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The Group (1966)

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17 comments in total

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24 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful social satire, 1 May 1999

Author: thefan-2 from Detroit

Based on the Mary McCarthy novel about depression-era Vassar grads. First big roles for: Candice Bergen, as a snooty lesbian; Larry Hagman, young, skinny and already obnoxious; Carrie Nye (Mrs. Dick Cavett); Elizabeth Hartman, who killed herself a few years ago; exquisite Joan Hackett, who never lived up to her potential and died ridiculously young; a pre-"Soap" Richard Mulligan surprisingly convincing as the sexy bohemian cad who breaks Hackett's heart (in real life, they were married); Hal Holbrook, straight from his "Mark Twain Tonight" show; young James Broderick as a young doctor; an incredibly sexy Jessica Walter; a lusty young Shirley Knight. A must-see.

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16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Terrific Performances In One Truly Unique Motion Picture..., 1 September 1999
Author: Tirelli from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One of Sidney Lumet's first directing attempts is a brilliant, powerful and undeniably courageous motion picture - not at all a sprawling frenzy of feelings strung by hammy performances and corny dialogues, this film is a rather organized , neat telling of eight graduates from Vassar-like college and their respective lives and times, that in it's own quiet way, became a masterpiece of great beauty, displaying strong, formidable performances by Pettet - as Kay Strong, a lovely young lady whose promissing future is teared to shreds as her cruel Play Writing husband ruins her life and slowly corrompts her mental sanity -, Hackett - as Dottie Renfrew, whose heart is broken by young, hip bohemian, that steels her virginity and commits herself to a futile, selfish fate - and Hartman(One Of The Most Wonderful Actresses That Ever Lived, And Whose Life Was Brought To A Horrid Ending, As She Comitted Suicide, Jumping Off Her Apartment Window) - as a pure , fragile young girl that has agonizing experiments with pregnancy and breast-feeding, as well as other cast members, like Bergen, Widdoes, fascinating Knight and Walter. This is adapted from Mary MacCarthy's brilliant novel, launched at the same time as 'Valley Of The Dolls', Jacqueline Sussan's hideous all-american best-seller - although' they both treat of feminine sagas, they are surely not to be confused.

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant!!, 24 June 1999
Author: JayeB from Durham, England

I saw this film last night and was absolutely stunned by how excellent it was. Not only did it seem to be one of the first 'chick flicks' (sorry for anyone who hates that title) but it was incredibly brave to deal with extremly contentious issues. The colours and the costumes in the film made the film seem like a true snapshot for life for seven educated women getting by in the first half in the century. It did not shy away from the issues of sex, and mental illness which is brave for a film made over thirty years ago. I started watching this film because I couldn't sleep but ended up watching it until 2.30am defintely entertaining and possibly superior to 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'??

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful Entertainment!, 22 March 2005

Author: e lewis from United States

Widescreen, Technicolor and the best round up of girls since "The Women". What more could you ask? All the girls are great, but Jessica Walter is outstanding as she changes from self-assured sexy-romantic to a gossiping sexually repressed Bitch! No one else at that time could have played that part so beautifully. The movie addresses some women's issues that were not commonly discussed back in the 60's. Abuse, mental illness, pregnancy, drugs. Candice Bergen, Shirley Knight, Elizabeth Hartman, these are all stage trained actresses, and the lovely Joan Hackett who died much too soon but while she was here always gave a top notch performance. Script/dialogue, camera work, all first class.

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15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Took me a while to get into it...but I did, 12 June 2005

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Glossy soap opera about 8 Vassar graduates of 1933. It follows their lives after college and deals with alcoholism, mental breakdowns, frigidity, beatings, adultery, child rearing, lesbianism and death.

I tried reading the book this was based on but I couldn't understand it. They kept throwing in 1930s slang and politics and lost me. This movie keeps out the slang, tones down the politics (but it is there) and came up with a good movie. Yes, it is a soap opera but well made with some great actresses and it deals with it's subjects seriously. Some of the story lines involve: Polly (Shirley Knight) falling in love with a married doctor (Hal Holbrook); Kay (Joanna Pettet) dealing with an alcoholic husband (Larry Hagman); Dottie (Joan Heckett) falling in love with a womanizer (Richard Mulligan) and Priss (Elizabeth Hartman) dealing with raising a child.

It's fascinating to see these actors so young and full of life. All the acting is good but Hartman and Knight stand out. Also Candace Bergman shows up at the beginning and the end as a lesbian--quite daring for 1966. The surprise is that she's dealt with in a very sensitive manner and not made evil.

This movie is long (150 minutes) and its cast is very big (it took me at least an hour to figure out who was who) but I ended up enjoying this and recommend it. I give it an 8.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Juicy, glitzy, melodramatic, weirdly involving., 3 December 2001

Author: Ellen Fagan (hipt79@aol.com) from New York City

This is a thoroughly enjoyable reworking of Mary McCarthy's book...while certain portions of the story & dialog are toned down from the frank & sexual novel, the gist remains intact. The story of a group of protected collegiate girls during the Depression being plunged into real life...marriage, affairs, career paths, utter meltdown. It's got a definite soap-opera feel & the performances get a bit cartoony here & there, but this movie is a JOY. Just enjoy it for what it is...a couple (plus) hours of fun & involving storytelling, great performances, great clothes, & goofy upper-crust female bonding.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Considering what they had to work with . . ., 13 November 2007

Author: Matthew Patton (mp99) from Deltona, FL

Anyone who thinks that this film is anti-man is wrong; the problem is that it was adapted from a novel that is, frankly, anti-human. Mary McCarthy's novel was one long sneer at all of the women she graduated from Vasaar with and who didn't have as wonderful and fulfilling a career as she did. They're too passive or too ambitious or too flirty or, most fatally, not Mary McCarthy. At least they went to Vasaar, though, so they are better than all other human beings on earth . . .

