Splendor in the Grass

"There is a miracle in being young... and a fear."

1961 2h 4m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 317

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.

“There is a miracle in being young... and a fear.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Natalie Wood
Wilma "Deanie" Loomis
Warren Beatty
Bud Stamper
Pat Hingle
Ace Stamper
Audrey Christie
Mrs. Loomis
Barbara Loden
Ginny Stamper
Zohra Lampert
Angelina
Fred Stewart
Del Loomis
John McGovern
Doc Smiley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: William Inge
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Elia Kazan, shot by Boris Kaufman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Amram. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gene Milford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty and Pat Hingle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There is a miracle in being young... and a fear.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055471 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Elia Kazan directs. Boris Kaufman behind the camera. David Amram scores. Gene Milford cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

165 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Elia Kazan, shot by Boris Kaufman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by David Amram. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Gene Milford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty and Pat Hingle carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "There is a miracle in being young... and a fear.".
7IMDB entry: tt0055471 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Boris Kaufman
Original score: David Amram
Editing: Gene Milford
Production design: Richard Sylbert
Costume design: Anna Hill Johnstone
Makeup / hair: Robert Jiras
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Elia Kazan

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-06-22
★ 7/10
"Bud" (Warren Beatty) is the handsome captain of the American football team at school and has been courting "Deanie" (Natalie Wood) for as long as anyone can remember. So far, they have done little more than kiss - but they expect to, as time goes on. His father (Pat Hingle) is a self-made oil magnate who is determined that his boy is going to aim a lot higher, though, and that might mean Yale and beyond - whether the sceptical "Bud" wants this or not. "Deanie", on the other hand, comes from the more ordinary side of the tracks and her mother (Audrey Christie) has precisely no ambitions for her daughter beyond as advantageous a marrage for her as she can find - and "Bud" will do nicely on that front. His dad genuinely believes that the sun shines from his boy, and perhaps because he has put most of his emotional eggs in that one basket, sister "Ginny" (Barbara Loden) has found her own way to get herself noticed, and consequently has a reputation that "Deanie" is determined to avoid, even though she'd clearly do anything for her "Bud". Then "Ginny" is subject to an appalling attack at a party which unsettles their relationship; there's the Wall Street crash of 1929 which impacts badly on his father and shortly afterwards "Deanie" finds herself in an institution where she encounters student "Johnny" (Charles Robinson) who might offer her some form of psychological salvation. With the reluctant "Bud" unhappily flailing about at university, is there any chance the couple might be reconciled or might things have moved on too much for both of them, now? This benefits from a strong ensemble acting effort across the board and Beatty delivers efficiently here, but for me it is Dingle and Wood who steal the show. The former exudes an almost palpable need for his son to succeed academically in order to legitimise the family's wealth and the latter, well I think this might be as good as Natalie Wood ever gets. Her character vacillates from the happy-go-lucky to the equally desparate with an affecting degree of authenticity. She entirely captures the increasing sense of hoplessness of a young woman bereft of her love and her family but also the determination of her character to climb back out of this mire and to get on with her life stronger and more independent. This is a love story, but not one that sees it's course run straight and smooth and the writing proves just how to tell us a characterful and emotionally charged story without the need for one, single, expletive! There's also an element of a critique of the tendency to institutionalise rather than diagnose and treat mental illnesses and I think it's a testament to Elia Kazan that he has crafted something here that isn't an easy watch at times, but it's well worth a couple of hours.

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