Vincente Minnelli's film is based off of the screenplay by Robert Anderson who penned the original stage play. Minnelli creates an atmosphere in which Tom and Laura exist within a machismo-driven world in 1950s America. The director reveals how simply young men believe what they want to rather than getting to know one another. We see this in the fact that they believe Tom to be gay (when he isn't) simply because he doesn't enjoy the things they do. The reality of their brutality is seen for example in the bonfire scene when they rip Tom's shirt off of him. And just like the fire raging out of control behind them, so are the boys raging out of control against Tom.
Minnelli contrasts this with a tone and atmosphere within the composition that is a complete departure from the violence. We see this mainly in the scenes between Tom and Laura. There is a thickness to what is between them in the unsaid moments and we feel that. This occurs because they actors are allowed to explore what is happening inside them, which they bottle up and only little bits of it come out. These two clashing pictures of composition allow for the film's conflict to be clearly seen in the imagery as well as felt by the audience as we journey with Tom and Laura through the conflict into the ultimate resolution of the film.
