Five Finger Exercise
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Daniel Mann
Rosalind Russell
Jack Hawkins
Maximilian Schell
Richard Beymer
Annette Gorman
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The Harrington family is spending the summer at a beachhouse in Carmel, California. Louise Harrington is a domineering and overly culture-conscious woman who feels she has married beneath herself. Her husband, Stanley, is an intolerant, self-made furniture manufacturer who has allowed his wife complete authority in the upbringing of their two children. Young Philip, a sensitive Harvard student, is confused, semi-emasculated, and uncertain of both himself and his future. Fifteen-year-old Pamela is a frivolous child controlled by her adolescent impulses. Into their lives comes Walter, a young German whom Louise has hired as a tutor for Pamela. He has fled his home because of a brutal Nazi father; lonely, shy, and desperately in need of family love, he serves as the catalyst to unleash the hidden tensions in the family. To Stanley, Walter is one more of Louise's ridiculous affectations; to Philip, he is a much-needed friend and advisor who can save him from his mother's stifling love; to Pamela, he is a symbol of love; and to Louise, he is a potential lover. Walter's efforts to become a member of the family end in a violent domestic crisis. His attentions to Louise are misunderstood by father and son as adulterous; his "rescue" of Pamela when she swims out too far embarrasses and alienates the girl; and his confession to Louise that he regards her as a mother is met with a chilling silence. As a result he is dismissed and ordered to leave. Not knowing how he has failed to win the family's love, he attempts suicide. The drastic action awakens the Harringtons to a sudden realization of their individual selfishness and, once Walter has gone, they make an effort to repair their shattered family life.
Director
Daniel Mann
Cast
Rosalind Russell
Jack Hawkins
Maximilian Schell
Richard Beymer
Annette Gorman
Lana Wood
Terry Huntingdon
William Quinn
Kathy West
Valora Noland
Mary Benoit
Jeannine Riley
Karen Parker
Bart Conrad
Todd Armstrong
Crew
Ross Bellah
Frederick Brisson
James Z. Flaster
Frances Goodrich
Albert Hackett
Gene Hibbs
William Kiernan
Ben Lane
William A. Lyon
Jerome Moross
Orry-kelly
Charles J. Rice
R. Robert Rosenbaum
Harry Stradling
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
When Rosalind Russell is in a record store, there is a record cover behind her - it's "Auntie Mame".
Notes
Armstrong's appearance in the film is unconfirmed.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1962
Released in United States 1962
