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Period of Adjustment (film)

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Period of Adjustment
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Roy Hill
Screenplay byIsobel Lennart
Based onPeriod of Adjustment
1961 play
by Tennessee Williams
Produced byLawrence Weingarten
StarringTony Franciosa
Jane Fonda
Jim Hutton
Lois Nettleton
John McGiver
CinematographyPaul C. Vogel
Edited byFredric Steinkamp
Music byLyn Murray
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • October 31, 1962 (1962-10-31)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.9 million[1][2]
Box office$4 million[1]

Period of Adjustment is a 1962 American comedy-drama film directed by George Roy Hill from a screenplay written by Isobel Lennart, based on Tennessee Williams' 1960 play of the same name. The film stars Tony Franciosa, Jane Fonda, Jim Hutton and Lois Nettleton.

Period of Adjustment was released on October 31, 1962 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and marked Hill's directorial debut. The film also launched Fonda to bankable film stardom, earning her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Plot

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Two couples are experiencing difficulty in their marital relationships. Newlyweds Isabel and George Haverstick are having a problem because George has bouts of sexual performance anxiety and has quit his job without telling her. George's war buddy Ralph is at odds with his wife Dottie, whom he had married for money, and he dislikes her wealthy parents. Ralph is also upset with Isabel for allowing their young son to play with a doll.

Isabel and George visit Ralph on Christmas Eve, but Dottie has left Ralph. George and Isabel fight constantly and she angrily objects to his neglect. Ralph consoles Isabel and tries to convince George to show her some kindness. Dottie peers in the window and sees Isabel in the house, assuming the worst. When Dottie's angry parents arrive to collect her belongings, Isabel defends George's war record to Dottie's mother, causing George to experience a change of heart as he overhears. Dottie's father unsuccessfully tries to have Ralph arrested for attempted embezzlement. Ralph viciously humiliates Dottie on the ride back to the house from the police station.

Dottie and Ralph settle their differences, and she is overcome with emotion to find a fur coat that he has bought her for Christmas. Isabel and George also make amends.

Cast

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Production

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Williams' play was originally going to be directed on Broadway by Elia Kazan who eventually dropped out and was replaced by George Roy Hill.

MGM paid $100,000 for the film rights (this ensured the original Broadway production was profitable).[3] The studio assigned Lawrence Weingarten to produce.[4] Hill signed a two picture deal with MGM to direct; the second was to be an adaptation of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich but it was decided to turn that into a TV series so the contract was amended.[5]

Filming started 10 April 1962.

Reception

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Critical

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In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "Whatever there is in the way of humor in watching young married people quarrel and display attitudes in their relations that range between juvenile and immature is made abundantly available in 'Period of Adjustment,'' a tart little motion picture from the play by Tennessee Williams. ... The humor and pathos of 'adjusting' by clumsy young people is fairly put. The only questions are whether it's worth their efforts and whether it's worth your money to watch them fight." Crowther praised Fonda's performance: "Jane Fonda is appropriately shallow and jittery as the newlywed wife. Her vague emotions and wispy feelings seem no deeper than her goose-pimples, which are revealed in some strangely familiar acting. Could it be the late Marilyn Monroe that Miss Fonda seems to resemble? She surely won't mind our saying so."[6]

Variety called it an "uneven film" with "more peaks than troughs".[7]

Box office

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According to MGM records, the film earned $2,750,000 in North America and $1.5 million overseas, making the studio a profit of $558,000.[1][8]

Awards and nominations

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Award[9] Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards Best Art Direction – Black-and-White George Davis, Edward Carfagno, Henry Grace and Richard Pefferle Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Jane Fonda Nominated
Laurel Awards Top Female Comedy Performance Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Comedy Isobel Lennart Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ^ "American stars refuse all risks". Variety. November 1, 1961. p. 5.
  3. ^ "'Adjustment' has a $40,000 profit". Variety. February 22, 1961. p. 71.
  4. ^ "New Weingarten firm for 'Period of Adjustment'". Variety. May 17, 1961. p. 17.
  5. ^ "GR Hill and Metro dicker a tie". Variety. July 11, 1962. p. 5.
  6. ^ Crowther, Bosley (November 1, 1962). "Screen: 'Period of Adjustment' Opens". The New York Times. p. 34.
  7. ^ "Period of Adjustment". Variety. October 31, 1962. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. January 9, 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
  9. ^ "NY Times: Period of Adjustment". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
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