Main Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shirley MacLaine, Edmon Ryan, Elisabeth Fraser, Eddie Firestone
Release Year: 1962
Country: US
Run Time: 119 minutes
Plot
Based on the two-character play by William Gibson, Two for the Seesaw was unnecessarily expanded for the film version. Robert Mitchum plays an Omaha businessman, newly arrived in New York. Though unhappily married, Mitchum is averse to asking for a divorce. This state of affairs gets dicey when Mitchum falls in love with Bronx-born professional dancer Shirley MacLaine. Once he does get a divorce, Mitchum, nervous about making any new commitments, fails to tell MacLaine. Though they remain fond of one another, Mitchum and MacLaine finally realize that any future relationship will do more harm than good for both of them. The original Broadway production of Two for the Seesaw starred Henry Fonda and Anne Bancroft; by the time the film was made, Fonda was feuding with playwright Gibson and Bancroft was filming The Miracle Worker, so Mitchum and MacLaine were substituted. She is ideally suited to her role, but he seems ill at ease playing an indecisive jerk. Two for the Seesaw is at its best when concentrating on the minimalist text of the original play; the inclusion of secondary characters and location photography adds little to the project. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
On stage, "two-handers" -- plays featuring only two actors -- can be enormously entertaining and compelling, allowing performers the chance to dig under the skin of their characters and treat the audience to an intimate experience that has a special reality of its own. Unfortunately, it's difficult to make these kinds of plays work as well on film. The artifice that is often necessary to create an intended impression onstage comes across as mere fakery onscreen, and carefully delineated plots may all of a sudden seem too schematic and planned. Even dialogue suffers, as the intense visual scrutiny of the camera gives the viewer information he doesn't get onstage, so that the dialogue becomes too expository or stilted or stiff. Two for the Seesaw suffers from all of these problems, although it is ultimately redeemed by the basic warmth and appeal of its story and by Shirley MacLaine's sweet, vulnerable performance. Robert Mitchum doesn't come off as well, partially because the role doesn't call on the qualities that suit him best and partially because the role is not as well written as MacLaine's. Robert Wise's direction is smooth, even if it's not able to overcome the artificiality that dampens the film, and Ted McCord's photography is on-the-money. Too stagey even though opened up, Seesaw still makes for a decently enjoyable viewing experience. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
