查尔斯·阿恩特

改编自田纳西·威廉斯的名剧，并由舞台剧原班人马合作演出，由手法谨慎的理查德·布鲁克斯导演，描述过气电影女星跟她的男朋友回到美国南部的故乡，希望利用她的美色和名气，狠狠地向当地的贪污镇长敲诈一笔养老金。本片探讨人心的险恶狡诈相当深刻有力，令人看后感到心寒。杰拉尔丁·佩奇、保罗·纽曼等一众演员均有上佳演出。

Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He postpones the trial because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmas time. But he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail, and ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas. Surrounded by a loving family (in stark contrast to Lee's own family background) they fall in love. This creates a new problem how do they handle the upcoming trial