Newman) is allowed to perform at something like a reasonable pace. Only Nell Potts (in private life, the daughter of Miss Woodward and Mr. At times I had the feeling that Miss Woodward was auditioning for the role of Sadie Thompson, and that Miss Wallach was occasionally in competition. It's just that the basic material calls for a kind of second-rate bravura performance from everyone, from the production designer to the actors. Newman, a director of plain, straight style. The talents of everyone connected with it are unmistakable, including those of Mr. Vincent Canby of The New York Times observed, " The Effect of Gamma Rays is not a stupid film. Similarly, Matilda has managed to muddle through a grim existence in a dilapidated, debris-ridden house in a lower middle class neighborhood, learning to deal with her embarrassing mother while managing to avoid becoming anything like her, a future for which her sister seems fated.Īlthough the story was set in Staten Island, New York, director Newman said that he chose to shoot the film in Bridgeport, Connecticut because it was only 17 minutes from his home in Westport. Matilda's science experiment is designed to show how small amounts of gamma radiation from cobalt-60 affect marigolds some die, but others transform into strange but beautiful mutations completely unlike the original plants. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one which gives the film its title. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer ( Joanne Woodward) and her daughters Ruth (Roberta Wallach) and Matilda ( Nell Potts) are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand.