Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage
1994A study of Tennessee Williams's life and work as a whole, ranging from his youth in Mississippi and in St. Louis to success and acclaim, followed by the final difficult years. Includes some of the most celebrated scenes from film adaptations of Williams' work, among them extracts of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Night of the Iguana, The (1964), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1993) (TV). Contains footage of Williams being interviewed, including conversations with David Frost, 'Edward R. Murrow (I)', and Melvyn Bragg, as well as reminiscences from people who knew and worked with him, among them Edward Albee, Gore Vidal, and his lifelong friend, Lady Maria St. Just. Features readings from Elia Kazan's Notebook by Kim Hunter.
Acted in
Tennessee Williams
as Self (archive footage)
Carroll Baker
as Baby Doll Meighan (archive footage)
Reed Birney
as Actor
Melvyn Bragg
as Self
Marlon Brando
as Stanley Kowalski / Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier (archive footage)
Dick Cavett
as Self (archive footage)
Montgomery Clift
as Dr. Cukrowicz (archive footage)
David Frost
as Self
Katharine Hepburn
as Mrs. Venable (archive footage)
Kim Hunter
as Self
Burl Ives
as Big Daddy (archive footage)
Elia Kazan
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Langella
as Narrator
Anna Magnani
as Serafina Delle Rose / Lady Torrance (archive footage)
Yukio Mishima
as Self (archive footage)
Edward R. Murrow
as Self (archive footage)
Paul Newman
as Brick / Chance Wayne (archive footage)
Geraldine Page
as Alexandra Del Lago / Alma Winemiller (archive footage)
Maria St. Just
as Self
Maureen Stapleton
as Self
Gore Vidal
as Self
Sam Waterston
as Tom Wingfield (archive footage)