The trials and tribulations of the rich, like those of the poor, can be undramatic.

The sudsy flavor of old-fashioned daytime serials is often prominent in this overlong high-society drama but the job is done with a lot of skill throughout.

Paul Newman gives a strong performance in Vincent Sherman's glossy melodrama about a young, cynical, ambitious man, born on the wrong side of the tracks but determined to change his lot.

Based on a very popular novel, the film is a competent but undistinguished adaptation that breathes only through the presence of its dynamic star.