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Lost 'Diamond'
(by Stacey Rynders - January 20, 2010)
Tennessee Williams’ only original drama written in 1957 specifically for the silver screen has been produced. Unfortunately, the St. Louis debut of The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond was canceled two weeks prior to its release.
Perhaps the small indie film has been lost in the onslaught of strategic releases seeking Oscar nods. Or, it could be that the production company misjudged the appeal of Tennessee Williams’ work to St. Louisans. Regardless, it appears at this time that your best bet to catch this little gem of a film is to watch for its DVD release.
Among the most prolific and successful playwrights of the 20th century, Williams is also well known for his contributions to cinema. During his mid-century heyday, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Williams adapted 17 plays into screenplays, of which many rank among film’s great classics, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, Splendor in the Grass and Suddenly, Last Summer. In both theater and cinema, Williams’ work remains highly acclaimed and occasionally controversial.
Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Mississippi in 1911 but relocated to University City when he was 7. His father was a hard-drinking traveling salesman and his mother was prone to psychiatric problems. While an inspiration for much of his work, Williams’ time in St. Louis was tumultuous. It is estimated that he lived in more than 29 residences in the city. A University High School graduate, Williams started publishing stories at age 16 and went on to begin studies at the University of Missouri, then Washington University before finishing his diploma at the University of Iowa.
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond was written during Williams’ heyday and recently rediscovered by stage actress and director Jodie Markell. With only one reference in a New York Times article and one in his journal, a small mystery resides around the script and why it was never produced.
Markell’s The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is enlivened with a cast adept at both the stage and film. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the leading heroine Fisher Willow, a Southern heir to two fortunes with a father much despised by Memphis locals. Having spent considerable time studying in Europe and frequenting international artist salons, Fisher is quite out of place among the stuffy traditionalism of the 1920s South.
In a rebellious effort, Fisher dresses up handsome Jimmy Dobyne (Chris Evans) to be her escort to the parties of the season. Jimmy already works for Fisher’s family and heralds from a once-regarded family that has fallen into a significantly less affluent position.
This strictly business relationship between Fisher and Jimmy inspires deeper emotions as the summer progresses. Yet, both are too stubborn to admit their interest in maintaining their tempestuous relationship. The story crescendos at a Halloween party at which Fisher loses one of her aunt’s teardrop diamond earrings, worth $10,000.
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is, like most of Williams’ plays, character driven. But the characters are the highlight of the film and add to Williams’ legacy of characters – genuine, flawed and complex.
Howard brings stunning empathy to her role as Fisher, a young woman lost between traditional expectations and her own disinterest in conformity. Likewise, Evans approaches his role as Jimmy with an equal authenticity depicting a proud man aware of his own intelligence and duty and divided between defining his own path and his parental role within his family.
The delight of Williams’ play is that both Fisher and Jimmy are characters that are revealed piece by piece, not in the expeditious style of many films. With the focus less on the plot, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is more like an evening out getting to know new friends.
Markell’s efforts are to be congratulated. The film has the authenticity of a Williams production, but at rare moments dapples in more theatrical effects, which is distracting and unbecoming of the film. Plus, the film spends long periods in one setting, which also harkens to a theater tradition and can be distracting to modern audiences used to more scenic variety.
Despite its playhouse influence, it cannot be lost on audiences that this screenplay was written in the late 1950s before many of our modern-day innovations in film were commonplace. As a Williams devotee, Markell does bring a genuine flavor of the writer’s style and legacy. As a result, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond is a gem, especially the characters themselves.
Watch for this title to arrive on Netflix. It’s worth the wait.
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