e-clayton-01810 Much like the film Sunset Blvd, I appreciate that this film commented on the many pressures of working in Hollywood. The narration was well done also. It didn't feel like it was interrupting the story at all and it wasn't over dramatic like some other films of its time. The use of flashbacks was well done too. They definitely helped move the story along in a way that was captivating rather than over stimulating like some flashback scenes can be. Not to mention, the acting was great from all of the actors. It was very dynamic.

Kevin DiBiase The Bad and the Beautiful may seem at first to be yet another Hollywood film about Hollywood, but that is far from the case. The movie is extremely well made. Kirk Douglas turns in a great performance as Johnathan Shields, a manipulative, broken man who unravels as the film progresses. The film's structure is also very unique, jumping back and forth between flashbacks and the present day as we hear 3 differing accounts of the type of person Shields is. The film is lit in quite a moody way, where the characters almost emit a soft glow and the borders of the screen fade into black. I found this to be very impressive and it helped to accentuate this dramatic tale. The music also stands out, especially compared to other films of the same time period (that weren't musicals). I think this does a great deal to elevate the movie from average to great.

elvircorhodzic THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL is a film that deals with a specific theme of Hollywood myth. Amoral Hollywood producer intends to bring together the three former associates - actress, writer and director - for his new project. The plot through their flashbacks showing how it is mentioned producer during their careers mercilessly exploited. It is interesting to see what is actually happening in this "city of illusions". The story may not be true, but for a number of allusions can capture the imagination.The film is actually made up of three stories that are interconnected. The film does not talk exclusively about corruption one of the characters, but the immorality and misery of Hollywood. Maybe a little too hard, but Hollywood society is far from ideal. In this case, it served as a cold, spicy and sour dish at the same time. Through all the "innards", though the three rises. They become known and famous thanks to the immoral and ruthless producer. In this business there is no room for personal feelings. Film is only essential. It sounds scary, but I think there's quite a percentage of truth.Kirk Douglas as Jonathan Shields is arrogant and ruthless producer who hates Hollywood, but he loves movies. To be filled by everything that is related to the movie. He shows interest in people solely for the needs of the film. He was in the depths of the soul unhappy and filled with some bitterness. Movies are saving, or become his conviction. Due to past experiences Kirk Douglas is certainly the ideal choice for this role.Lana Turner as Georgia Lorrison She is convincing as a drunken intern, then she is as a star. In this case we are talking about the power of the will and the faith of one producer which is made of an failed alcoholic a star. Walter Pidgeon as Harry Pebbel, character who was run over by Hollywood practice. Unfortunately he only realized the essence. Dick Powell as James Lee is abused novelist. However, this abuse has freed him from "the shackles". Barry Sullivan as Fred Amiel is a talented young director who is dull fooled at the beginning of his career. However, this scam saved his career.All this is pretty well packed so it would seem more realistic. Certainly there is smoke.

ironhorse_iv Who is Jonathan Shields? That is the story Vincente Minnelli drama is trying to tell. There is a Orson Welles 'Citizen Kane' feel to the film, as there are three stories told about Jonathan Shields through eschews the traditional linear, chronological narrative and tells Shield's story entirely in flashback using different points of view, many of them from people that Shield done wrong to. The movie starts in Hollywood, screenwriter James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell), movie star Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner), and director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) has been gather up by movie producer Harry Pebbel (Walter Pidgeon) to help Jonathan Shields (Kurt Douglas) with his newest movie, but each refuse, and tells Harry the reason why. The movie has a unreliable narrator to it, with each narrator recounts a different part of Shield's life, with each story partly overlapping follows a natural progression of events as Shields rises to fame. The movie is so like 'Kane', some critics are calling it 'Citizen Shields'. Each person's story is an act; so three people equal, three acts. The first narrator is the director that tells the story how Kurt Douglas launched his career with his help. The second act is told by the actress whom is the daughter of an also-failed father that become a strong and talented actress through Shields work. And the third act is taking a novelist and turning him into a credible and successful screenwriter. It's an amalgamation of so many stories that had been whirling around the industry for years. For some people, they believe Lana Turner's character is based on Diana Barrymore or Judy Garland. Kirk Douglas's Jonathan Shields is mixed with David O' Selznick, Darryl F. Zanuck & Val Lewton. Barry Sullivan's Fred Amiel on George Cukor of Gone to the Wind fame. For Dick Powell's character James Lee Bartlow, it's believe to be inspired by novelist Paul Eliot Green, William Faulkner or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Even the supporting cast might be based on real life characters such as supporting character Gilbert Roland whom play Gaucho might be a self-parody, but in my opinion I have a feeling it's based on Porfirio Rubirosa or better yet silent star Rudolph Valentino. Henry Whitfield (Leo G. Carroll) is mirroring Alfred Hitchcock. The three main actors (Turner, Powell, and Sullivan) are great in their roles. Everybody was outstanding in this film but Kirk Douglas stole the show. Kirk Douglas is great as the main role, playing the corrupt and amoral head of a major film studio in this Hollywood drama. For 1950's film, this movie has a lot of depth and comedy into it, that works. I was surprised to see the movie have women characters being alcoholic and sex addicts, rather than the charm roles they normally get in the films in those days. Supporting character Rosemary (Gloria Grahame) is one of those women characters. She was pretty funny in the role, but I don't agree that Gloria Grahame should have won the Oscar that year with her limited screen time,her ludicrous fake southern accent, as well, as the other actress who done better that year. Plenty of on-screen chemistry, tension and great casting make this film an outstanding drama. The only faults of the film are terms of its picture quality. We get a very nice, smooth looking transfer with much of the film grain and age related artifacts cleaned up. But there are moments where edge enhancement, shimmering and aliasing are so bad, you just can't help but get distracted away from the fine performances taking place underneath all that digital mess. When the image is free from these anomalies, contrast and black levels are superb. I also love the music. David Raksin, a marvelous composer as the film sports a jazzy and haunting tone similar to his later works in 'Laura'. Still this arrangement is over arranged and composer know his Jazz voicing but forgot a forceful melody line to add to it. Something like Cake decorations without the cake. Still, it's a cake worth eating. Check this movie out, for a great insight look at Hollywood.