Knowing the text of Orpheus Descending and the intentions put down on paper by T. Williams for his characters, Marlon Brando's Val "Snakeskin" Xavier seems to come closest to the original writing. Regardless whether this is due to Brando's privilege (and equally curse) of adapting his scripts or to the script itself, his impenetrable presence does justice to the lost and disgusted 30 year old who can't admit to himself he's a little bit too cynical to shed his skin in the South. Lady and Carol are both fascinating characters in their own right, but their complexity seems to come out only accidentally in the script. Nevertheless, the story is an incisive gradual spiralling into that which each character fears the most, amped up by a claustrophobic and at times grotesque social environment. Boris Kaufman's cinematography and Lumet's "flat" style of directing construct the perfect terrain for the characters to clutch the viewer. Even if this does not happen constantly, some scenes are jewels: the opening scene of Snakeskin's court showing (both repentant and unconvinced he's going to pull it off), the late night conversation between Lady and Val (Anna Magnani, toned down, steals the spotlight), Carol's "juking" rambling with a bored, but amused Val looking on (Joanne Woodward acts the excited expectation of a romantic encounter, while drunk, to the point of making you feel she's going to fall off the chair).

Hardly action-packed and perhaps more suited to the stage than screen. But still a treasure, with Tennessee Williams' poetic dialogue and a talented cast (Brando, Woodward, Magnani...)

Wow, Sidney Lumet didn't even make it out of 1959 without making the sequel to "The Kind of Woman". "She was a nice girl, a proper girl, but one of the fugitive kind!" Man, I sound old for knowing about Guy Mitchell's "The Roving Kind", and for knowing about this film, because if we're looking at chronological order, the TV show "The Fugitive" is "kind" of like this film. This film must have been for Marlon Brando fans who wanted to see more of him in "A Streetcar Named Desire", because it's also based on a Tennessee Williams property... or rather, on two Tennessee Williams properties. This film takes its title from "Fugitive Kind", but it's based on "Orpheus Descending", which has a freakishly awesome title, certainly more so than this film. It's weird how Williams will come up with titles as cool as "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Orpheus Descending", and write, not one, but two things titled "Fugitive Kind". Yeah, well, this title might not be as cool as that of "A Streetcar Named Desire", but I personally think it's a better film, even if it isn't substantially less melodramatic.Tackling very relatable themes and very believable, rather edgy conflicts, this film is actually not all that histrionic, and when it is, more often than not, the storytelling and acting are so tight and inspired that you buy into everything regardless, but make no mistake, not everything sells in this gothic melodrama, whose romantic angles are particularly melodramatic, and whose character motivations are not consistently convincing. There may even be something a little superficial about certain aspects of this drama, and in so many ways, this film transcends dramatic superficialities of the time pretty remarkably, thus making it harder to disregard the lapses into dramatic superficiality that in turn make it harder to disregard the natural superficialities of this intimate, dialogue-driven affair. There's only so much one can do with a drama this talky, and still, with all of the chatter, only so much is truly explained, for although the ambiguity of this southern gothic is intentional, the immediate development segment is near-vacant, and the gradual exposition is either filed down or forced into the consistent dialogue, distancing you a bit from mostly well-drawn characters, and leaving transitions between focal shifts too undercooked to flow all that organically. Being that this story is thin, it doesn't see too many focal shifts, yet there are enough for focal unevenness to set into the plotting, and although that's not to say that the focus of the dialogue pieces don't jar into filler at times, the storytelling is at its most awkward when it focuses too much on supporting characters, or even forcibly incorporates and, for a long time, abandons important roles and narrative branches. Plenty is rushed in and out, and yet, all of the aimlessness to the disjointed focus mostly derives from dragging, in dialogue pieces that drive the film, and often stretch on and on, backed by a ponderous pace that is tight enough to keep entertainment value adequate, but sometimes loses too much steam to avoid a sense of blandness. Running around two hours, with a whole lot of chatter and a thin sense of progression and urgency to its conflicts, this film really is not much of anything beyond dragging, and after a while, even though it's consistently inspired and compelling, to one degree or another, something about it feels inconsequential. The film, not always convincing, meaty or fleshed out, and never really airtight, might be underwhelming to many, but to just as many, it ought to compel, maybe pretty thoroughly, breaking a lot of boundaries to be an almost richly rewarding gothic drama, complete with a haunting visual style.No matter how ahead of its time it may be, this 1960 film on a limited budget has to settle for a black-and-white palette that seasoned avant-garde cinematographer Boris Kaufman takes full advantage of, supplementing the gothic tone of this film by stressing shadows which contrast with the brighter spots stunningly, and primarily combine with the lack of coloration, and with a healthy dose of haunting visuals, in order to capture a sense of bleakness, while delivering on a number of images that are memorable in their being so aesthetically captivating. Kaufman's lens may be as exquisite as it can be for the time, but the stellar visual style of this film really needs realized scene structuring to thrive, and considering that the person calling the shots from the director's chair is none other than dramatic groundbeaker Sidney Lumet, it should come as no surprise that every scene is crafted with a keen aesthetic eye, and backed with a bitingly subtle atmosphere that may render the film sluggish from time to time, once material momentum begins to descend, but is mostly engrossing. This is a very intimate drama in concept, and Lumet, a directorial genius who was well ahead of his time, immerses you into this film almost every step of the way, obscuring the natural shortcomings deriving from this talky plot concept, and emphasizing themes regarding the value of life, through all of its misfortune, bleakness and uncertainty, that are important and rich with dramatic significance. For all of Lumet's directorial genius, a film this minimalist and sensitive with its subject matter largely relies on the quality of the writing, and although Meade Roberts' and Tennessee Williams' script is excessive with its dialogue and undercooked with a lot of its exposition, to the point of begetting focal unevenness, the dialogue is largely razor-sharp and buyable, and the characterization and dramatic storytelling, when realized, is extensively thoughtful, with enchanting ambiguities and, of course, a striking edge. The big treat in this film is how ahead of its time it is with its sheer audacity and fulfilled dramatic ambition, for although it can't completely transcend melodramatics in its story concept, and is occasionally a little too subtle for its own good, it's unafraid to tackle gritty, powerful and sometimes even disturbing content, and is penetrating even to this day, inspired both off of and on the screen. This intimate film's cast isn't very big, and every member holds his or her own, with standouts including the lovely Joanne Woodward as a self-proclaimed exhibitionist who is drowning in her own debauchery and passion for life, and the unevenly used, but powerful Maureen Stapleton as a dying old man who fears losing what he loves, including power. Of course, it's the leads who most stand out, maybe even as amazing, with the phenomenal Anna Magnani delivering on a sense of sophistication and grief, and crushing emotional range to sell the Lady Torrance characters' strength and vulnerability as a depressed woman who has faced too much defeat throughout her long life, while the dashing Marlon Brando presents his trademark quiet charisma and intensity at their most impeccable, defined by an enigmatic tension that makes the Val Xavier character riveting and unpredictable, an embodiment of the subtle effectiveness on which this drama thrives, too lacking in urgency and problematic in structure to be particularly strong, but also too compelling, even now, to not reward.Once the descent is completed (Seriously, they should have stuck with "Orpheus Descending"), occasions of melodrama join a minimalist plot concept and some expository lapses in reflecting a hint of superficiality in this drama which is mostly excessive, with aimless dialogue that begets certain focal inconsistencies and a number of slow spells, thus, the final product is a bit held back, but only shy of all-out strong, delivering on stellar cinematography that compliments the bleak themes of promising dramatic subject matter which is brought to life by ingeniously thoughtful and engrossing direction, sophisticated and genuinely edgy scripting, and outstanding acting, - especially by Anna Magnani and Marlon Brando - to where Sidney Lumet's "The Fugitive Kind" stands as a rewarding gothic drama that was ahead of its time, and remains engrossing to this day.3/5 - Good

Brando is pretty good, and Lumet makes the most of the inherent staginess, but it's hard to ignore how much of a ludicrous melodrama it is. It's more over-the-top than a soap opera, and it's not helped by Magnani's incomprehensible line-readings and Woodward's ridiculous jack-in-the-box flailing and self-consciously broad enunciating. It had some great moments, especially some of the long theatrical conversations, but overall it really wasn't my cup of tea.

