Product Details

• Actors: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301973224
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,327 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Miss Lonelyhearts, July 15, 2001

By 

Peter Shelley "petershelley" (Sydney, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lonelyhearts [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In Patricia Bosworth's biography of Montgomery Clift, Clift is said to have hated the Dore Schary screenplay based on the novel by Nathaniel West and the play by Howard Teichman, calling it "Miss Lonelyhearts meets Andy Hardy", a joke on Schary as head of MGM. Whilst the treatment changes the fate of the Christ-like figure played by Clift, the character still suffers. He is burdened by the anguish of those who write to his advice column, his editor (Robert Ryan) is in pathological rage over the infidelity of his wife, his father is in jail for killing his Clift's mother, and his girlfriend is so controlling and possessive that she wants to know his "every thought". West's cynicism is prevalent in the Ryan character's ugliness - his contempt for humanity who he thinks are all fakes and frauds, and his humiliation of his wife as projected guilt over his own affairs. This all sounds pretty glum, and whilst I tend to agree with Clift's assessment of the Schary screenplay with the Clift romance with Dolores Hart as bland, one can be amused by the many ironies behind the scenes here. Casting Clift as a man who does not drink and one to dispense advice to the lost is laughable in light of Clift's alcoholism and shattered emotional state after his infamous car crash. However Clift remained a handsome man, perhaps even the change added character to his former face, and his shattered sensitivity makes his acting all the more remarkable. If him calling Hart "dear" and the way he leans on her reveals an essential falseness, the directness with Ryan more than compensates. Bosworth details the trouble the filmmakers had in capturing the scene where Clift punches someone, with Ryan finally providing the closeup, but Clift's pain afterwards is all too real. As Ryan's wife, Myrna Loy doesn't have much to do except be a masochist to Ryan's bile, but Maureen Stapleton is fun as a lonelyhearts letter writer who Ryan goads Clift into meeting. Stapleton's vengeful spite is very funny. Director Vincent J Donehue is said to have come from the theatre, which may explain the basic uncinematic style of the film, with the only notable visual image being a pan along a tree branch and back to suggest the passage of time.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A biased review of Lonelyhearts, April 29, 2000

By 

Franklin S. Jarlett (Phila, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lonelyhearts [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A fine example of melding stage and screen. Debut film director Donehue had a stage background, lent a quality of intimacy to potent Dore Schary screenplay. Montgomery Clift, in obvious pain from disfiguring auto accident, provides added pathos to pathetic character, burdened from woes inflicted by cynical newspaper editor, sardonically played by Robert Ryan. Myrna Loy, as his beaten down wife, matches Ryan's sophisticated polished performance. Supporting cast lends considerable credibility, best supporting actress nomination for Maureen Stapleton well deserved. Supporting cast well represented by Frank Maxwell, Jackie Coogan and Mike Kellin. Donehue's subtle direction completes ensemble production, with Schary's personal views being intelligently injected without appearing stagey. Sadly, Donehue died shortly after this film was completed. Schary and Ryan had a productive history together in Hollywood, hallmarked by landmark 1947's Crossfire. Lonelyhearts ably shows both men's commitment to fine film making, and they were reunited one final time for a tribute to Schary on Ralph Edwards' This Is Your Life. Video version recently re-released after being withdrawn from distribution in past few years, should be superb when done in DVD, highlighted by cinematograper John Alton's muted black and white photography.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated, gripping drama, January 19, 2000

By 

vegan miss "vegan miss" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonelyhearts [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In this tale based on Nathaniel West's 1930s novel "Miss Lonelyhearts," Adam White, an enigmatic man with a past that at times gives the viewer pause, challenges a cynical newspaper publisher over the stuff and substance of human nature. We really never find out who wins, but the film is superb, with many layers of emotional depth. Clift plays his lead character a bit too tautly, and much of the time comes off as a terrorized, wooden fellow who's had one too many snorts of his drug of choice. Still, it's a human yarn full of poignancy, and the supporting characters give fine performances. For a story based on the news business, why wasn't this movie given more press?