Review of Wild in the Country (1961) by Ashley H — 26 Nov 2011

I do not understand how this one could not have better/more reviews. It's a serious, decent movie that Elvis gave a remarkable performance in as a troubled writer. It's also something of a tragedy, as the initial lukewarm film response is reportedly what destroyed Elvis' dreams of a dramatic acting career. Yes, it's tragedy, because after this came the wretched, silly, horrible films like Harum Scarum, Clambake (*GAG*) and Kissin' Cousins. If only, if only Tom Parker was NOT Elvis' manager...

Wild in the Country is very Tennessee Williams in nature, very unsentimental until Glenn decides he cares for more than maintaining second-rate jobs and constantly running from his problems. The movie was supposed to end in a character suicide, but ultimately a more up-beat version was chosen instead - not sure if that would have added or detracted from the story, but it certainly would have been very interesting.

My only issues with the movie are some of the unusual/strange camera cuts and angles that made the final edit (for example, the added footage of a bear, deer, and raccoon in the beginning was somewhat odd and didn't follow the "flow" of the rest of the film), but that has nothing to do with Elvis' acting and the cuts are pretty minor. A good, albeit unusual Elvis vehicle, 4.5/5.