What I love about this film, is the fact that it includes a respectful and loving relationship between a black woman and a white man during the apartheid era of racism here in the United States (before the "Freedom Rides," which occurred not long after).I admire Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood (especially), as rising young stars in Hollywood, for taking the chance to be in this type of picture at that time in history.
Anderson's movie is derivative.It looks like lite Douglas Sirk: the spoiled kid sister (played by Susan Kohner who worked with Sirk) is not unlike Marylee (Dorothy Malone) in "Written on the wind" ;besides ,Ruby's funeral will fatally make you think of that of Annie in "Imitation of life" ,a black choir singing "Free at last" replacing Mahalia Jackson.
I remember seeing (and taping) this movie off of Superchannel one night. It was part of a "Natalie Wood Double Feature", and it was followed by "Love With The Proper Stranger", and, being a die-hard fan of her, I wasn't about to pass this one up.
You see the provocative title ALL THE FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS. Then you see the cast; NATALIE WOOD, ROBERT WAGNER, PEARL BAILEY and you think, this one's going to be good !
This is a great movie that allows the viewers to see these stars when they were fresh, hungry, and young. The actors in this movie had to act and not rely on nudity or vulgarity to cover for a lack of talent.
The opening twenty, or so, minutes of this film are ludicrous, and I had to force myself to stay away from the delete button on my DVR. Pretty couple Wagner & Wood unconvincingly play two white-trash Texas teenagers, utilizing some of the worst faux Texas/Southern accents to ever grace (or in this case, disgrace) the screen.
I was amazed that Miguel wrote that the story had no meaning to it!!?? He is gravely mistaken!!
Utterly silly melodrama, adapted by Robert Thom from Rosamond Marshall's book "The Bixby Girls", plays like bad Tennessee Williams. Robert Wagner is alternately sullen and constipated as Texas trumpet-player who finds success in New York City; ex-girlfriend Natalie Wood (Wagner's wife in real-life) winds up there too--she had Wagner's baby while married to George Hamilton--and eventually their paths cross again.
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