Splendor in the Grass (Elia Kazan, 1961)

There are very few films about love that I'd consider notable, let alone films about teenage love. "Splendor in the Grass" is a huge exception, with its fierce critique to a society that is yet to fully free itself, sixty years after the feature was released. William Inge's script covers the many stages of romance, from the lunacy that comes with the first passion, leading to sexual repression, heartbreak and a final reuniting of the main characters, respectively married, years after the main events. 

In 1928 Kansas, Deanie (Natalie Wood) and Bud (Warren Beatty) form the perfect couple, envied by the whole school. It is not long before the pressure from their parents and the future they have imagined for them causes their separation. Bud is constantly advised by his father to seek sexual release through "other kinds of girls" while Deanie is told off, questioned and constantly reminded of her duty to be caste and pure. Their increasing confusion, together with the tension of the upcoming decision regarding university paths, leads to Bud avoiding the girl he stills loves to hunt for pleasure with one of the "easier" girls from the class, who won't constitute a torment when it comes to the question of marriage. This drives Deanie crazy, going through stages of hysteria and extreme quietness that deeply bother her traditional parents, who don't know how to deal with such unpredictable behaviour. Her isolation, triggered by an outbreak in a literature lesson in which she is made to read the poem "Splendor in the Grass" by William Wandsworth in front of the whole smearing class who have a pitiful yet cruel attitude towards her now, comes to an end when she decides to attend the end-of-year ball  with a new suitor, Bud's friend. However, the night ends badly and, soon after, Bud is forced to go to Yale. Eventually, they will meet again, having completely separate lives. 

The characters are remarkable, all representing lacks that we as humans still struggle with. Bud's father is an easy-going, pushing man with many vices who suddenly became oil-rich and whose power has transformed him into an almighty creature that people don't necessarily respect. Deanie's mum is the exact opposite, a well-composed, relentless figure that poisons her daughter and ultimately makes her come to the realisation that she has to stop listening to her in order to thrive. They share an unforgettable scene in the bathtub, where Deanie is asked if she has been spoilt, and Mrs Wood delivers an incredible performance as she loses her temper and jumps out of the bath, swaying her arms and screaming: "No, mom! I'm not spoiled! I'm not spoiled mom! I'm just as fresh and virginal like the day I was born, mom!". 

Another rebellious figure is Bud's sister, played by Barbara Loden, a sexually-promiscuous girl who keeps being the talk of the town. There are nuances to all these characters, far from being simple archetypes. Barbara's character, although often adding to the more comedic side of the film with her disruptive behaviour, is sad to watch at times, as we can see she is profoundly unhappy and feels misplaced in her surroundings. There is a party scene in which she gets drunk and ends up being chased and half-raped by a group of adult men, and all she gets is criticism and, thankfully, also a bit of help from her brother Bud. Bud is a very interesting character because he is very self-contained and patient till the point in which he becomes emotionally exhausted and finally breaks too. All the characters are pushed to the edge at some point of the film and, above all, the rhythm evolves as naturally as the seasons.

The film is visually beautiful, the costumes and make-up surrounding Deanie's many stages is detailed and realistic, and it is full of elements that come back to us in different forms, ironic reminders that life is a game and the characters, like us, strive to be good players. For instance, the waterfalls in the outskirts of the city, where couples go to make out for hours, are first shown in a close-up as a symbol of youthful passion, and then turn out to be almost deadly after the ball, in another close-up that connotes a crushing, alluring quality that becomes a threat to the protagonist´s life. 

"Splendor in the Grass" really touched me because, in spite of the exaggeration that Kazan uses to denounce the aforementioned issues, constitutes overall a very honest account of a relationship that is equally honest because of its freshness and the inexperience of both parties. The couple is alone in their troubles and, even if the paternal figures pretend to be there to help, the audience is aware that they are eventually problematic. Anyone who´s ever been in love will anticipate, laugh and cry with the characters. For once, romance is treated almost religiously and the lovers are respected, rather than belittled, as so often occurs in films. ⧫⧫⧫⧫/⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫

Now, I leave you with the verses that gave their name to the film, and that Wood's character so well understood by the end of the story:

What though the radiance

which was once so bright

Be now for ever taken from my sight,

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass,

of glory in the flower,

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind;

In the primal sympathy

Which having been must ever be;

In the soothing thoughts that spring

Out of human suffering;

In the faith that looks through death,

In years that bring the philosophic mind.