The Sound and the Fury (1959 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = The Sound and the Fury

| image = TheSoundandtheFury.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Martin Ritt

| producer = Jerry Wald

| writer = Harriet Frank Jr.
Irving Ravetch

| based_on = {{based on|The Sound and the Fury|William Faulkner}}

| starring = Yul Brynner
Joanne Woodward
Margaret Leighton
Stuart Whitman
Ethel Waters
Jack Warden
Françoise Rosay

| music = Alex North

| cinematography = Charles G. Clarke

| editing = Stuart Gilmore

| distributor = 20th Century-Fox

| released = {{Film date|1959|03||Los Angeles}}

| runtime = 110 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $1,710,000{{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Aubrey |title=Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |page=252 |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-8108-4244-1}}

| gross = $1.7 million (est. US/Canada rentals){{cite magazine|title=1959: Probable Domestic Take|magazine=Variety|date=January 6, 1960|page=34}}

}}

The Sound and the Fury is a 1959 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt. It is loosely based on the 1929 novel of the same title by William Faulkner.

Plot

Quentin Compson is a girl of 17 in the small Mississippi town of Jefferson. She lives with her step-uncle, Jason, who has practically raised Quentin ever since her promiscuous mother, Caddy, abandoned her.

Jason makes ends meet working in the store of Earl Snopes, a man he detests. He is the provider for several people in the large family house, including Howard, who is Quentin's uncle, and his step-brother, and a mute, mentally handicapped man named Benjy, his other step-brother. Other occupants include Jason's bitter, resentful mother; Dilsey, a black housekeeper, and Luster, Dilsey's grandson who looks after Benjy.

Quentin is bored, restless, and not interested in Jason's wishes that she continue her education. When a carnival comes to town, she becomes infatuated with Charlie Busch, a carny worker who tries to seduce her.

Caddy returns to town. She has a tentative reunion with Quentin, but takes Jason's side because she has no money and needs him to shelter her now. Caddy flirts with Snopes, who implies that they had intimate relations and is beaten by Jason for saying as much. Benjy becomes incensed when he catches Quentin sneaking out to meet Busch and tries to strangle her, whereupon Jason decides that Benjy must be committed to an institution.

A frustrated Quentin wants to leave with Busch and claims she can get her hands on $3,000. She steals it from a suitcase of money Jason had been saving for her future. To prove the stranger's true intentions, Jason goes to Busch and gives him a choice: the girl or the money. Quentin is crushed when she realizes what Busch is really after. She returns to Jason and promises to be more mature in their future together.

Cast

{{castlist|

Yul Brynner as Jason Compson
Joanne Woodward as Quentin Compson
Margaret Leighton as Caddy Compson
Jack Warden as Benjy Compson
Stuart Whitman as Charlie Busch
Ethel Waters as Dilsey
Françoise Rosay as Mrs Caroline Compson
John Beal as Howard Compson
Albert Dekker as Earl Snopes
Stephen Perry as Luster
Roy Glenn as Job
Bill Gunn as T.P.

}}

Production

In September 1955 the novel was optioned by Jerry Wald who had a deal at Columbia. The previous month Wald optioned the Faulkner story, Soldier's Pay.{{cite news|title=BY WAY OF REPORT: 'Sound and Fury' Attracts Columbia -- The Big Money -- A Global 'Helen'|author=A. H. WEILER|work=New York Times|date=Sep 4, 1955|page=X5}} In August 1956 Wald announced he had purchased the screen rights and would make it for 20th Century Fox, and that the team of Harriet Frank and Irvin Ravitch would do the adaptation. Wald had a tendency to film older novels; he said he took advice from a survey of librarians throughout the country to see what older books were "perennial favorites" with readers.{{cite news|title=FAULKNER NOVEL BOUGHT FOR FILM: 'The Sound and the Fury' Is Acquired by Jerry Wald for Production Next Year|author=THOMAS M. PRYOR|work=New York Times|date=Aug 30, 1956|page=19}} Wald offered the leading roles of Jason and Candace to Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.{{cite news|title='The Sound and the Fury' May Star Olivier and Leigh|author=Hopper, Hedda|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=Oct 23, 1956|page=b4}}

In January 1957 Gregory Peck signed to star with filming to begin in June.{{cite news|title=PECK TO PERFORM IN MOVIE FOR FOX: Actor Signs for Adaptation of 'Sound and the Fury,' Novel by Faulkner Miss Loren's Pact Extended Of Local Origin|author=THOMAS M. PRYOR|work=New York Times|date=Jan 15, 1957|page=24}} Audrey Hepburn was sought to co star and Jose Quintero to direct.{{cite news|title=Of Local Origin|work=New York Times|date=Feb 5, 1957|page=27}} Quintero turned down the film, By May 1957 Martin Ritt was signed to direct and Wald was going to make another Faulkner tale as well, The Hamlet, which became The Long Hot Summer.{{cite news|title=A Town, Called Hollywood: Jerry Wald Runs on Faith in the Different and Daring|author=Scheuer, Philip K.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 26, 1957|page=E2}} Ritt did it under a two-picture contract with Fox.{{cite news|title=STAGE DIRECTOR SIGNS FILM PACT: Martin Ritt in Two-Picture Deal With Fox--Universal Reactivates 'Katrina' Pearl Buck to Visit Hollywood|author=THOMAS M. PRYOR|work=New York Times|date=July 22, 1957|page=15}}

Eventually Ritt filmed Long Hot Summer first.

In December 1957 filming was postponed due to difficulties in casting.{{cite news|title=DREISER'S 'TITAN' TO BECOME MOVIE: Novel Will Be Filmed Jointly by 2 Concerns--Return of Andy Hardy Weighed Mickey Rooney's Plans|work=New York Times|date=Dec 13, 1957|page=35}} Lana Turner was to star as Caddy.{{cite news|title=Lana Turner to Star in Dramatic Role|author=Hopper, Hedda|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Dec 19, 1957|page=B16}}

In January 1958 Yul Brynner signed to star.{{cite news|title=BRYNNER TO STAR IN WALD-FOX FILM: Actor Signed for Faulkner's 'Sound and the Fury -- Ina Balin in 'Black Orchid'|author=THOMAS M. PRYOR|work=New York Times|date=Jan 13, 1958|page=24}}

Release

In October 1958 Wald declared the film would be as popular as Peyton Place.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety212-1958-10/page/n318/mode/1up?|title=Wald counts his b.o. blessings|date=29 October 1958|page=3}}

The film opened at the RKO Pantages Theatre at the end of March 1959 and grossed $13,000 in its first week.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=National Boxoffice Survey|date=March 25, 1959|page=4|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety214-1959-03#page/n251/mode/1up|access-date=March 29, 2024|via=Internet Archive}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=L.A. Spurts; 'Rio' Great $42,000 In 3 Spots, 'Life' Whopping 24G for 1, 'Dog' Sock 26G, 2, 'Tempest' 21G, 2|date=March 25, 1959|page=8|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety214-1959-03#page/n255/mode/1up|access-date=March 29, 2024|via=Internet Archive}}

Reception

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that the film "lacks texture" and is "sentiment-dappled and synthetic".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940CE6DF1138EF3BBC4051DFB5668382649EDE|title=The Sound and the Fury (1959)|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|authorlink=Bosley Crowther|work=The New York Times|date=28 March 1959|accessdate=20 May 2014}} The negative reception may also have been partly due to Joanne Woodward's being so much older than the character she played; at almost 30 years old, it was hard to find her believable as a 17-year-old girl.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}