Wild Is the Wind (1957)

Sometimes star power can make a mediocre (or worse) film into something quite enjoyable, and such is the case with Wild Is the Wind. With lesser lights in the lead roles, Wind would probably be pretty insufferable, the kind of florid melodrama whose lack of restraint inspires jeers and laughter. Even with the delicious Anna Magnani and the virile Anthony Quinn, there are still moments when it veers perilously close to that situation; without them, it would be pretty hopeless. While Wind's script must bear a great deal of the blame, some must also be reserved for director George Cukor. Though he was a man of immense talent, there were some projects for which he seems to have been temperamentally unsuitable, and Wind is one of them. Cukor makes sure it has a good look and that the pieces fit together, but he doesn't know how to imbue the piece with the correct combination of passion and restraint. He does better in individual moments with Magnani and Quinn, so their characters come across as vivid and real, but he can't transfer that to the tone of the film as a whole. The two stars let loose with some great fireworks, and they turn in performances that are among the best of their careers. The intensity and believability of their work is something to behold. Anthony Franciosa and Dolores Hart also do well, but it's Magnani and Quinn who make you forgive Wind its flaws and keep your eyes riveted to the screen. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide