E il vento disperse la nebbia

With its impeccable pedigree, before and behind the camera, this is generally regarded as one of the most underrated dramatic movies of the 1960s. Much of its critical and commercial rejection was laid at the feet of the book's author, James Leo Herlihy, who, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, named his toxic lead character "Berry-Berry", after the tropical disease known for causing "inflammation of the nerves and heart failure." To make matters worse, the origin of the highly improbable name was never explained - even his mother addressed him by the use of it. Whereas Screenwriter William Inge could have either changed the moniker or, at the very least, minimized its use, his otherwise strong adaptation did just the opposite; indeed, the phrase "Berry-Berry" was voiced relentlessly over the course of the story, a whopping seventy-four times in all, which means it's mentioned once every 1.5 minutes of this movie's running time.

When Mrs. Mandel waves a $50 bill at Berry-Berry, the bill turns upside down between the long shot and the close-up.

Featured in Biography: Angela Lansbury: A Balancing Act (1998)