Steinesongo
Too many fans seem to be blown away
CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Richie-67-485852
First you get Paul Newman who just owns screen time and rightfully so. then, a decent supporting cast making the movie gel and a soap-opera type story is upon you with all the ingredients that keep you interested. The perception that attorneys are all-knowing, all-powerful and rule their worlds is let loose here and each attorney handles if differently. Rich old people who have no life but put on airs that they do abound in this movie. When watching this you get your time and monies worth even though it shamefully feeds your dream-life and imaginations. The scenes are not drawn-out except in a couple of place otherwise the movie moves along and covers quite a bit of ground. High society, hypocrisy, power, love affairs, drinking, socializing, law, courtroom drama, war, orphan issues, mom, dad, ups and downs all resulting in ....
jack-reddan
Thoroughly enjoyed this winding romance, war, courtroom, university drama. Newman is a heartbroken hero whose inner goodness is distorted by ambition. Fortunately in 1959 happy endings still existed. Great flick
edwagreen
Paul Newman at his best in this 1959 film dealing with a young lawyer's climb to the top and the woman who abandoned him for family considerations-he wasn't part of their social circle.After achieving social status, Newman discovers who his father really is, as he is becoming involved in defending a friend accused of murder.Barbara Rush is very good as the war widow who knew she made a mistake in spurning Paul and Robert Vaughn turned in an Oscar nominated supporting performance as the friend, who lost an arm in battle and came home as an alcoholic, accused of murder, he is being written off by this family. You feel Vaughn's torment, especially in the prison scenes. In a year that Hugh Griffith copped the coveted Oscar for "Ben-Hur," consideration certainly should have been given to Vaughn, if not Ed Wynn's memorable characterization in "The Diary of Anne Frank."Billie Burke, as the wealthy dowager looking to save on her taxes, was phenomenal here. With that high-pitched voice, I thought I was back with her 19 years before when she portrayed Glinda, the good witch, in "The Wizard of Oz."This film of love, social status and family intrigue, is quiet good.
robb_772
It has commonly been said that full-fledged soap opera can never be a real work of art, but this excellent film proves to be a glorious exception to that rule. Director Vincent Sherman's luminous film adaptation of author Richard Powell's best-seller THE PHILADELPHIANS manages to tell the story of at least two generations in a single picture without ever feeling cramped, forced, or haphazard. The film's story line that begins as a romance, evolves into an underdog business story, and ends as a courtroom drama, and Sherman impressively manages to take all of these various story threads and create a completely coherent motion picture that never feels disjointed or episodic. Sherman also keeps things movie at a remarkably brisk pace – the film never feels even half as long as it's 136-minute runtime. The entire cast turns in superlative work, with Newman being particular well-suited to his role as a good-natured-but-flawed lawyer (he would return to this type of role with even better results in the 1982 classic THE VERDICT). Barbara Rush, Brian Keith, Dianne Brewster, Billie Burke, and Robert Vaughn are all excellent, and Alexis Smith is particularly memorable as sexy socialite. Speaking of sex, the film retains a surprisingly sensual aura throughout, which helps to keep it from aging for modern audiences. Inexplicably forgotten by many classic film fans, THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS is a moving, compelling motion picture that holds up remarkably well nearly fifty years after it's original release.
