously volatile temper.
The magnificently stark black and white photography, which is reminiscent of "On the Waterfront", flawlessly evokes the gritty world of the story. It is all so hard hitting and brilliantly written and directed that one can only wonder why it has been absent from home entertainment release for so many years. This film is shamefully overdue for a high quality DVD release! Why are so many good films thus ignored?
"A View from the Bridge" offers the starkly dramatic portrait of a hero who, like so many figures in classic Greek Tragedy, is a man of many admirable qualities ultimately brought down by fatal weaknesses in his own character. Traditionally, the Greek tradition was to deal with high-born heroes like kings, divinities, and the like. Miller's variation on the theme was to give us a tragic hero who was a common man, a blue collar longshoreman in a gritty working class world. The feel of powerful physicality that you would expect to find in such a man is palpable with Vallone and lends great tension to the film as one becomes aware of the man's dangerously volatile temper.
The magnificently stark black and white photography, which is reminiscent of "On the Waterfront", flawlessly evokes the gritty world of the story. It is all so hard hitting and brilliantly written and directed that one can only wonder why it has been absent from home entertainment release for so many years. This film is shamefully overdue for a high quality DVD release! Why are so many good films thus ignored?