All great filmmakers aspire to be free from the constraints of drama; they dream of making a film without progression, without psychology, in which the spectators' interest would be aroused by means other than changes of place and time, the cleverness of the dialogue, or the characters' comings and goings. Un Condamné à Mort s'est échappé (A Man Escaped), Lola Montès, Woman on the Beach, and Rear Window all achieve a considerable amount in this tricky game, each one in its own way.

In Baby Doll, Kazan has succeeded almost completely, by means of a style of direction that is unique, in making this sort of film, while simultaneously mocking the emotions that are portrayed and analyzed in conventional films.

What bothers Kazan, what he cannot seem to manage, are the transition scenes involving several characters. In Baby Doll he succeeds in dodging them except at the beginning...