Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Men (1950)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Even in his first movie, Brando's ability to transcend mediocre material is very much in evidence. The Men, a ward full of war veteran paraplegics under the stern but loving care of Doctor Everett Sloane, struggle to come to terms with their predicament, hoping eventually to exchange their own tough bonhomie for the world outside. Although Stanley Kramer's typically soapy production focuses attention on Brando's tempestuous relationship (wrecked by his feelings of shame and inadequacy) with devoted fiancée Teresa Wright (all syrupy sincerity), the film timidly skirts problems of sexual frustration and impotence. It also almost totally ignores the cause of the paraplegics' disabilities: not one of them ever expresses regret at having ruined life and limb for Uncle Sam. Despite the worthy wetness, however, young Marlon manages to sidestep sentimentality; even confined to a wheelchair, the raw power underlying his controlled gestures and brooding glances is charismatic.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Producer: Stanley Kramer
Cast: Marlon Brando, Teresa Wright, Everett Sloane, Jack Webb, Richard Erdman, Howard St John full cast
Duration: 85 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Review: Penélope Cruz more raunchy than ever in 'Nine'
Dave Calhoun reports on Rob Marshall's Oscar-touted musical with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a troubled director
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now