Splendor In The Grass (1961)

Splendor in the Grass stars Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty and Pat Hingle, was directed by Elia Kazan, and was written by William Inge who makes a cameo appearance as a preacher. With actors like Wood and Beatty, it is hard to go wrong.

I know I have not previously seen this movie and would have been uninterested in such a movie when it came out because I was senior in high school.

This movie, a romantic drama, shows the effects of the mores of this time (1920-30) and social standing in the US on the lives of the main characters. The Natalie Wood character, Wilma Dean Lewis, is in love with the Warren Beatty character, Bud Stamper. Unfortunately, Wilma Dean is from a poor family, and Bud is the top football player from the richest family in town. For those that have seen this movie you know that the relationship failed because these two young people could not overcome their parents and society. Splendor in the Grass also delves into the stigma of people who are confined to "mental institutions." I recommend this sad movie highly. I also think it should have been nominated for an Academy Award, but it was not.