I had seen clips of this film and the original TV version back in college and never got around to actually watching the whole thing. This may be my favorite Ernest Borgnine performance in anything I have seen him in. It warms my heart that this received so many accolades at the time because, well, it is such a warm film. It is so hard not to love it. That comes from the stellar performances by Borgnine, Betsy Blair, and Esther Minciotti. The world of the film is so mean to Clara, who is cute and not as off or unattractive as the film makes her out to be. Growing up in an Italian American family in New Jersey this film also just read authentic. That comes from the sharp writing of Paddy Chayefsky. The film just feels like when I would be at my aunt and uncle’s house as a child while people cook and yell at each other with love, pride, and stubbornness.
