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| “The Three Faces of Eve” & “Lizzie,” that respectively starred Joanne Woodward & Eleanor Parker, have been each 1957 movies that depicted the subject of a number of personalities. |
Hollywood had competing movies about title characters with
three conflicting personalities, each launched in 1957. Very particular
coincidences, proper?! The Three Faces of
Eve showcased rising star Joanne Woodward; Lizzie starred movie veteran Eleanor Parker. The films have been made on
small budgets, returned modest income, and its stars have been praised—with
Woodward profitable a Greatest Actress Oscar.
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| In fact, the studios promoted the extra sensational elements of their topics in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve” & “Lizzie.” |
Their
Conditions
The Three Faces of Eve was primarily based on a real story, with Joanne
Woodward as Eve White, Eve Black, and Jane. The primary persona is a meek
younger housewife with a younger little one. Her habits has change into more and more
erratic, at one level endangering her little lady. It isn’t lengthy earlier than her doc
meets Eve Black, a raucous gal who comes out often to search out enjoyable and
create chaos. Jane comes on later within the film because the even-keeled persona,
who’s the perfect guess to take over this lady’s physique. David Wayne is her
exasperated husband Ralph; Lee J. Cobb is the sympathetic, however no-nonsense
Physician Luthor.
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| In 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve,” Lee J. Cobb is the psychiatrist, Joanne Woodward the title character, and David Wayne her bewildered husband. |
In Lizzie, Eleanor
Parker performs a younger lady, Elizabeth, who lives along with her drunken Aunt Morgan
(Joan Blondell) and works at a museum. Her character is plagued with complications
and insecurities, making her a co-worker to keep away from. Her aunt is usually oblivious
to her however does discover her escalating odd habits. Lizzie’s director, Hugo Haas, additionally performs the author neighbor, Walter,
who encourages alcoholic auntie to get her niece to kindly physician Dr. Wright, performed
by Richard Boone. As soon as Doc has Elizabeth below hypnosis, he meets her alter ego,
Lizzie. She is a vicious character, a feminine Mr. Hyde. Later within the film, the
doc discovers a 3rd persona, Beth, who’s balanced and regular.
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| In 1957’s “Lizzie,” Eleanor Parker is the title character with three personalities. Joan Blondell is the aunt with an overbearing persona! |
Their
Tales
In The Three Faces of
Eve, Eve White is hospitalized for therapy. Whereas the signs are recognized
along with her various personalities, the docs cannot work out what units them
off. As soon as residence, Eve isn’t getting higher. It doesn’t assist that husband Ralph needs
to tug Eve to a different state. And the extra Eve Black comes out, it’s greater than
the reactionary husband can deal with. As soon as he leaves her, this leads Eve again to
Dr. Luthor.
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| David Wayne’s Ralph has an obedient spouse in Eve, however not when she’s Eve Black! Joanne Woodward performs three personalities in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve.” |
Lizzie’s Aunt Morgan isn’t a deep thinker,
however when auntie’s bourbon bottles empty ever sooner, her antennae go up. The
author neighbor notices and for some cause is empathetic to the harridan aunt.
But, he urges her to be extra affected person to the niece. All of it involves a head when
the girl’s work life and her erratic nightlife collide. You see, there are
nights when mousy Elizabeth is left behind and hellcat Lizzie springs out.
She hangs out at native nightclubs on the prowl and one night meets up with
her workplace place Romeo.
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| Joan Blondell’s Aunt Morgan is aware of the place Eleanor Parker’s “Lizzie” finds the booze AND the boys! “Elizabeth” solely will get the hangover! |
The
Actors
The Three Faces of Eve acquired a lone Oscar nomination and win for Joanne
Woodward; Lizzie acquired no
nominations.
