User reviews

This engaging 1960 Hollywood production anticipated a coming decade of changing values in America. Its script teeters a bit, emphasizing a bit more the strain of the love conflict rather than the story's real essence. This is an easy mark for critics standing by with sharp knives who may then view it as superficial. However, its real drama depicts the changing generations of an America where at one time successes was measured only by the bank account and social prominence and not by integrity, the ramifications of truth in character.

Here, we see the contrasting generations in conflict. The Old Guard embraced expediency and placed the home and its values second to business success. Once in a while, a young man came along with enough awareness to see the lie in this doctrine. FROM THE TERRACE is in its pure essence the story about such a young man. This was done with a bit more success a few years before in THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT but this drama is certainly worthwhile seeing. It is well cast and played with production values that at the time were the best that Hollywood could offer. This includes an outstanding music score by Elmer Bernstein.

Paul Newman is doing his angry young man thing here, and Joanne Woodward is wonderful as she goes from rebellious rich brat to shrewish, slutty harridan. It's beautifully filmed with lots of sumptuous sets and it's obvious that a good part of the budget went to costumes. If you like movies with boozy, unhappy rich people who do little more than snipe at each other, you've got to see "From the Terrace."

Screenplay based on a novel by John O'Hara in 1958. One of a dozen films Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward did as husband and wife. They stayed married until Newman died in 2008. The film cost $3 million and grossed $5 million. So it was major deal in those days but was not a runaway success. There was quite a lot of adult content for the time which was surprising. It was certainly apt for the time but all the concern about divorce makes it a period piece but an accurate period piece. I find all the filming on sets restrictive as I am spoiled by modern location and outdoor shooting. Although it is certainly not a great work. Will give it a solid 7. RECOMMEND

Her bone structure and diction still flawless, Myrna Loy remains as handsome as most of the other females in permanent waves that populate this plush John O'Hara saga. But she's learned the hard way what a quarter of a century's drinking can do even to a woman as classy as her, and that being a nymphomaniac isn't really as much fun as she made it look in 'Love Me Tonight'.

She's extremely moving in her scenes with a dashing young Paul Newman that comprise much of the first half-hour of this very long film. But sadly the movie (SPOILER COMING:) shifts it's attention to him at her expense, and once again the sublime Myrna is wasted.

As both From The Terrace and The Young Philadelphians have their original settings in the City of Brotherly Love and they both star Paul Newman and they have similar plot situations, it's easy to confuse them. I often do and have to correct myself.

From The Terrace derives from one John O'Hara's less critically received work and for that I fail to see why. The film and I'm sure the novel has some interesting things to say about American values and success. Breaking it down for the film version it's almost as if two books were written with the vaguest connection in plot. The first part is young Newman coming home after World War II service and finding things worse between his unhappily married parents. They've fallen out of love, mother Myrna Loy drinks like a fish and sleeps around, and Leon Ames has never gotten over the death in childhood of Newman's brother and became mean and embittered. That's a scene he leaves first to go into business with navy buddy George Grizzard and then after a fortuitous event I won't mention becoming a wolf of Wall Street with very family values oriented financier Felix Aylmer.

Along the way the parental issues drop away and Newman marries spoiled rich girl Joanne Woodward. He doesn't tend to the marriage and it becomes as loveless as his parent's. She starts spending time with old flame psychiatrist Patrick O'Neal and he eventually finds some true love in Ina Balin.

It must have been an interesting acting challenge for the Newmans to play a loveless couple, in many respects their greatest acting job for this Hollywood couple of long standing. Joanne really ratchets it up playing the rich princess who wants it all and damn the hypocrisy.

Felix Aylmer has an interesting role, one that thank God we see fewer and fewer of. An employer who finds divorce the worst thing in the world, he sees it as a business contract two people enter into. Just live up to it, no matter how unhappy both partners might feel. Newman's rival in the firm is Howard Caine who is in the firm because he is Aylmer's son-in-law. Caine is a real bottom feeder and not above a little stealing on his own just as long as respectable appearances are preserved.

Leon Ames who is usually a nice man really does an against type part here playing the bitter industrial tycoon. And Myrna Loy usually the perfect wife, well imagine if William Powell's drinking in the Thin Man had led to all kinds of physical and mental abuse and Nora Charles started drinking and catting around, you've got what Loy does with the role of Newman's mother.

