Mourning Becomes Electra is a 1947 American drama film by Dudley Nichols adapted from the 1931 Eugene O'Neill play Mourning Becomes Electra. The film stars Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Raymond Massey, Katina Paxinou, Leo Genn and Kirk Douglas. Michael Redgrave was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Rosalind Russell for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Originally released by RKO Radio Pictures at nearly three hours running time, it was eventually cut to 105 minutes after it performed poorly at the box office and won no Oscars. Though the complete version appears to be lost, the British cut, running 159 minutes, survives and is available on DVD and shown on Turner Classic Movies. An Oscar upset occurred in connection with the film. All who saw it had taken it for granted that Rosalind Russell would win for her performance as Lavinia, to the point that Russell actually began to rise from her seat just before the winner's name was called. However, it was Loretta Young, and not Russell, who was named Best Actress, for her performance in The Farmer's Daughter. The film recorded a loss of $2,310,000, making it one of RKO's biggest financial disasters.
Plot
A wealthy New England family, the Mannons, await the return of patriarch Ezra, general for the Union army, and son Orin, a timid young man before becoming an Army officer at the end of the Civil War. Lavinia, who adores her father, is shocked to see her mother, Christine, kissing another man. Worse yet, the man is sea captain Adam Brant, someone whom Lavinia has long fancied herself, even though her childhood friend Peter Niles has been courting her. Lavinia learns from Seth, a family servant, that Adam is actually a blood relative, a son of Lavinia's uncle. When she confronts her mother, Lavinia learns to her astonishment that Christine is completely aware of the family relationship, and has hated Ezra since the day she married him. Adam has hidden motives as well. He hates the Mannons for the way they treated his mother, who is now deceased. He is seeking revenge by toying with Christine's affections. But when she comes to him with a plot to kill Ezra by poisoning him, Adam is reluctant to go that far with his scheme. Ezra returns home. His harrowing experiences during the war have persuaded him to try for a closer relationship with his wife. Christine is thrown by this, but elects to proceed with her plan to kill him. Ezra does indeed die, but Lavinia comes into possession of the pills that her mother used to poison him. One tragedy follows another. Orin decides to shoot Adam for what he's done. Christine commits suicide. Lavinia decides to marry Peter after all, but his sister Hazel discloses that her family has all but disowned Peter for having anything to do with the Mannons. Orin is riddled with guilt and kills himself as well. All is lost for Lavinia, who has Seth nail shut the shutters of the windows to their home, locking herself away from the world forever.
