The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
…………………………………………………
The Bad and the Beautiful Movie Review
The Bad and the Beautiful is a 1952 melodrama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Kirk Douglas and Lana Turner among others. It’s an exceptional film.
………………………………………………….
“Don’t worry.
Some of the best movies are made by people
working together who hate each other’s guts“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It follows a cold, unscrupulous producer who alienates all of his colleagues as he pursues greatness of his films. This is without a doubt one of the most timeless and still relevant of all the fifties films. It’s weird and sad to think about, but Hollywood hasn’t really changed since this period as the film still remains a powerful examination of the studio system and the problematic characters that run the pictures.
The movie is particularly sophisticated by not taking a side as it portrays its main character as a bad man who ruins all of his colleagues in a personal sense, but it also showcases how he basically gave them careers and pushed them forward to greatness. And besides the apparent sophistication, the movie is perfectly told in its story as it employs that awesome 50s flashback structure where the beginning is the ending.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
All three stories are excellent and showcasing so well how he ruined their lives while he also made their careers. Yes, the third story is rushed and less memorable, but the second one is excellent and the first one is particularly realistic. And the ending is perfect in its playfulness and also realism as it shows, no matter how they may feel personally, their careers still come first when it comes to Hollywood actors, directors etc.
Kirk Douglas is absolutely fantastic and this just might be his greatest performances, even better than the one he gave in ‘Paths of Glory’. He plays a complex individual and a very realistic producer who is seemingly friendly, very charming, but eventually it turns out that he is selfish and power-hungry. He played most of his scenes very well and the fact that he was not typecast, but played a very different, bad person than his usual characters made this performance stand out even more.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
Lana Turner is great too. She’s very sensual and beautiful in the role of the famed actress and thus also a perfect example of a Hollywood actress of the time. She sold those emotional moments as well. Dick Powell is very good, especially in his amused facial expressions at his silly wife, but still thoroughly underutilized when compared to the other characters here.
Speaking of his wife, Gloria Grahame is so good in the role of a ditzy Southern belle. She’s definitely a highly memorable character for such a small role that she most certainly deserved her Oscar even if she’s not that important in this film. And Barry Sullivan is very likable as this ambitious director whom Jonathan Shields betrayed. I loved how all these characters are interconnected.
The Bad and the Beautiful is phenomenally written owing to a fantastic, sophisticated script and realistic, amazing dialogue filled with many memorable lines. As is the case with any movie which basically consist of three stories, some have a bigger impact than others, but for the most part the film is very well edited and paced. It’s continually highly involving to watch and even fascinating as this still relevant look at the dark, problematic, unscrupulous inner workings of Hollywood.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The score is fantastic, the noirish cinematography is superb and the direction from Vincente Minnelli is unusually strong. This isn’t a musical and yet he still killed it in the directorial chair. The movie deserved all of its Oscar wins and a nomination for Kirk Douglas, but the fact that it wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture is ludicrous having in mind that it’s one of the most seminal 1952 films.
With a sophisticated script, exceptional dialogue, amazing score, memorable noirish cinematography and top-notch pace, The Bad and the Beautiful is one of the seminal, classic films about Hollywood that remains surprisingly relevant even today in its exploration of the dark, unscrupulous inner-workings of film production. It’s a very engaging film that is brought to life beautifully thanks to superb acting across the board with the highlights being vulnerable, intriguing Lana Turner, Gloria Grahame who’s so funny in the role of a ditzy Southern belle and Kirk Douglas who here wasn’t typecast and still managed to give his career-best performance.
