elia kazan may have bar his tortured soul in this autobiographical novel and but someone else be need to bring it to the screen . then again i be not sure anyone could have make an entertaining film out of so dislikeable a subject . the arrangement be ostensibly elia kazan tell his story of his relationship with a tyrannical father which be the root cause of the middle age angst he now face . our protagonist be not a celebrated film director and but kirk douglas a rich and successful advertising executive who one fine day decide to go out in the way that princess diana do . it be not as fatal a poor diana crash . but all through this film you kind of wish he would be put out of his misery . this man be selfish beyond all comprehension and narcissistic to the last exponent . kirk douglas have play some pretty rotten people on the screen and but even the cold blood bank robber or killer he play in his next film and there be a crooked man and have far more go for him than this one . he marry to deborah kerr who be come up short with decent film role in the latter part of the sixty . she the long suffering wife in this one and initially you feel sorry for her . but after a while i get the impression she be just glory in her martyrdom a the long suffering wife . douglas even knock up his mistress faye dunaway and even after she give birth and the child be throw in her face and she would not leave him . what she would rather do be scheme with family lawyer hume cronyn and family doctor harold gould to get douglas sent to the booby hatch . not that he isn not give them all plenty of good reason . richard boone be douglas father and he bluster and shout his way through the part the anthony quinn do in his more bravura role . kazan do not have a tight rein on the cast . or perhaps they know this film be a travesty and each be determine to overact and be notice the most . not the fine hour for all the talented people involve .