From The Terrace is a bit old fashioned, but quite a commentary on its times and the cast does well by O'Hara's work.

This is a wonderful movie. Gorgeous Newman, bitchy Woodward, sad Loy, great performances all around, with fabulous sets and costumes. Plus a wonderful story about the marriage of two of the beautiful people, with lots of sex and scandal and romance and fun bitchiness throughout. They had to tone down the sex in the book of course, for a 1960 movie, but if you read between the lines you will be amazed how sexy this movie really is. If you like movies about the rich and how they once lived, even if it's all fantasy, you will like this. Oh yes it's all kind of silly looking at it today, but they don't make movies like this anymore. Watch it for the sheer fun of it. But don't take it seriously. Just let yourself lay back and wallow.

An ambitious young executive (Paul Newman) chooses a loveless marriage and an unfulfilling personal life in exchange for a successful Wall Street career.

What a strange yet apt story of generational rejection, and sons becoming their fathers. We have Paul Newman's character striking out on his own against the wishes of his father, and then he slowly begins to make the same choices -- good or bad -- that his parents did.

What is the message? Is there a message? Maybe this just says something about the importance of love rather than a life filled strictly with business. I am not sure.

John O'Hara;s writings, and there are many, seldom got translated to film well. Ten North Frederick and A Rage to Live are other efforts that are not worthy of the novels. O'Hara had better luck on the stage with plays like Pal Joey but his great novels just were just too big and detailed to make the move. He had a hand in the screenplay for this movie so he does share some of the blame. His great success as a writer flows from his great knowledge of the U.S. and its sexual mores in from say 1900 to 1920. This is a time when people apparently did not have sex but O'Hara makes it plain they did and made an effort to do so. Recommend his writings but the films failed and that is just so tragic. A critic once wrote that O'Hara's novels are like huge ancient ruins that when stumbled upon, the discover can not determine why they were built. That remark was written about 20 years after his death just about the time that all artists fall out of favor before their merits are rediscovered and the value of their work is confirmed.

This movie should get more attention now, and it should have gotten more attention when it was released, because it's a good one. I liked the script, even though it's a little bit melancholic at times, it still works. Paul Newman's performance was on a level, a classy one (there's no other way you can play this kind of character, because it wasn't a kind of troublemaker or a bad boy character, which is what got attention at the time this movie was released), Joanne Woodward was good too.

The Story is treated fairly, it doesn't get boring at any specific point, and the ending is a dramatic one.

The problem is that it is hard to find it, most of the people that have seen it, have done so from the cable.

And for those who have enjoyed this one i would strongly recommend Paul Newman's "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), - absolutely ignore the ratings and give it a shot.

First of all, until I'd seen "From the Terrace" I'd never heard of John O'Hara, let alone read any of his novels. So, as a totally unbiased observer, I was unsure what to think of the movie by the end. The first 20-30 minutes made it seem as though the movie was about rich people being nasty to each other. Once the main story became apparent, it still seemed as though there was no truly redeeming character anywhere in the movie. I could understand that the marriage was a loveless one and so of course the characters were going to do what they did, but it still seemed hard to justify any of it.

If the movie was intended as an indictment of the unbridled pursuit of wealth and prestige, then in my opinion it succeeded in that regard. Otherwise, the movie seemed off-putting. Not a bad movie by any stretch, but I would've liked to see a redeeming character. Still, I did like what he did in the board meeting at the end. I sure would've done the same.

Reading the comments on this movie tells me a lot about our culture at the dawn of the 21st century. Yes, by today's standards this movie seems to move slow and a is little dull. It was made before pornography passing for entertainment was permitted. It contains lots of subtlety and innuendo. It was considered racy when it was made.

One of my favorite scenes is when Mrs. Eaton is talking to her husband on the phone about her lover. You never see the lover in the scene, but at the end, you realize he's been in the bed all along. Another favorite scene is when Mrs. Eaton meets her husband's lover for the first time. It is in the car afterward that she asks what this woman call's Mr. Eaton.

The only disappointment is the superficial way the film treats marriage. No children are involved in this marriage and it only deals with how the husband and wife consider their lives. It tries to make a case for divorce and treats the subject far too lightly.

It's not nearly as much fun as "The Long, Hot Summer", but how could it be when it's loosely based on an O'Hara novel (which means that it has to be turgid, self-important trash). But it's still fun. In some ways it's even more enjoyable to see how they've butchered O'Hara's novel, since they leave out more than half of it and cast Newman as a sort of hero (damaged by personal tragedy), instead of having him be a contemptible loser (as he was in the book). There are a lot of these late 50's to early 60's movies that were based on "organization men" stories from the 50's ("Cash McCall", "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit", and "From the Terrace" being those that pop to mind), and every one of the movies mangled the books. Interestingly, I think that the one that was closest to the book, TMitGF, was by far the worst movie. It's odd on reflection how similar these books are, and how randomly different the movies are. I don't know if all of the writers suffered from existential nausea or if it was just that this sort of thing sold books, but I never saw it get to the screen.

that a man is promoted by saving wealth financiers (MacHardie's) grandson from drowning in a Delaware pond, then the film is watchable. Almost.

Joanne Woodward is too shrill, and I guess given this edge to demonstrate her ability to act the villain, a cheating wife married to all American Paul Newman, a man on his way up the corporate ladder. The actor who portrays Creighton Duffy is noteworthy, a corporate weasel if ever there was one.

The part Myrna Loy has is a thankless one, Newman returned from the war ready to make his mark on the world. The clichés abound, as the story evolves into workaholic, failed enterprise, meddling in-laws and faithless wife. Woodward's costumes are noteworthy, and there are a few cameos (George Grizzard and Barbara Eden) worth noting.

Overall worth watching as a curiosity of the times. 7/10.

"From The Terrace" is a nice, though long and cliched drama. Like many dramatic films of the late 50s and early 60s, it thrived on issues related to class, family duty, sexual frustration, honesty (most importantly, towards oneself), and wealth and ambition as the literal poison/obstacle to attain true love.

In many ways, while watching this, I found myself comparing it in my mind to other more successful, and perhaps better achieved films of its time like Robson's own "Peyton Place" (1957), Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life" (1959) and "All That Heaven Allows" (1955), and one of my personal favourites, the British masterpiece, "Room at the Top" (1959). Firstly, it seemed to me that the film was trying to replicate the aesthetics (in looks, scenery, colour, glamour, and even, music) of other melodramas, particularly Sirk's. Not to diminish Robson as a director at all, but there was something rather uninventive and shallow in his stylistic choices. Even Joanne Woodward (who I hugely admire), as Mary St. John, seemed a bit off in her looks to me - sort of like a bad imitation of Lana Turner. Ultimately, the film failed in its ability to fully grasp me, emotionally speaking.

Secondly, the film felt a bit too long; I even wondered at some point if it had needed some extra editing before its release. However, perhaps the screenplay in itself wasn't too exciting and rich to begin with. This realisation is what led me to compare it to "Room at the Top", as both films dealt with similar themes around young men trying to make something of themselves, and wealth and ambition getting in their way of love and happiness. "Terrace" however, falls quite short of depth and viability that "Top" had, particularly for a 144-min long film.

Don't get me wrong, though. There are very rewarding things in this film. I particularly enjoyed the work of Paul Newman, Ina Balin, and (oh what a joy!) Myrna Loy (even if her appearances in the film are rather brief). There are also a lot of "soapy"/over the top scenes as well, which are not only amusing, but also display the great skill of the cast at immersing themselves in their characters and completely pulling it off. Notably, I highlight Woodward's aptitude for portraying the sexually repressed and slutty nature of Ms. St. John, and I found myself oddly fascinated and attracted to Paul Newman's convincing role as an angry/fearless/hard-working young man (of course, very well-known territory for him).

Do give "From the Terrace" a chance if you like dramatic films from this era, but as I have made it clear above, I don't think it will seduce/move you as much as other similar films of the time. It has an amazing cast, it is well performed, decently executed, but the emotional power that it aims to convey, simply isn't there. Blame it on the lengthy novel that this is based on, the director's stylistic choices, or the film's overall banality, but never on the amazing talented cast.