Joanne Woodward is superb in all three roles in The Three Faces of Eve. Eve White is completely repressed, a kind of function Woodward
performed effectively. Joanne performed a extra raucous type like Eve Black because the beatnik in
The Fugitive Sort. And the later
persona to emerge is Jane, probably the most full persona to emerge, that
Joanne performs with nice empathy. Woodward, an Actor’s Studio product, is sort of
pure with out going excessive, like Geraldine Web page or Kim Stanley would have
in all probability finished.
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| Joanne Woodward as Eve Black comes on to a male nurse like Blanche Dubois chatting up the paper boy in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve.” |
In
Lizzie, Eleanor Parker’s
efficiency is quietly efficient because the repressed Elizabeth and the serene Beth.
Although flatteringly photographed, Parker is sort of toned down from her studio period
glamour, and may be very expressive in Elizabeth’s anguish and Beth’s calm.
Nonetheless, as wildcat Lizzie, Parker goes huge, both of her personal volition or
Haas’ route. Both approach, Eleanor as Lizzie is approach excessive. From the way in which
she makes herself up like a clown or vamps across the cocktail bar like Sadie
Thompson, it’s humorous, not fierce. Additionally, Elizabeth
is 25 occurring 26; Eleanor was a beautiful 35. Very typical in its film age math—fortunately,
Parker can go as a decade youthful.
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| Eleanor Parker suffers in chenille as tormented Elizabeth in 1957’s “Lizzie.” |
Lee J. Cobb is extra three-dimensional as Eve’s Physician Luthor than super-kind Richard
Boone in Lizzie. David Wayne as Ralph
is most practical because the confused small city partner of Eve White.
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| Joan Blondell’s appearing because the alcoholic aunt in “Lizzie” is about as refined as her hat! |
Joan Blondell’s efficiency because the alcoholic aunt in Lizzie is about as refined as slugging
down a bottle of bourbon. Joan gave a handful of memorable dramatic
performances in her profession and may have been given extra alternatives. However
Blondell is an entire caricature right here—partly the way in which the character is written,
in addition to carried out. My guess is that got here from director Hugo Haas, who made a
variety of dime retailer melodramas that have been hilariously unsubtle. Blondell’s
boozing and barking in her bathrobe offers off a Child Jane Hudson vibe!
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| Joan Blondell w/ director Hugo Haas, who performs a kindly neighbor in 1957’s “Lizzie.” |
The
Movies
Eve White has a traumatic childhood incident that’s subtly
recalled. In Lizzie, Elizabeth
remembers a vile incident on her birthday, not refined in any respect, however nonetheless highly effective.
Each characters discover decision in dealing with their pasts. The Three Faces of Eve was written by docs Corbett H. Thigpen
and Hervey M. Cleckley, who handled the actual Eve. Lizzie was a novel written by Shirley Jackson (The Lottery).
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| The guide variations of “The Three Faces of Eve” & “Lizzie.” |
Nunnally Johnson was extra
famed as a screenwriter than as director, however his intelligence was at all times a
plus, and it exhibits within the sensitivity of The
Three Faces of Eve. Hugo Haas, then again, appeared to dwell on
sensationalism in his B-movies. There’s a lurid high quality to Lizzie that screams Hugo Haas,
particularly with Joan Blondell’s function and Parker’s efficiency because the lowdown
Lizzie.
Tears Blended With Humor
The leavening humor in The Three Faces of Eve is within the small
city world of the husband and docs, confronted with this unusual lady, who’s a
timid mouse one second after which a purring cat on the prowl. There are some
smiles with the perplexed basic ’50s husband that may’t reconcile the 2
excessive behaviors of his spouse. Eve Black jogged my memory of a cross between Shirley MacLaine’s
good-hearted bimbo in ’58s Some Got here
Working and Lee Remick’s good-humored trailer tart in Anatomy of a Homicide in ’59.