Surprisingly, Sidney Buchman's script manages to make flawed, but sympathetic characters out of the story he had to work with. Joanna Petet is wrenching as the ambitious, well-meaning Kay, whose husband Harald would probably never live up the her standards even if he weren't already a self-pitying, alcoholic bastard. Jessica Walters is ultimately endearing as Libby, who is not quite as sophisticated as she likes to pretend she is, although smarter than she lets on, and Shirley Knight is a rock of common sense as the quiet, hard-working Polly. It was refreshing to see Candice Bergen maintain grace, poise, and femininity even while she plays a "lesbo," but that accent of her always drove me crazy. Was it supposed to be English or Scandanavian, or a relic of the Duchy of Lower Fenwick? Carrie Nye has little more than a cameo as the artist that Harald is cheating on Kay with, but she rolls her r's magnificently and plays the character with deadly comic timing. She's also one of the few characters who actually has a little fun . . .

As others have said, it takes about an hour to sort everyone out and become involved in their stories, but the time invested pays off. Considering that there are eight main characters, kudos to Buchman and director Sidney Lumet for getting things sorted out so quickly. And to Lumet for toning down his tendency towards flash in his early films to serve the characters; the resulting film is a real drama, with comic touches, not a bitchy soap-opera.

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Glossy and superficial, 16 May 2007

Author: brefane from United States

A poor script, ineptly directed by Sidney Lumet, loses all the social observation and satiric tone of Mary McCarthy's novel and turns it into a glossy, breezy, soap opera. The characters, their problems and relationships are none too compelling, and who is the audience supposed to identify with? The film moves along but, it's going nowhere in particular. Despite a couple of good scenes, the film is talky, choppy, and too long (21/2 hours). In addition, the set design seems drab and cluttered. Ultimately, the film's main interest is seeing a number of actors in their earliest roles. Elizabeth Hartman is touching as Priss, Bergen makes a striking Lakey, Kathleen Widdoes is effective as Helena, Carrie Nye scores a bullseye as Norine, Larry Hagman is a believably despicable Harold, Jessica Walter has a field day as Libby, and Joanna Pettet has the most substantial role of her career as Kay. Shirley Knight(Polly) and Hal Holbrook are saddled with boring roles, and play them accordingly. Joan Hackett is fine though she has little to do, and last and least is Mary-Robin Redd as Pokey. Boris Kaufman gets the credit for the cinematography, and Sidney Buchman the blame for the shallow script. Lumet, the director of The Hill, Fail Safe, Prince of the City, and 12 Angry Men, is clearly out of his element here.

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Very good..., 10 January 2008

Author: nickrogers1969 from Sweden

It's the second time I saw it and it improved immensely. The first time gave a muddled impression and it was difficult to understand what it was about. Now I was swept away by it and felt for the girls.

What great performances by these actresses! Kathleen Widdoes, Jessica Walter and Shirley Knight came off best. Joanna Pettet was very good in her unsympathetic part. Candice Bergen was excellent in her small part. It was her very first movie role and she was barely twenty! There was too little of Joan Hackett, Elizabeth Hartman and Mary-Robin Redd. Larry Hagman is a very underrated actor. It's a shame the film isn't more well known. It does NOT need a remake!

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4 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Admittedly, similar to a soap opera in content...., 9 October 2006

Author: MarieGabrielle from United States

but this film is interesting for the cast, and the time period it depicts. Also the costumes are rather amusing. I have not yet read the book although several reviews have mentioned the time warp factor. Candice Bergen is in an early role as member of an elite group of Vassar graduates. Joan Hackett, Joanna Pettet, Larry Hagman (as her alcoholic husband), Hal Holbrook, James Broderick, Jessica Walter (as swinging single gossip in the NY publishing world), Kathleen Widdoes, Carrie Nye, Elizabeth Hartman and several other notable appearances make for an interesting cast. Some of the dialog will take you back to a different time. The controversy of breast over bottle feeding, Republican vs. FDR Democrat (there are some pretty amusing scenes between Priss (Elizabeth Hartman) and her pediatrician husband, a Republican, who says after her second miscarriage this will give him a bad reputation in the hospital (!). Obviously, the book may be more interesting, and less histrionic. Jessica Walter is very good, and amusing; wish she had done more films in the 80's and 90's (She was great in "Slums of Beverly Hills", with Alan Arkin, as well). I do not watch regular television although several have mentioned she is very good in the Ron Howard comedy "Arrested Development". At any rate, a good escapist film, which I would not completely dismiss as soap opera, since there are skilled actors and some worthwhile dialog. 8/10.

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