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Eugene O'Neill's adaptation of the Greek classic +Oedipus loses a great deal in the translation from the stage to the screen. The biggest culprits are screenwriter Irwin Shaw and director Delbert Mann, neither of whom seems to have understood what O'Neill's play was really about or the methods he used to create a sultry, powerful, brutal tragedy with believable, complex characters. What is offered onscreen is an over-simplified, obvious outline of the story with most of the nuances lost and with a great deal of the original dialogue stripped of its power. Desire Under the Elms also suffers from key miscasting, especially Sophia Loren. While she is undeniably sensual, she at this point in her career did not understand the motivations of the character, which becomes abundantly clear as the story progresses. Anthony Perkins and Burl Ives are somewhat better, although Perkins is also not wholly comfortable in his role; both actors, however, suffer from Mann and Shaw's decision to concentrate more on Loren 's character at the expense of the crucial triangle. Ultimately, Pernell Roberts, in a small role, comes across best. While a disappointment, Desire still has some strengths, including Daniel Fapp's evocative cinematography -- but one regrets that a potentially potent film experience was so poorly handled.