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Paul Newman made his directing debut with this story and he does a great job; whenever it threatens to bore, something always saves it. Rachel teaches by day, wearing simple, practical dresses and her hair up. By night she caters to her domineering mother by preparing refreshments for her parties. This sexually repressed spinster schoolteacher, however, gets one last chance at romance in her small Connecticut town. Woodward mixes just the right amounts of loneliness and sweetness in the leading role. Won Golden Globe and New York Film Critics awards for both Woodward and her husband Newman for best actress and best director respectively (they took home four awards between them).
This is a quiet, insightful film that is blessed with a wise and wonderful performance by Joanne Woodward. Directed by her husband, Paul Newman, this film explores the plight of a 35-year old woman who has come to the crossroads of her life. She is a decent, lonely and loyal person who realizes that she must make a major change in her life, or continue an unfulfilled and sterile existence in a small town that offers her no chance of real happiness. Paul Newman really shows his skill as a director in bringing this story to life. Here, Joanne Woodward proves that she is one of the finest, if not THE best, actress of her generation. She makes the viewer care about Rachel Cameron; you feel her loneliness, her despair, her fears, and finally, her hope for a better future. Woodward’s skill as an actress has always been her courage to portray unglamourous, real women with all their imperfections and foibles. This is a great performance. The ensemble supporting cast in this film is also wonderful. The sadly underappreciated Estelle Parsons gives a gutsy performance as Rachel’s equally lonely school teacher friend. Kate Harrington, as Rachel’s demanding mother, and Geraldine Fitzgerald are also fine. This is a great slice-of-life film that, in its own quiet but powerful way, tells you a lot about the human condition. Kudos to Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman!