Summer and Smoke (1961) review

Bacteriologist John Buchanan, Jr. (Laurence Harvey) returns home to his small town in Mississippi where he spends some time with meek singing instructor Alma Winemiller (Geraldine Page), who has been infatuated with him since they were children, but John's preoccupied with drinking and gambling with free-spirited Rosa Zacharias (Rita Moreno), which makes Alma very jealous.  The Tennessee Williams play this was adapted from is included in the late, great literary critic Harold Bloom's Western Canon and contains a many of his trademark elements - a domineering father, a mentally-broken mother, an emotionally-fragile young lady, a hedonistic male, etc. - except the treatment here is less-than-optimal: several critics have complained about miscasting either (or both) of the lead roles, but to me Glenville's handling of the material is most suspect, as he not only neuters the source but provides little-to-no creativity in his direction.  At the conclusion, the audience is supposed to believe that Alma, who believes in the "soul," and Buchanan, who is fixated on the physical world, have "switched" philosophical positions ... and yet he weds schoolgirl Nellie Ewell (Pamela Tiffin).  At least Alma's granted the possibility of excitement with traveling salesman Archie (Earl Holliman) ... which could be fine or fail completely.