Oh poor sweet Natalie, if only you knew the misery you’re in for!

A brilliant film starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood, Splendour in the grass follows the teen romance of Beatty and Wood and its eventual breakdown with Natalie ending up in a mental hospital (Ok I did think that was a bit over the top, but if you accept that Natalie was maybe a bit disturbed to begin with it makes sense).

The film attacks the age-old question of teen girls “going to third base” and boys dumping them for girls who will. It offers few solutions and is probably summed up by the boys doctor who says “I can’t really advise you on that”.

My only criticism is probably that in contemporary times the film is somewhat confusing as it constantly alludes to people having sex, which is fine because the censorship of the time would have expected it to only allude, but it gets a bit difficult in 2013 to work out exactly who is and isn’t actually doing it in the film.  Lots of fades to black and subtle hints, possibly if I was a girl in the sixties some of the whisphery meanings might have been a bit more apparent!

With this very issue being of prime importance to the narrative, the confusion creeps in. The characters do make blunt statements about who did what eventually which helps, but along the way you are left guessing sometimes. Which leads me to wonder whether the director deliberately left such matters ambiguous to make us feel just like the confused teenagers the film portrays.

If you liked Rebel Without A Cause you’ll love this one.