Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier
Lady Torrance
Carol Cutrere
Jabe Torrance
Vee Talbot
Sheriff Jordan Talbott
Uncle Pleasant, the Conjure Man
Ruby Lightfoot
Dolly Hamma
Beulah Binnings
Val is a young "party gigalo" that is sick of his life after having to pawn his most prized possession. His guitar given him by the "great blues player "Lead Belly". The movies opening scene is showing Val in jail going before a judge that's just not pleased to see his type. After Val promises to leave town imeadietly the judge releases him. He drives until his car quits in a rainstorm. He pushes the car to a place with the only light on in town, it being really late in the night. A jail. There he's befriended by the local sherrif's wife.A woman who has been abused by her husband. He is not pleased to see " Val's kind" in his house/ jail. The nice wife introduces Val to the local general store owner. She offers him a job while her husband is in the hospital. Against Val's better judgement he takes the job. They fall in love and that's when the movie gets heated up. Don't miss this gem.One of Marlon's best. A Tennessee Williams story. Joanne Woodward is excellent as a easy going barfly/flirt.
<em>'The Fugitive Kind'</em> is just a bit too slow for me, I almost did enjoy it mind you. Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani are the stars and I did buy into their relationship by the conclusion; which, by the way, goes from 0 to 60 real quick! It is a solid ending though. What precedes just meanders a little too much, for my liking at least. There were periods where I was locked on to events onscreen, though the down moments were quite noticeable too, unfortunately, and when all is said and done the latter probably outweighs the former.