Brando and Lumet combine to make an underviewed and underappreciated film about a drifter who has "issues" (to say the least) with a married couple. Nice performance by Maureen Stapleton here as well.

Increíble que esta extraordinaria película haya sido casi olvidada y pasado inadvertida por la comunidad queer. Aunque no lo hace enteramente explícito, Marlon Brando hace un trabajo exquisite y sensacional.

This film had elements of greatness, mainly Marlon Brando. No, entirely Marlon Brando. The script was weak, and decidedly cheesy. However, no matter how corny his lines were, he pulled them off. He needs no words as an actor to make the audience understand how his character feels, his gestures say it all. Only Brando could act with two women and still have that emotional depth that makes him unique.

Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward, and Anna Magnani star in a Tennessee Williams' tragedy about loneliness, disappointment and cruel petty tyranny. Brando plays a studly, southern-style beatnik who takes up with his shopkeeper employer (Magnani) despite her ailing husband's vicious reputation for vengeance . Magnani offers Brando work when he is on the lam, then vies for his attentions while waxing jealous at his popularity among her small town's teenage girls.The younger Woodward tries to draw Brando back to New Orleans and then later to extract him from the danger of his situation, but Brando crosses the point of no return with Magnani. The Fugitive Kind presents its altruistic themes through some very well written dialog which grounds the drama in a hard hitting, but accessible way that makes us feel as if we have all shared the characters' dilemmas and experiences. The players are compelling and they demand our interest as we try to predict how they will react to their precarious situations. Racy for its time of release, The Fugitive Kind is gritty and clever. It is perhaps Williams' most suspenseful drama and it presents real tension. Brando's character is out of his element in a hostile town. He is a like a high profile rube, separated from his wagon train in Indian territory. We bite our nails and wonder if he is going to be able to heed the threat, "Boy, don't let the sun set on you in this town."

Much more than mere acting, this is genius. The work of several geniuses of the art made this terrific movie.

This is one of Sidney Lumet's early works. I will say that it's not as great as any of the three films of his I consider great ("12 Angry Men", "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Network"). But still this picture is well worth watching for the great performances bv Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani and Joanne Woodward. There are some great powerful moments but it overall falls short of what it's trying to accomplish. A solid effort but far from a masterpiece.

I don't know why more people didn't like this one, I thought it was really good. Based on a Tennessee Williams with 3 excellent performance from 3 Oscar winners in Brando, Woodward and Magnani. The cinematography is also outstanding. Check it out.

The Fugitive Kind doesn't have the intensity and sheer drama of Streetcar but it's an adequate drama on it's own merits.

Good movie about how prejudice will always exist.

Top-notch cast gives top-notch performances with a script that ain't completely top-notch, but certainly good enough. Lumet holds it all together pretty darn well.

[85/B+] There is a clammy inertia that pulls at the underbelly of this movie, broodily illuminated in stark lights and sounds, and a menacing boxed-in feeling. One is never sure what exactly is going on, only that a quiet but palpable danger is lurking behind the scenes, and the dead-end characters all carry some mark of doom or pain. It's a slow, low-key movie, resplendent with secrets and enigmas, and obviously formed by the inscrutable structures of myth, uppermost being the Orpheus in the Underworld motif. Its pessimism is irrefutable but skin-deep, and masks deeper chords of lyrical, poetic beauty, most clearly expressed in several scenes of rapturous confession and monologue. The cast has a slight droopy, ramshackle look, which lends authenticity to the moment, and are all quite effective, especially Magnani and Brando, who lays out a very moody, introspective performance of undertones.