Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5013738173453
Format: PAL
Number Of Discs: 1
Theatrical Release Date: 1955-10-01

Customer Rating:
Summary: Shallow
Comment: The story depicted in the movie is fairly accurate, except for the trial at the end, but it never goes beneath the surface, never even tries to tell who the three main characters were or why they acted as they did. All we are told is that Harry Thaw was crazy, Stanford White was sort of an innocent victim, and Evelyn Nesbit was pretty. It wasn't enough.

The murder of White is, in my view, the most interesting crime of the 20th century, and this movie turns it into just another killing. The true story had everything: a gorgeous girl, raw sex, lechery, madness, wealth, and jealousy. There are several good books on the subject, and at least one other movie does a better job of telling the story.

As for acting, Joan Collins couldn't and the others didn't. The sets and Cinemascope photography are lush, but they don't make up for the acting and directing flaws.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Girl Swings
Comment: This is a discovery for me.Because of the sensational nature of the case (New York architect Stanford White shot by the husband of White's ex-mistress in 1904), combined with the publicity surrounding Joan Collins,
the quality of the film was overlooked at the time of its release. In fact it is a beautifully made period piece with very good performances. Farley Granger is surprisingly good as the unstable Harry Thaw and there are great supporting actors like Glenda Farrell and Luther Adler. Even Joan Collins is quite adequate in the role of the title role.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: "Shoot the moon!"
Comment: Ripped from a turn-of-the-century scandal, THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING is a fascinating movie starring Joan Collins as Evelyn Nesbit, the young showgirl who found herself at the center of the infamous Thaw/White murder trial.

Evelyn Nesbit (Joan Collins) achieves nationwide fame posing for Charles Dana Gibson (Richard Travis), and later becomes romantically linked with famous architect Stanford White (Ray Milland). Unwilling to create a scandal by divorcing his wife, Stanford instead enrols Evelyn in an exclusive boarding school where Evelyn, heartbroken, suffers a nervous breakdown.

Salvation comes in the form of millionaire playboy Harry Kendall-Thaw (Farley Granger). Seeing no other option, Evelyn reluctantly marries him; but his vicious imagination still believes White to be a competitor for Evelyn's love. Their violent relationship comes to a shocking climax when Thaw murders White on the rooftop of Madison Square Garden; Evelyn is then forced to endure a humiliating trial where her personal character is dragged through the mud.

THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING was originally slated as a musical entitled "The Girl in Pink Tights" and was to have starred Marilyn Monroe as Evelyn Nesbit. When Monroe's casting proved impossible, the premise of the film was changed to a crime drama and Fox starlet Joan Collins landed the plum lead role. Ray Milland offers a keenly-felt performance as Evelyn's fatherly lover White, and shares a great chemistry with Collins. Farley Granger was fabulous at playing unhinged brooding types, and his performance as Thaw is fascinating to watch. The strong cast also includes Cornelia Otis-Skinner, Gale Robbins, Luther Adler and Glenda Farrell. The Edwardian costume and set designs look lush in CinemaScope.

THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING, once one of the rarest movies you could find on home video or cable, looks simply sensational on DVD. Extra features include scene-specific (and virtually non-existent) audio commentary with film historian Aubrey Solomon, image galleries, restoration comparison, and the trailer.

Also available as part of The Joan Collins Superstar Collection (The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing / Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! / The Sea Wife / Seven Thieves / Stopover Tokyo)

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Fox Classic w/ Joan Collins
Comment: I purchased this title seperatly from the Collins Box set since I love the 20th Century Fox Classic Slip Cases They are the best slip cases from any studio! Anyhow I understand one critism with this release it does NOT contain the original mono soundtrack of the film. It contains a stereo track that is nice but usually FOX gives these releases the original mono track. Maybe they had to upgrade it due to poor quality of the surviving mono track MAybe? FOX should have had a bonus feature explaining this if it is the case. This is a rare film that now you an buy isn't but it is a classic and is better than I expected. The restored picture looks vry nice also. the opening titles looked amazing in the cinemascope format.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: very disappointed.
Comment: The pictures in the movie are ok but no sound track (original).It isn't even close to the original. Not worth the price at all. Thanks Roger Seas.
( this is on DVD)

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