Search - Splendor in the Grass on DVD

Michele T. (BigRed)
Reviewed on 4/16/2014...

Great Classic!! Young Natalie Wood & Warren Beatty rock!

Good, but slightly edited from original.

P. Chandler | Mississippi | 01/29/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems parts of the scene from Bud's life with Angelina are edited out of the movie during the last 10 minutes of the DVD. The story is very good and worth watching."

Classical Kazan

C. McGhee | Hutchinson,Ks. | 02/11/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just finished re-watching Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass. Its a fine example of Kazan's desire to push the envelope on screen relationships & here its high school sex. It's Natalie Woods first grown up part & a really early Warren Beatty screen appearance too.

Done in 1961 it takes place in Kansas during the late 20's. The teen parts are well written, well thought out & are true to life. We all went to high school with these kids & can remember their names.

Bud & Deanie are a hot item & for 1928 they are too hot too handle. Bursting at the seams with desire for each others body they wrestle with themselves instead of each other. Their parents know they are tempted & give each of them the advice that will ensure failure. Bud finds the other type of girl to let off his steam & Deanie is broken both mentally & emotionally. Elia Kazan does a great job of getting us to this point as far as pacing & character development but

The parental parts are almost uniformly written as though they were total nincompoops. It's alright to show them as disfunctional but this borders on cartoon land & is needless. It's strange because a lot of the other adult parts are also well written. You have a minister here that isn't an idiot, a homophobe, a sexual deviant or a lying abuser. He's what you want & need in a minister. Deanie's father is what lucky kids grow up with. The local Dr. & the Psychiatrist ditto for them. Unfortunately for us the bad parents are the adults usually on the screen. Elia Kazan tried way to hard here & it seriously affects the believability of the show.

If you check my State of residence you'll discover I know something of Kansas parents. My own was alive & in love when this movie was to have taken place. Out here, (i don't know how to write that in hick speak), Daddys like Bud's get to pick themselves off the floor or ground & repair teeth. Thousands left home as soon as high school was over unless they left earlier. You weren't considered a boy after high school by anyone. The movie has an East Coast parental flaw & the son has a scared cat don't piss off Daddy attitude. I guess that makes it believeable for lots of people out East. It don't play here. I wonder what Yale thinks of this show. Good advertisement eh!

The writing of the parental parts is my only gripe as the actors deliver a rousing performance throughout the show. Stars & support cast alike 5 stars.
The movie gets a 4 STAR rating with the caveat that lots of people will like this show if they watch it. The teens just shine!"