Three greedy half-brothers pitted against each other by their widowed, tyrannical father often spells trouble, but add the father's sexy young bride to the mix, and that's a formula for disaster. This emotionally charged scenario is the starting point for Eugene O'Neill's classic play Desire Under the Elms.

In the 1958 film version, Burl Ives is spectacular as the father, Ephraim Cabot. Although in his seventies, he prides himself on his vitality and virility, proclaiming himself even more fit than his twenty something sons. Youngest son Eben (Anthony Perkins) believes he should inherit the family farm since it had been his mother's until she married his father. But for some unclear reason, Ephraim is not fond of any of his sons, including Eben, and if he could take all his land with him when he dies, he surely would.  

Ephraim goes away for a few weeks, cautioning his progeny not to believe he has died. "I'll live to be a hundred," he frequently says. When he returns, he has a sexy, foreign bride (Sophia Loren, in her first American film) at his side. The two older sons depart for the gold fields of California, selling their supposed birthright to Eben. With the brothers gone, the way is clear for Eben and Anna to sizzle up the screen behind the old man's unsuspecting back.  

Predictably, she has a son. Of course, the old man, strutting like a rooster, believes the baby is his, but the whole town knows who the father really is. When the dramatic pitch rises, Ephraim spews poison and turns Eben against the woman he loves, almost like Iago destroying Othello's feelings for Desdemona. And just as in that famous Shakespearean play, one has to wonder why the enemy is believed rather than the lover. The result of the devastated love affair is so emotional, it's difficult to watch.

With the screenplay by Irwin Shaw from O'Neill's drama and directed by Delbert Mann,    Desire Under the Elms has the feel of a staged play. Ives spouts several long-winded speeches, and the scenes have the formality of a play rather than the fluidity of a film. But viewing the story of greed, passion and family dynamics can be a riveting experience.

 Director: Delbert Mann  

 Writers: (play) Eugene O'Neill -   (screenplay) Irwin Shaw  

 Cast Members: Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, Burl Ives

 Rating: Unrated - Sexual situations not suitable for youngsters

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3 out of 5 stars  

 Run Time:    111 minutes    

 Studio:    Paramount Home Entertainment  

 Black & White, Widescreen format