Wild Is the Wind

George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind is a pulpy melodrama that is wonderfully enjoyable, honestly. Anna Magnani and Anthony Quinn are what you’d expect. They give fire and fire. They fight and yell and chew the scenery like method actors in the 1950s ought to do. Anthony Franciosa is honestly even more wonderful in this. He is a sort of villain here who gives a nuanced, delicate performance that I loved. But of course Magnani and Quinn are the stars and they’re absolutely magnetic. Cukor’s direction leans full into the melodrama. And that song. It’s haunting and great, and there’s a reason it’s still a favorite.