NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

IncaWelCar In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

dzhaviland This is my favorite movie of this time period and I watch it every time it comes on. I'm a boomer and this movie brings not only the heat and repressed and not so repressed sexuality many reviewers comment on but more importantly, it juxtaposes it with the innocence and naivete that were a part of America, especially small town America through the end of the 70's. Everything from the opening shots of this Midwestern small town, to the house, and especially the Labor day picnic take you back into this time of innocence. The opening sequences are so powerful in evoking that time period that I can smell the marigolds in the garden and feel the warmth of the sun beating down on William Holden's bare chest as he sees Madge for the first time. Even The look on Helen, the elderly neighbors, face when she sees also sees him reminds me that the sense of romance in life, the knight on the white horse that all girls grew up with, is lost in this technological age. Every woman in this movie hungers for romance, with the underlying sexual tension not nearly as important. The sense of wonder and discovery we had then with our first romantic kiss becomes palpable as Madge and he dance. Their bodies barely touching, but like the characters, you can imagine what it will feel like when they finally do touch. I think this is the thing Inge brings to all his works, never more evident than in this movie and in Splendor in the Grass, this sense of innocence and naivete, romance and our yearning for it, head to head with the realities of what happens to the innocence if romance leads unbridled. But Inge always leaves us unafraid of the romance, even if it leads to the worst, you would never trade one moment of that feeling, even if you knew what was ahead. Watch this movie, it does not disappoint.

atlasmb The William Inge play upon which the film is based was a biting look at the prejudicial and insular communities of small-town America. In out-of-town runs, Joshua Logan (who directed both play and film) discerned that audiences preferred a more positive viewpoint, resulting in the story we see on screen. Logan also opened up the play's one set to include the entire community very effectively, better than most stage-to-film productions.This may be my favorite film of all time. There is so much to like, from the script to the acting, from the music to the editing.With the changes made by Logan, Picnic is--at its heart--a love story. William Holden plays Hal Carter, a young man who drifts into a small Kansas town and meets Madge Owens (Kim Novak), the beautiful daughter of a woman who is grooming her for marriage to a young man from a well to do family. Madge feels trapped by the expectations of her mother and the entire town, a victim of her own beauty.Holden plays Hal as someone who is desperate. He feels time passing him by. With no prospects on the horizon, he blows into town to see his old college buddy, Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson), hoping to find a job. Hal has a chip on his shoulder and projects a façade of confidence that is easy to see through.Madge is desperate in her own way. She wants to establish her own identity, but she is playing a role proscribed for her by the town. As queen of the annual fall festival, she is a virginal offering to the gods of propriety and tradition.All of the actors in this film do tremendous jobs. I must single out Rosalind Russell who plays Miss Rosemary Sydney, a middle-aged school teacher who boards in the Owens household. She too is desperate, feeling doomed to live the remainder of her life without fulfilling her dreams of marriage with all its trappings. Like Hal, she puts on a brave front, but the film's narrative brings her to a point where she is stripped of pretensions and the viewer sees and feels her desperation. I always wondered why Russell did not receive the Academy Award for this multi-leveled, gut-wrenching performance. Then I read that she was upset that she was not billed as the female lead. After years of top billing and box office success, she was billed below Kim Novak--a relative newcomer. So, she asked that she not be considered for Best Supporting Actress. This is one of her best performances.Picnic gives us so many memorable scenes--from the scenes of the fall festival, to the dancing scene between Holden and Novak, to the final scene of the film. Some of the best scenes take place in the plot of grass that lies between the back of the Owens house and the alley that borders the backyards. When Hal first arrives in town, broke and travel-weary, he walks down that alley and observes another world, where families live and interact, where there is a sense of belonging. He knows that if he can make his way from the outside world represented by the alley to the inside world represented by the back steps of the houses, he might gain access to another world, with its vague promise of a better life.As a young man looking to find his place in life, Holden's portrayal of Hal deserves to be elevated to iconic status, along with the rebels of Brando and Dean.

horsedreamer-486-936009 Top rating of the film with one major flaw. This film was originally released in anamorphic (widescreen) and 4 track stereo. All of the DVD releases use pan-scan, which in today's world is ludicrous. You can view the widescreen on Netflix watch instantly when it is available, but if you buy or rent it in it's currently available versions, you get only half of the incredible cinematography. Why would they destroy such a wonderful film? I believe that in order to experience a film of this stature, one should at least be able to see all of what Joshua Logan intended. Aspect ratios aside, this film is a remarkable experience, especially the soundtrack by George Duning. Novak is perfect for the role, and to be realistic William Holden is a bit old for the role of Hal. The subplot romance between Rosalind Russell and Arthur O'Connell just about steals the show. James Wong Howe's spectacular cinematography is the final touch to a really great Hollywood version of the Broadway play. Dated, yes, but still beautiful.

Claudio Carvalho The drifter Hal Carter (William Holden) hitchhikes by train to a small town to visit the college friend Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson), who is the son of the industrialist Mr. Benson (Raymond Bailey) that is the wealthiest person in town.Hal asks for a small job to Ms. Helen Potts (Verna Felton) and the old lady feels affection for him and tells that nobody works in the Labor Day. She gives a breakfast to Hal and he meets her next door neighbor, the gorgeous Marjorie "Madge" Owens (Kim Novak) that is Alan's girlfriend. Then Hal is welcomed by Alan that invites him to go to the local picnic with Madge's younger sister Millie Owens (Susan Strasberg). Hal is a braggart, but attractive and gentle, and he becomes successful with the local girls. However, he falls in love with Madge and Alan feels betrayed by his best friend."Picnic" is a dated and not believable romance, but also delightful to see. I saw this film for the first day on VHS on 29 January 2003 and in that occasion I liked it more than now. I have just seen this film again on DVD and I found the thirty-seven year old William Holden absolutely miscast in the role of a youngster of twenty and something years old. When the spinster Rosemary (Rosalind Russell) has an argument with Hal and asks him to look himself in the mirror, William Holden is already an older man and the scene loses the impact. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Férias de Amor" ("Vacation of Love")