Autumn Leaves (film)

 

Autumn Leaves (film)

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Autumn Leaves
Original theatrical poster
Directed by	Robert Aldrich
Produced by	William Goetz
Written by	Jean Rouverol Hugo Butler
Starring	Joan Crawford Cliff Robertson
Music by	Hans J. Salter
Cinematography	Charles Lang
Editing by	Michael Luciano
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 1, 1956
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.1 million (US)[1]

Autumn Leaves is a 1956 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol and Hugo Butler, though it was credited to Jack Jevne, Rouverol and Butler being blacklisted at the time of the film's release. The film was directed by Robert Aldrich and produced by William Goetz. Autumn Leaves won an international award for its director and has been released to VHS.

 

Plot and cast

 

Spinsterish Millicent "Millie" Wetherby (Crawford) works at home as a self-employed typist. one evening in a diner, she meets a lonely young man named Burt Hanson. They take a liking to one another and begin dating. When Burt proposes, Millie accepts and they marry. Burt's ex-wife Virginia (Vera Miles) and his father (Lorne Greene) abruptly enter the scene. Burt is haunted by the day when he discovered his wife and father making love; he begins displaying signs of mental instability with their sudden, unwelcomed presence in his life. When he becomes violent, Millie sends him to a mental hospital. His condition improves with treatment, and he severs connections with his past. Millie happily discovers he still loves her and they look forward to a brighter future. Cast includes Ruth Donnelly as Millie's landlady Liz, Marjorie Bennett as a diner waitress, and Frank Gerstle as Mr. Ramsey.

 

Song

 

The film's original title was The Way We Are but was changed to capitalize on the success of the then popular tune "Autumn Leaves" as sung by Nat King Cole. Cole's rendition is used over the film's title sequence. The song's original title is "Les feuilles mortes" with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by Jacques Prévert. English lyrics were written by the American songwriter Johnny Mercer (1949). The song was introduced by Yves Montand in 1946 for the film Les Portes de la Nuit.