theatrical premiere at the Plaza Theatre in New York City on December 20, 1961. Box office The film was not a financial success, described by Dorothy Kilgallen as a "box office disappointment" and "a financial blow to the star and her husband." Critical response Jonas Mekas wrote in Film Quarterly that the film was the "most interesting American film of the quarter; it may become the most underestimated film of the year." Wanda Hale of the New York Daily News praised Baker as a "fine actress" and Garfein's direction "very tight and smooth," summarizing: "Something Wild carries a moral for the feminine sex: Don't walk in the city's parks alone after dark." New York Times critic Bosley Crowther said that it was "quite exhausting to sit through that ordeal in the apartment," and that "it is not too satisfying, because it isn't quite credible and the symbolic meaning (if there is one) is beyond our grasp." In 2007, the film was screened at New York's IFC Center, billed as a "lost indie film classic." Home video The film was released for the first time on DVD as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection in December 2011. The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on January 17, 2017. See also List of American films of 1961 References External links Something Wild: Last Chances an essay by Sheila O’Malley at the Criterion Collection 1961 films 1961 drama films 1961 independent films American independent films American drama films 1960s English-language films Films about suicide Films scored by Aaron Copland Films set in the Bronx Films shot in New York City Films about post-traumatic stress disorder American rape and revenge films United Artists films 1960s American films