In the 1950s and 1960s, Mel Ferrer often wanted then-wife Audrey Hepburn in artsier projects that would showcase her versatility. Sometimes, that led to interesting and challenging roles as in TWO FOR THE ROAD (which Ferrer pushed for Hepburn to appear in) and WAIT UNTIL DARK (which Ferrer produced and made a small vocal cameo in). Other times, it resulted in artistic misfire, as in GREEN MANSIONS, an infamous jungle adventure in which Hepburn is a wild forest woman and Anthony Perkins is an Indiana Jones style adventurer. Ferrer directed.
When remembered at all, GREEN MANSIONS tends to be dismissed as a kitschy embarrassment, but it's hardly the biggest Hollywood bomb I have ever seen. The hokey elements tend to be more entertaining than anything else, and while both Hepburn and Perkins are miscast, they at least share tender chemistry that makes their romance affecting. I felt much worse for silent film legend and later character actor Sessue Hayakawa as the native chief.
