The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

source: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Joanne Woodward gives the performance of a lifetime in this gritty, realistic film. The subtle way it presents both child and elderly abuse ( I don't see other reviewers mentioning the grandmother ) is more than memorable - it is totally realistic.

Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, The (1972) *** 1/2 (out of 4) It's a shame the silly sounding title will probably make most people overlook this film because it's an incredibly strong character study that deserves more attention. Joanne Woodward plays Beatrice, a widow trying to race two girls (Nell Potts, Roberta Wallach) in a world she feels is falling apart due to stupid people. What Beatrice doesn't realize is that the majority of problems in her life are due to herself and she can't seem to realize the damage that she's doing to her daughters. I must admit that I was shocked to see that Woodward didn't even got an Oscar-nomination for her performance here, which will go down in my book as one of the biggest injustices of all-time. Many people has called this performance one of the actresses greatest and many, including her husband and director of this film Paul Newman, have called it the greatest of her career. I'd probably go even further than that and call it one of the greatest performances by an actress that you're ever going to see. The amount of rage, passion and at times evilness within this performance is something truly amazing to watch and it's just breathtaking sitting back and watching Woodward work. She said that this was one of her most difficult roles because of having to play someone so depressing, bitter and angry but she perfectly nails all of it. I think calling this character crazy would be an easy way out because there's just so much to her and so much development that goes on. Just take a look at a sequence where she's trying to gather money for a tea-shop invention that she's came up with. Just watch the way she grows more and more frantic as the money trail starts to go away. Another terrific sequence again shows the character in a different way. There's a scene where the mother learns that her oldest daughter had done a skit about her at school for laughs. Again, just watch the way Woodward brilliantly plays it. The supporting performances are also very good with Newman and Woodward's real-life daughter Nell doing a nice job with the role of the youngest sister. Roberta Wallach, Eli's daughter, is also extremely strong in her bit as the one who suffers the most humiliation from the mother. I also thought Newman's direction was superb and it's easy to tell in the film's that he directed that he believed the acting was the most important thing to any movie. He doesn't throw any real style into the film and instead he just turns the camera on and let's the actors bring the film to life. THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS is a very silly title but the film is a real gem with one of the greatest performances you're likely to see.

How does one organism survive, even thrive, constantly bombarded by toxins while another wilts? The mechanics of ego and family dysfunction are the foci of this beautifully simple but devastating character study; the metaphor is a science project. Why Paul Newman seemed to be ashamed of this skillfully-directed and numbingly well-acted opus is beyond comprehension. Woodward's and Wallach's performances should have at least been Oscar-nominated; Nell Potts' stoic determination should have won one. If anyone ever has a chance to see or own this small, grimy masterpiece, wait for the "heart is full" line, read it's meaning, and prepare to sob uncontrollably.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Wow! Long title...) is an interesting drama about an awful mother and her two teenage daughters. The mother, Beatrice (Joanne Woodward), is a widow who doesn't really work. She instead chain smokes, complains about everything, insults everyone, including her kids, and doesn't seem to know how to raise children. Her oldest daughter Ruth (Roberta Wallach) is a popular cheerleader, who occasionally has convulsions. Youngest daughter Matilda (Nell Potts, Woodward's real life daughter) is good at science, but is very shy and has no friends (despite being more attractive, in my opinion). They have an old woman as a border to earn some money. This movie is very sweet and deals realistically with family problems. Beatrice is obnoxious and self-centered and Ruth is the same. The only character one can sympathize with is shy Matilda. The film was directed by Paul Newman, husband of Woodward and father of Potts. It was based on a play by Paul Zindel, who wrote a book, "The Pigman", that I had to read for high school. I think the movie was once available on VHS, but it's probably out-of-print. I hope someday the Newman family will take some time off from making spaghetti sauce to collaborate with 20th Century Fox to give this movie the deluxe DVD treatment.

I was a student at Read Middle School and a very influential woman had come into my life in the name of Mrs. Jettie Tisdale (R.I.P.)...news of an upcoming movie being filmed in Bridgeport and I was destined to feel those lights on me! I remember not only meeting Mr. Paul Newman, his lovely wife Joanne Woodward but was given the "task" of accompanying and acquainting their daughter Nell Potts with the area setup, the logistics of Harding High School as well as taking my meals and studies with her. She was a regular girl and didn't act "different" or "funny" and seemed to like me as well. I found her parents to be likable and kind and it was a privilege to have met Mr. Paul Newman personally. He was and will remain to be a charitable and sensitive man. I'm in the auditorium scene...I swear I was mesmerized when Ms. Woodward-Newman burst into the auditorium... a great opportunity for a regular kid from Bridgeport! That was my first film! From 8th grade to age 48 years old when I received a second opportunity to be in a film "6 NIGG*! In A Cadillac" filmed in my then hometown of Middletown...I play the impound officer! Regrets on the passing of Mr. Paul Newman and I thank you for your personal encouragement. Sincerely

