From the Terrace
From the Terraceis one of Paul Newman's lesser-known films, but it's a worthy showcase for the actor's developing screen persona. LikeButterfield 8, this is a slick, prestigious adaptation of a John O'Hara novel, about loose morals and forbidden love among the wealthy elite. Director Mark Robson lacks the mastery of melodrama that Douglas Sirk would've brought to this material, but he's still on target with O'Hara's tale of a prodigal son (Newman) who rejects his late father's steel mill in favor of big-business conquest, only to find his trophy wife (superbly played by Newman's off-screen wife, Joanne Woodward) straying into the arms of her former fiancé, while he falls in love with a socialite (Ina Balin) with whom he's much more compatible. A well-tuned drama of marital discord and unchecked ambition,From the Terracewas sharply adapted by Ernest Lehman between the triumphs ofNorth by NorthwestandWest Side Story, and Newman's brooding performance gave him a solid boost to his iconic role in the 1961 classicThe Hustler.--Jeff Shannon