The Bad and the Beautiful [1952] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Average customer rating:

It could have been much better

One of the dark films of the 1950s

The Bad and the Beautiful [1952] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Starring: Lana Turner , Kirk Douglas , Walter Pidgeon , Dick Powell , and Barry Sullivan
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video
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Deadly Dames: Film Noir Collector's Set

ASIN: B00005U2KI
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Customer Reviews:

It could have been much better.......2006-10-10

`The Bad And The Beautiful' (1952) was directed by Vincente Minnelli between two of his greatest and best loved musicals `The Bandwagon' (1951) and `An American In Paris' (1953). He had directed other great films such as `Meet Me In St. Louis' (1944) and `Father Of The Bride' (1950) before attempting his dramatic take on the Hollywood Studio system. Making films about Hollywood was nothing new when Minnelli made `The Bad And the Beautiful'. Only a couple years earlier there was `All About Eve' (1950), `Sunset Boulevard' (1950) and `A Star Is Born' in 1937. This may be part of the reason why this film is not so highly regarded, however there are other reasons too.

The fact that `The Bad And The Beautiful' is regarded as film noir probably has more to do with the cast which featured: Lana Turner (The Postman Always Rings Twice, 1946); Kirk Douglas (Out Of The Past, 1947); Dick Powell (Farewell My Lovely, 1944) Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat, 1953) all of whom had starred important noir pictures. Structurally the film is comprised of three flashbacks and uses voiceover frequently to tell its tale, which is all key noir techniques.

I think the film says more about Vincente Minnelli and the changes that were taking place in the worldwide film industry at the time. The studio system, which Minnelli was very a part of, was coming to an end and being replaced by Auteur theory. Films were moving away from studio sets towards location shooting with directors having a lot more control and authorship over their production. The three flashbacks in `The Bad And The Beautiful' I think represents the divisions in the studio system at the time of writer, actor and director battling with a producer and with any attempt to overstep that mark resulting in a rebuff or failure. Within six years the New Wave would abolish those ideas.

I think `The Bad And The Beautiful' had potential to be a great film but is let down by melodrama and some lacklustre acting, character development and direction. It also lacks some of the real grit and cynicism of `All About Eve' or `Sunset Boulevard'. However there are some great moments such as Lana Turner's automotive suicide attempt, which I believe to be the great sequence in the film, but overall I was a little disappointed because I was expecting a lot more. Yet overall I think it's worth seeing at least once.

Other films with similar themes worth seeing also include Nicholas Ray's `In A Lonely Place' (1950) and `Le Mepris' (1963) by Jean-Luc Godard. I think Minnelli will and should be remembered for his musicals, which are superb.

One of the dark films of the 1950s.......2003-01-27

Minnelli's film is part of a loose collective of films that show a rancerous side to success, particularly in Hollywood- so it fits well next to films like Sunset Boulevard, aspects of Singin in the Rain, Ace in the Hole, In a Lonely Place & The Sweet Smell of Success.

The Bad and the Beautiful boasts some great performances from Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Dick Powell & Gloria Grahame. Rumoured to have been influenced by real life events & people (as Sunset Boulevard) , this feels like a fusion of Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and a stylish melodrama (which Minnelli excelled at with films like Home from the Hill and Lust for Life). It does provide a quite cutting portrait of Hollywood and filmmakers, making it an early attempt at the material that films like 8 1/2, Stardust Memories & The Player would excel at. Of course it feels a little dated, it is fifty years old!

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