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Based on Alex Karmel's 1958 novel Mary Ann, this is the story of a young woman who is brutally raped while returning to her Bronx home. Unable to tell her repressive parents about her plight, she dramatically rejects her former and now despoiled existence and runs away from home, ending up in New York's seedy Lower East Side. There she rents a room and gets a job at a crummy five-and-dime store. Depressed and desperate, Mary Ann prepares to jump off a bridge into the East River when a passing stranger, a garage mechanic named Mike, rescues her and takes her back to his basement apartment to recover.
What follows is one of the stranger psychological thrillers of the 1960s, and a film that is sure to evoke some controversial feelings.
A harsh, uncompromising look at the aftermath of a vicious rape gives way unexpectedly to a strange, dreamy hostage/romance plot, shot on the seamy streets of New York, and featuring two remarkable performances by the lead actors.

BD50 + 2xDVD | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:53:23 | 46.4 Gb + 10 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Director: Jack Garfein
Cast: Carroll Baker, Ralph Meeker, Mildred Dunnock
Country: USA
Genre: Drama

Extras:

• Jack Garfein - in this piece, director Jack Garfein recalls how Lee Strasberg redirected his career and he was consequently able to shoot Something Wild, his interactions with various actors and directors in New York (James Dean, Elia Kazan, Ben Gazzara, Pat Hingle), the transformation of Carroll Baker's character and how it resembles the type of transformation that he experienced after he immigrated to America, the opening titles that Saul Bass created, etc. Also participating in the piece is critic Kim Morgan. Filmed exclusively for Criterion in New York in August 2016. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Carroll Baker - in this new illustrated interview, actress Carroll Baker recalls how she entered the film business after joining the Actors Studio and her interactions with Elia Kazan during the shooting of Baby Doll, and discusses some important sexual scenes she did in different films, her work on Harlow, her admiration for Clark Gabel, her work with Ralph Meeker on Something Wild, the change that Edward Dmytryk's The Carpetbaggers brought to her career, etc. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in New York in September 2016. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Behind the Method - in this new video interview, scholar Foster Hirsch discusses the enormous impact the Actors Studio had on American cinema during the late 1940s and 1950s and the three actors whose work transformed it (Marlon Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift), Jack Garfein's time at the Actors Studio, the two films he directed and the qualities that define them, Lee Strasberg's philosophy of acting, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in September 2016. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Master Class with Jack Garfein - presented here is a video program that features footage from Jack Garfein's famous acting class which was recorded over two days in New York in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).