In Lizzie, the humor is unintended camp. The
intentional “comedian reduction” between the aunt and niece, and aunt and neighbor
are heavy-handed to the purpose of hilarity. Lizzie and Aunt Morgan’s home
life jogged my memory of the dramatized story of Frances Farmer’s life with mom
or the Hudson sisters with out the wheelchair. I adore it when meek
Elizabeth walks upstairs to get away from boozing Blondell and randomly barks out
an insult as Lizzie, worthy of Kathleen Turner’s Serial Mother asking her neighbor if she likes pussy willows!
Lizzie getting herself
as much as exit jogs my memory of Faye Dunaway in Mommie
Dearest. She meets the attractive janitor within the bar, who has switched out from
his work white tee-shirt for night put on black tee-shirt with jacket, anticipating the
Miami Vice look by 30 years. As Lizzie
finds the booze and the boys, Aunt Morgan
appears extra involved the place the booze goes than what is going on on with
Elizabeth.
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| Eleanor Parker getting dolled up as “Lizzie” offers me a Faye Dunaway vibe as “Mommie Dearest!” |
Close to the showdown
between the 2 ladies, Blondell’s aunt snaps, “You appear to be a slut!”
Parker’s Lizzie offers
a Patty Duke/Neely O’Hara snarling supply, “Drop useless, Auntie, drop useless!”
Future
TV Stars
In The Three Faces of
Eve, Vince Edwards aka Ben Casey,
performs the attractive younger soldier who needs his due with Eve Black—in spite of everything, he
spent 8 {dollars} on her! Close to the top of the movie, Nancy Culp of The Beverly Hillbillies seems in a
flashback as Eve’s mom. In Lizzie,
Marion Ross of Glad Days performs a
form co-worker of Parker’s lonely Elizabeth.
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| Vince Edwards performs a soldier who expects Eve Black to place out in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve. |
Unnecessary
Visitor Appearances
Alastair Prepare dinner’s introduction and narration in The Three Faces of Eve is very
pointless. It feels very condescending, as if he is a professor lecturing
college students a few very critical
topic! With Lizzie, there’s a very
distracting piano bar participant/singer named Johnny Mathis. He sings two tunes;
one is his huge hit, It’s Not for Me to
Say. No less than it wasn’t wailing Johnny Ray! All of the whereas, Parker’s
personality-plus Lizzie is working the joint along with her hoochie mama antics.
Closing
Evaluation
The Three Faces of Eve and Lizzie
have very comparable tales, likewise the feminine characters’ a number of personalities.
The distinction is in tone. The Three
Faces of Eve performs like a pseudo-documentary blended with a William Inge
slice of life drama. Lizzie comes
throughout like a campy “lady’s image,” to make use of an outdated Hollywood time period. Right here, with
the 2 ladies at odds of their dreary residence, “struggling in chenille” may be
extra apt!
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| Why Cinemascope? To suit all these personalities? |
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| “Lizzie” & “The Three Faces of Eve,” each from 1957. |
By right now’s requirements,
each are very simplistic within the telling of a number of personalities. The one
factor Eve and Lizzie have in frequent is robust lead performances by its stars, Joanne
Woodward and Eleanor Parker. Each are price a glance, if just for the attitudes
of the period on this controversial topic.
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| “Jane” is probably the most balanced persona performed by Joanne Woodward in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve.” |
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| “Beth” is the profitable persona between meek “Elizabeth” & monstrous “Lizzie.” Eleanor Parker performed the triple function. |
Bonus Materials
Right here’s
my have a look at when Joanne Woodward teamed with husband Paul Newman for the primary
time, 1958’s The Lengthy, Sizzling Summer time: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-long-hot-summer-long-but-not-so-hot.html
My
tackle one in all Eleanor Parker’s greatest performances, from 1950 as “cute little
trick” who’s Caged: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/02/caged-never-classic-but-still-packs.html
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| Joanne Woodward as tarted up Eve Black in 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve.” |
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| Eleanor Parker goes huge as demented “Lizzie.” |
