The Sound and the Fury, 1959

This is not a Cinderella story, unless you take into consideration that Quentin Compson, the young lady who lives in a house with her awful step-mother, needs saving. There is a hero who saves her, but she can’t see him as a prince. She only sees that he makes her follow rules when she wants freedom. He makes her finish school when she wants to quit. He makes her socialize with nice ladies so she’ll have practice using her manners.

The once-proud Compsons now struggle financially and emotionally under new leadership. They moan for days long gone and don’t see any hope for the future. Quentin grows up under the supervision of the new man of the house, Jason Compson, who isn’t remotely related to her, but lives there with his mother, the girl’s stepmother. Since Quentin’s dad passed away, she’s been taken care of, but now she’s old enough to date and wants more freedom. When she finds herself an admirer, even that is off-limits.

Yul Brynner plays Jason Compson with controlled passion. He just stands in the room, and you see his emotion. He is patient with the uncontrollable young girl. When she finds out why he’s protective of her, that changes everything.

Joanne Woodward did a great job as Quentin Compson, and even though she was pregnant at the time, I never noticed. Jack Warden played Ben Compson, the slow one of the family. His performance added to the drama.