Five Finger Exercise

Tensions run high in the Harrington household when a German tutor with secrets of his own is brought in and disrupts the balance. Mom's a poseur, Dad's crass and middle-class, sonny boy has mother (and tutor) issues and daughter is a breath of fresh air, wise beyond her years.

A solid hit in London and New York, directed in both cities by John Gielgud. Rosalind Russell and hubby were so impressed that they acquired the film rights as a vehicle for her. 50 years has tamed some of the more controversial elements of the play, such as the latent homosexuality and incest. However, as a representation of`""the theme of individual isolation and struggle for communication", the play still has a bit of heft. I wouldn't mind seeing a good amateur production. Pasolini's film Teorema deals more explicitly with the same basic setup: a foreign interloper compels the members of a dysfunctional family to confront their various pathologies, primarily sexual.

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