Paul Newman again surprises (along with "Rachel, Rachel") as Joanne Woodward is presented in the unglamorous role of Beatrice Hunsdorfer, a bitter widow living on the fringe in an anonymous Connecticut suburb. Nell Potts and Roberta Wallach in diametrically opposed roles, Ruth, the epileptic popular daughter, and Mathilda, the science-project sensitive daughter who relates to her pet rabbit. While some is a bit overdone it is no stretch to imagine a bored housewife trying to make ends meet; Woodward is sympathetic and annoying at the same time. A brilliant performance. This film was made in 1972 and it would truly amazing to see real character portrayals in film again. Today we have to visit the theater for such affecting performances. Well worth more than one viewing. 9/10.

I was privileged to see the original off-Broadway production starring acclaimed actress Sada Thompson, and I also saw her immediate replacement in the role of Beatrice, Joan Blondell. I also caught a touring company a few years later in which Shelley Winters played Beatrice (not my favorite actress by a long shot) and she was just fine in the part. After viewing Ms. Winters in the role, I was convinced that this was so perfectly written a piece that nobody could ever mess it up. Then the movie came out. I have always had a great deal of respect for both Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and was eagerly looking forward to what they could do with so meaty a drama. I saw the film as soon as it opened, and was mystified and extremely disappointed when I saw how totally they destroyed what on stage was a piece of pure poetry and made it into a shallow, dreary soap opera. The allegory between the title and the situation of the characters was completely removed, as was a good deal of the best dialogue. The fragile, heartbreaking relationship between Beatrice and her daughters became something ugly, morbid and downright depressing. The original play ended on a very hopeful note, as the observer realized that Tilly, if no one else, would survive her bleak surroundings to become a fully nuanced and interesting person. The dismal tone of the film left me drained and actually quite annoyed that this beautiful, very real and poetically written play could be transformed into such a depressing and altogether banal film. All I kept thinking as I left the theatre was, "Why did they have to change it so much? It's been ruined". The only positive note for me was the retention of the wonderful character actress Judith Lowry (who must have been over 90 when the film was made) as Nanny. Ms. Lowry was the original Nanny in the off-Broadway production and, although her character had virtually no lines, her wonderful presence alone was enough to bring a smile to the faces of the audience. Again, as a fan of both Newman and Woodward, this was a total disappointment.

The old saw "there are no guarantees in life" is given a sad example in this film, wherein we find Joanne Woodward, widowed mother of two, slipping through the cracks of her own life with her daughters in tow. Through a bleary haze of booze-soaked self-defeat, she commands change in her life but is unwilling(and/or possibly unable)to grab the reins. Woodward's performance is sterling...unrestrained, though not at all hammy. Her character is initially entirely unlikable, though in the end, she has found a place in the pity-corner of our hearts...she is a fragile and vulnerable soul who has tragically broken into many virulent and dejected pieces. For people who enjoy strong character studies, THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS is a dexterously directed must-see mini-classic. Understand, though, that it is quite emotionally daunting, and may touch a bit too close to home for certain viewers...a stark and brutally honest portraiture of human wreckage and its many damaging effects. Beneath the downcast surface, however, lies a glint of optimism in the form of the younger daughter's quiet perseverance...although she suffers, she has a strong constitution and will likely overcome her emotionally malnourished upbringing. Stellar cinema. 8.5/10

This film captures with unflinching accuracy the anguish caused to a family by a parent with a severe alcohol problem. However alcohol abuse is just one symptom displayed by this particular family unit which is struggling to survive economically disastrous times, from a severely disadvantaged position. The daughter's school science project "The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" mirrors the ongoing American social experiment of economic rationalism. Joanne Woodward's character Beatrice is not evil, though she does some of the most cruel and demeaning things imaginable to her children. I believe that it's a great credit to both the playwright and director that we are able to develop empathy for her in spite of these actions. Much of what has happened to Beatrice in life has been out of her control, and yet she struggles to support her family and she holds desperately to hope of a highly unlikely avenue of economic escape (an as yet unformulated cheesecake recipe). This is one of the most demanding, highly impacting and yet compulsive films I've seen. It's a window to the interpersonal relationships of good people who are struggling to respond with vigour to a system that delineates winners and losers.