Customer Reviews

The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like a lot of people I first learned the story of Evelyn Nesbit from the movie version of "Ragtime," because I did not read "Ragtime" the novel. However, when it comes to calling Nesbitt "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing," that is something that I associate with "Ragtime - The Musical." A century later we look back at Nesbit as having been at the heart of what is clearly the first "trial of the century," and can trace a clear line from it through the Scopes Trial, the Lindbergh baby case, the O.J. Simpson trial and a host of others. Nesbit was married to Harry K. Thaw, a rich playboy who had become infamous for such antics as riding a horse up the steps of an exclusive New York club. But Thaw was obsessed by the fact that Evelyn had once had an affair with Stanford White, the most prominent architect in the country. On June 25, 1906, convinced that White was still after Evelyn, Thaw shot White dead in the roof-garden theater at Madison Square Garden. This was the most notorious murder case of that ear with the public eagerly following it in both the "yellow" press and the more reputable newspapers. Nesbit was considered the most beautiful woman in America during the trial and ironically it was a photograph of her that served as the inspiration for Lucy Maud Montgomery's description of her famous literary creation, Anne of Green Gables.

Nesbit herself served as a consultant on the 1955 film, "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing," which is probably of more interest today because Nesbit is played by a young Joan Collins. Ray Milland plays Stanford White while Farley Granger plays Harry K. Thaw, and even though she is turning in an extremely restrained and subtle performance Collins stands out because the two male leads are even more constrained, whether by the class considerations of their characters or the limitations of their acting ability is debatable. You understand what White and Thaw see in Evelyn, but beyond their money there is not much to recommend either of them to the young girl and when she allows herself to be seduced by White you cannot help but think that it is happening because historically it is true and because the script says it does. Milland is rather bland, but at least Granger does a good job of convincing us that his character is dangerously deranged, regardless of what any court of law might rule at this trial.

The production values of director Richard Fleischer's film are what make it easier to round up on this one in the end what with the art direction, set decoration, and costumes are taking advantage of the upper crust circles in which the characters lived. I also think the glitz allows the film to get away with more direct allusions to sex than you usually see in films from this period (tastefully done off camera, of course). Still, watching this movie is a bit strange because not only is it a quarter-century before "Dynasty" makes Joan Collins a household name, but it is also a decade before her memorable appearing in "The City on the Edge of Forever" on the original "Star Trek." If you did not know this was Joan Collins I do not know if you guess just by looking at her. However, in the end this film fails to provoke a significant response, either emotionally or intellectually, to the sight of Evelyn in the red velvet swing

In 1907 Nesbit had appeared as herself in a dramatization of the shooting entitled "The Unwritten Law: A Thrilling Drama Based on the Thaw-White Tragedy," and made several silent films between 1914 and 1922. Decades later Collins had come to the attention of Hollywood in the 1955 Howard Hawks film "Land of the Pharaohs," and instead of making B-movies in England she was signed by Fox to be their studio's answer to Elizabeth Taylor. After "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" she would star in "Sea Wife" (1957) opposite Richard Burton, "Stopover Tokyo" (1957) starring Robert Wagner, "Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!" (1958) with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and "Seven Thieves" (1960) with Edward G. Robinson and Rod Steiger. Whether your are talking about Evelyn Nesbit or Joan Collins, the reason for seeing "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" is going to be because of historical interests rather than anything else. But why is she "in" the red velvet swing rather than "on" it? That was my big question at the end of this film.

Ripped from a turn-of-the-century scandal, THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING is a fascinating movie starring Joan Collins as Evelyn Nesbit, the young showgirl who found herself at the center of the infamous Thaw/White murder trial.

Evelyn Nesbit (Joan Collins) achieves nationwide fame posing for Charles Dana Gibson (Richard Travis), and later becomes romantically linked with famous architect Stanford White (Ray Milland). Unwilling to create a scandal by divorcing his wife, Stanford instead enrols Evelyn in an exclusive boarding school where Evelyn, heartbroken, suffers a nervous breakdown.

Salvation comes in the form of millionaire playboy Harry Kendall-Thaw (Farley Granger). Seeing no other option, Evelyn reluctantly marries him; but his vicious imagination still believes White to be a competitor for Evelyn's love. Their violent relationship comes to a shocking climax when Thaw murders White on the rooftop of Madison Square Garden; Evelyn is then forced to endure a humiliating trial where her personal character is dragged through the mud.

THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING was originally slated as a musical entitled "The Girl in Pink Tights" and was to have starred Marilyn Monroe as Evelyn Nesbit. When Monroe's casting proved impossible, the premise of the film was changed to a crime drama and Fox starlet Joan Collins landed the plum lead role. Ray Milland offers a keenly-felt performance as Evelyn's fatherly lover White, and shares a great chemistry with Collins. Farley Granger was fabulous at playing unhinged brooding types, and his performance as Thaw is fascinating to watch. The strong cast also includes Cornelia Otis-Skinner, Gale Robbins, Luther Adler and Glenda Farrell. The Edwardian costume and set designs look lush in CinemaScope.

THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING, once one of the rarest movies you could find on home video or cable, looks simply sensational on DVD. Extra features include scene-specific (and virtually non-existent) audio commentary with film historian Aubrey Solomon, image galleries, restoration comparison, and the trailer.

Also available as part of The Joan Collins Superstar Collection (The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing / Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! / The Sea Wife / Seven Thieves / Stopover Tokyo)

One of Farley Granger's best performances highlights this period drama of the Evelyn Nesbit/Harry K. Thaw/Stanford White love and murder triangle. It was an early Cinemascope picture, full of vivid color; i hope the product description is in error when it says they've released it in full screen. If so, don't waste your money; it shows in a letterboxed version of the Fox Movie channel - watch that instead. Otherwise, an interesting, neglected film.

I am surprised that Evelyn Nesbit gave the green light for this script. She did visit the set (and was paid for story rights), and later her only complaint was that Joan Collins was too British and too busty to play her.

Good grief Evelyn! They changed the facts of the story to Evelyn seducing Stanford White! For godsake, he raped her when she was 16 yr old and passed out from drinking champagne. This movie has him as the victim!

And the movie portrays her mother, and mother-in-law as being kindly women. In reality, her mother through parental neglect (and being financially subsidized by White) allowed White the opportunity to rape Evelyn, and Mrs. Thaw hated Evelyn all of her life.

But -- Joan Collins does have a good resemblance to Evelyn, and the costumes are historically accurate. For that the film gets 3 stars.

This splashy Cinemascope feature about the Stanford White-Evelyn Nesbitt-Harry K. Thaw affair has alot to recommend. An intriguing script co-written by Billy Wilder's longtime collaborator, Charles Brackett. The film looks great with sumptuous art direction and costume design and an excellent use of color. Ray Milland is solid as famed architect White. I don't think Milland was capable of a bad performance even in the B-Movie fodder he later toiled in. The real eye opener is Joan Collins who many would dismiss as a second tier Liz Taylor. Her role here requires her to go from a wide-eyed artist's model to a spurned wife of a murderous industrialist and she rises to the challenge. I dock the film a star because I found Farley Granger's Thaw a tad wooden. The direction by Richard Fleischer also meanders at times. If this film were directed by somebody other than the journeyman Fleischer it may have made more of a visceral impact. Instead it's an above average period piece that showcases an up and coming starlet.

I purchased this title seperatly from the Collins Box set since I love the 20th Century Fox Classic Slip Cases They are the best slip cases from any studio! Anyhow I understand one critism with this release it does NOT contain the original mono soundtrack of the film. It contains a stereo track that is nice but usually FOX gives these releases the original mono track. Maybe they had to upgrade it due to poor quality of the surviving mono track MAybe? FOX should have had a bonus feature explaining this if it is the case. This is a rare film that now you an buy isn't but it is a classic and is better than I expected. The restored picture looks vry nice also. the opening titles looked amazing in the cinemascope format.

My only suggestion before watching this very good movie is to read one of the recently published books on the Stanford White-Harry K. Thaw-Evelyn Nesbit love triangle. It will give you a GREAT background to the envolvement of this scandal that occured over years and was diminished to minuets for the silver screen. Enjoy!

The film is OK.The story of jealousy and forbidden love.Joan Collins who plays Evelyn Nesbit is very young and beatiful in this film and she has eyes for older, suave Stanford White (Ray Milland) Despite White's marriage and their significant age difference, the become secret lovers until White decide it's over.Evelyn marries Harry K. Thaw...a competitor of White's.But haunted by his new wife's past,Thaw won't rest until he makes sure he's the only man in her life!.Not a great film but it is based on a true story and the actors are very good.

This is a discovery for me.Because of the sensational nature of the case (New York architect Stanford White shot by the husband of White's ex-mistress in 1904), combined with the publicity surrounding Joan Collins,
the quality of the film was overlooked at the time of its release. In fact it is a beautifully made period piece with very good performances. Farley Granger is surprisingly good as the unstable Harry Thaw and there are great supporting actors like Glenda Farrell and Luther Adler. Even Joan Collins is quite adequate in the role of the title role.

The story depicted in the movie is fairly accurate, except for the trial at the end, but it never goes beneath the surface, never even tries to tell who the three main characters were or why they acted as they did. All we are told is that Harry Thaw was crazy, Stanford White was sort of an innocent victim, and Evelyn Nesbit was pretty. It wasn't enough.

The murder of White is, in my view, the most interesting crime of the 20th century, and this movie turns it into just another killing. The true story had everything: a gorgeous girl, raw sex, lechery, madness, wealth, and jealousy. There are several good books on the subject, and at least one other movie does a better job of telling the story.

As for acting, Joan Collins couldn't and the others didn't. The sets and Cinemascope photography are lush, but they don't make up for the acting and directing flaws.