Marjorie Morningstar

Although merely a slice from Herman Wouk's doorstopper, this glossy soap opera certainly has its merits. Wood is very persuasive as the New York Jewish princess who longs to escape the dull conformity of her privileged background, and thinks she's on to bohemian gold in Kelly's songwriter/dancer/director when romance strikes at a lakeside summer resort. The film goes easier than the novel on anti-semitism in bourgeois American society, instead following the theme of expectation and disappointment. But Kelly's telling contribution as the talented yet troubled Noel Airman, whose gnawing insecurity that he might not be the genius he so obviously wants to be, resonates strongly with the star's own well-documented neuroses. The switchback from arrogance to vulnerability feels open and authentic in a way Kelly rarely displayed in his musical work, making it easily his most under-rated performance.