Something Wild

An offbeat, oddly moving film in which Carroll Baker plays a young victim of rape. Although the crime goes unnamed in this 1961 movie, the pain and anguish suffered by Baker's character, Mary Ann, are candidly as well as sensitively handled. And while the film can only hint at Mary Ann's thoughts (unlike the book on which it was based), Baker gives a touching performance as the victim who tries to deny the crime by erasing all physical traces of it, and then seeking to lose herself in the jungle of New York City, only to find herself trapped in the apartment of a supposed Good Samaritan played by Ralph Meeker. The film's second half is weakened by the sketchiness of the characters' motivations, but the actors help to fill in the gaps. Legendary American composer Aaron Copland has added a grand (perhaps too grand) musical score; Eugen Schüfftan's crisp black & white cinematography and the extensive use of New York City locations add to this drama. Directed by Jack Garfein (Baker's then-husband), who co-wrote the script with Alex Karmel, author of the 1958 novel "Mary Ann."