I've heard Picnic referenced throughout the years, mostly positively, and was excited to finally check it out. In ways it was more than I was expecting, but in others ways it fell disappointingly short.
To begin with there are the performances/casting: apparently Wm. Holden didn't want to play his character because he felt he was too old. We was absolutely correct with those feelings. He and Cliff Robertson are supposed to be classmates yet Holden looks so much older than Robertson so I looked up their ages and I was correct, Holden was 5 years older, and he really looks every bit and then some of those 5 years. He's talented for sure and does his best but it really strains credibility. The there's Kim Novak, a competent actress but unfortunately she does not turn in her best work here and fails to bring to life the discontent, anguish, and doubts that her character represents. She plays her role to listlessly and passive. As the two leads in this film, their weak contributions seriously weaken the entire story.
On the plus side the art direction and cinematography are both successful at creating and capturing small town America in all of its beauty, charm, and the many contradictions present within those many small towns all across the nation. The story also deals with yearning, conflict, fading dreams, those slowly slipping away, and those still within our reach if only we have the courage to go for them. I think these are the elements that so many viewers who feel fondly about this film connect with. For me however, those alone are not enough if the depiction of the folks that inhabit that world aren't credibly presented. Picnic is no picnic but I think worth checking out of you're still curious.
To begin with there are the performances/casting: apparently Wm. Holden didn't want to play his character because he felt he was too old. We was absolutely correct with those feelings. He and Cliff Robertson are supposed to be classmates yet Holden looks so much older than Robertson so I looked up their ages and I was correct, Holden was 5 years older, and he really looks every bit and then some of those 5 years. He's talented for sure and does his best but it really strains credibility. The there's Kim Novak, a competent actress but unfortunately she does not turn in her best work here and fails to bring to life the discontent, anguish, and doubts that her character represents. She plays her role to listlessly and passive. As the two leads in this film, their weak contributions seriously weaken the entire story.
On the plus side the art direction and cinematography are both successful at creating and capturing small town America in all of its beauty, charm, and the many contradictions present within those many small towns all across the nation. The story also deals with yearning, conflict, fading dreams, those slowly slipping away, and those still within our reach if only we have the courage to go for them. I think these are the elements that so many viewers who feel fondly about this film connect with. For me however, those alone are not enough if the depiction of the folks that inhabit that world aren't credibly presented. Picnic is no picnic but I think worth checking out of you're still curious.