As a youngster, I saw Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in person, a few years after they finished this picture, in New York. They were appearing on Broadway in a comedy called "Baby Want A Kiss," and I was passing by Sardi's on 44th Street, I believe. First to come out was drop dead gorgeous Joanne, still wearing her FROM THE TERRACE hairstyle (shoulder-length pageboy flip) & dark movie star sunglasses, accompanied by two men in suits. She ignored the crowd who screamed, "Joanne, over here!" "Hi, Joanne!" Next, Paul Newman came out (two suited men on either side) as he held a cocktail glass in his hand. Obviously on his fourth or fifth drink, he looked like Alfred Eaton in TERRACE. But, unlike Joanne, he smiled and flashed the bluest eyes I've ever seen! He even toasted the screaming crowd. Women AND men were fainting unashamedly.

Personally, I loved FROM THE TERRACE. I was just fascinated by all the glamour, wealth, sex, adultery and sheer drama (especially between Leon Ames (Paul's father) and Newman.

Joanne as Mary St. John was a stone nympho, similar to Susanne Pleshette's over-sexed character in another John O'Hara book-to-film, A RAGE TO LIVE.

It was just a joy to see Woodward wear all those fabulous clothes and look spectacular in those hairdos and 60's makeup (it was all in the eyes!) After getting propositioned on the dance floor, Mary rebuked the man who knew "all about her..." donned a tremendously long white satin coat and "floated" like a regal queen to the limo (hair in a French Roll and a tiara!) Gorgeous.

Yes, she was an adulteress, but what was a "hungry" girl like her to do when her husband didn't want to touch her?

In this story from 20th Century Fox about a young man returning from his tour of duty after WWII and then working to climb to the top of the ladder with a top New York business firm, Paul Newman, his wife Joanne Woodward, and Ina Balin seem to perform great acting feats. In a sentence, the story is about, again, an ex-soldier, David Alfred Eaton, trying to make it to the top in the business world, but is mistreated by his boisterous, arrogant father Samuel Eaton (and Leon Ames does a good acting job here in that role) and has a rocky marriage with his sometimes hostile wife, (played by his real-life wife Joanne Woodward,)and then finds warm love in the young lady Natalie Benzinger, played by Balin. The time setting is from 1946 to the early '50's, and NYC has that look in the movie. Myrna Loy does a good acting job as Martha Eaton, David's drunk mother. In the story, while David Eaton is, again, at odds with his wife, and simultaneously does find warmth and love in another woman, you're lead to believe that while infidelity is not to be defended, neither is hostility in marriage. It does end on a warm note, and the cast lends much to it being a great dramatic feat.

Beautiful photography. Breathtaking scenes. A wonderful follow up to the Young Philadelphia. Ina Balin is a perfect casting opposite P.N. Bask in the wonderful acting of mrs. Woodward and her gorgeous 1960 wardrobe. Do not listen to the critics who do not see. A real treat.

In the mid-'50s, John O'Hara's novels were made into big movies in Hollywood, with mostly mediocre results: "Butterfield 8," "The Best Things in Life are Free," "Ten North Frederick," "View from the Terrace," and in the '60s, "A Rage to Live." His books were perfect for Hollywood: Plenty of sex, infidelity, and money. The film versions very often were vehicles for newer stars such as Suzy Parker and Suzanne Pleshette. In the case of "From the Terrace," the script benefited from having Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the leads. Unfortunately, it didn't help.

One problem with "From the Terrace" is an uncertainty on the part of the viewer as to what the story is about. It starts off with a young man returning from the service to find his mother a hopeless alcoholic (what amounted to a bit part by Myrna Loy) who has a boyfriend on the side, and a father who loved his dead son more. Oh, it's the story of a dysfunctional family, a sort of '50s "Ordinary People." A family drama of a man fighting for his father's love and his mother's salvation. Then they disappear. He meets a socialite not in his class. She's engaged to someone else. Ah, the story of a man and woman fighting her parents and class as she marries beneath her. Then the father approves the marriage. Our hero goes into the airplane business. Ah, a story of a man making good through entrepreneurship in post-war America and becoming a success despite his father's low opinion of him. Then he leaves that partnership.

And so it goes until we get to the point - he's married to the wrong woman, he spends to much time building his career after he saves the boss' grandson from an icy death, his wife cheats on him, and he meets the woman he should have married.

It's all too long, too disjointed, and too boring. Watch until you see adorable Barbara Eden throw herself at Newman at a party (it's near the beginning), and then turn it off.