charlytully
Voters and message boarders dissing this movie no doubt want A)a happy ending, or B)inbred southern Gothic genre pulp along the lines of TEXA$ CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Unfortunately for them, Tennessee Williams--who wrote the screenplay for THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND--did not write stories with "happy endings." That is, unless the viewer is one of those sanctimonious self-deluded see-no-evil "silent majority" types who believes Blanche is better off relying on "the kindness of strangers" about to lobotomize her in the nuthouse at the close of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. As for southern Gothic pulp fiction, Williams himself was doomed to choke to death on a bottle cap, so why need he make up anything MORE implausible to give sensationalists some jollies? THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND has plenty of pathos to go around, without resorting to voodoo curses or hermaphrodite fortune tellers. Bryce Dallas Howard as Fisher does not need to eat any crappy pies from THE HELP in order to engage the sympathy of any right-minded viewers in her quest for as much normalcy as she can muster. By the movie's close Chris Evans as Jimmy manages to swallow his pride to join her in at least partially escaping the sins of their fathers.
ramin99
The film delivered the familiar themes one expects from the great playwright: emotional turmoil, psychological depth, and very real depiction of human behaviour. The heroine's vulnerability and eccentricities reminded me of the unforgettable Blanche DuBois. Fisher Willow, someone you come to hate at first glance, whose purity and innocence is buried beneath heaps of selfishness and seemingly ill-natured arrogance is a character hard to pull off for any actor, yet the young actress playing the part pulls it off with ease. I never knew Williams had written TLOATD so watching it was a blast. For me the films based on Tennessee Williams' scripts always get high scores no matter who makes them. Kudos to the director for bringing to life this lost gem.
Brent Trafton
"The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," is a real gem but it is not for everyone. If you are not a big Tennessee Williams fan, you probably will not like it. If you are unfamiliar with Tennessee Williams, then you are better off watching "A Streetcar Named Desire," or "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."Admittedly, this is not one of Williams' best stories. The reason the film works so well is the acting and directing.I had seen Bryce Dallas Howard in a few other films but they did not prepare me for this absolutely thrilling performance. This is not just the best performance of the year but it is the best performance in the past several years. She brings the character of Fisher Willow to life the way that Vivian Leigh did for Blanche DuBois. In many ways Fisher Willow is like a young version of Blanche. Fisher is a typical Williams' heroine. She initially comes off as a selfish, self centered, Southern Belle but underneath she is much more fragile than anyone suspects. Bryce Dallas Howard is able to bring this out with such complexity and nuance that we can sympathize with a character that we should not care about so much. Even in her best moments she seems as though she could shatter at any moment.This performance alone is enough reason to see this film. The story follows the familiar themes covered in other Tennessee Williams stories: loneliness, loss of wealth, fall from grace, and battling interior demons. The teardrop diamond could represent the wealth and status her family once had. It is not just a $5000 jewel. It is a symbol of what her family once was and what was once the old South.Jodie Markell does an impressive job directing. Her style is old school. She knows when to let the camera linger and when to let the scenes play out. The film does not seem rushed and it never drags. The cinematography is gorgeous with burnished orange dominating the color palette. "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," may not be one of the four best movies made from a Tennessee Williams story but it is not far behind. This is mandatory viewing for any fan of Tennessee Williams.
ryansternmd
I am a major fan of the works of Tennessee Williams and have everything that he has ever wrote that has been published. I also have all of the original 15 film adaptations of his work and all the remakes over the years. Tennesee Williams wrote this screenplay in 1980, but it was published posthumously in 1984. Then, we had to wait 24 years for it to be filmed. From my research, the film was made in 2008, but not released until January 2010. I do not understand the film industry's priorities that would withhold a film for two years. The film follows Tennessee Williams' screenplay very closely except for an added first scene that sets the tone for the screenplay's first scene where the underlying conflict is discussed but not shown. For most viewers, this added additional scene makes the conflict more understood rather than relying on the dialog to pick it up. It is refreshing to see a Tennessee Williams film where his screenplay is used. The majority of the screenplays for the 15 classic films were written by Gore Vidal to "clean them up" for audiences and censors. I will not discuss a synopsis of the film's characters and action. Instead, I recommend that if you like the drama of Tennessee Williams that you see this new film.
AD
