:
Humphrey Bogart,
Humphrey Bogart,
Ava Gardner,
more...
:
Joseph L. Mankiewicz,
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: MGM
: Drama
: 130 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
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The Barefoot Contessa begins at the funeral of Ava Gardner, a former Spanish peasant, cabaret dancer and movie star, who at the time of her death was a full-fledged contessa. Her life story unfolds in flashback recollections from her mourners. Film director Humphrey Bogart recalls how his career was saved when he discovered Gardner on behalf of Howard R. Hughes-like mogul Warren Stevens. Press agent Edmond O'Brien remembers how Ava was wooed and then abandoned by mercurial millionaire Marius Goring, and Italian count Rosanno Brazzi reflects on how he was able to wed the tempestuous Gardner, only to watch his world crumble after revealing on their wedding night that he was "only half a man." O'Brien received Best Supporting Actor awards at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes in 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| Famous elites take jibes at other famous elites but there's still a good story
by lividsnails
February 8, 2005 - 9:11 PM PST
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2 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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I need help understanding why this is a *great* movie. It's not a bad one. I'd be glad to find it playing at 2 am on broadcast tv. But why is it a classic? Do you have to know a lot more about movies in the 50's to really appreciate it?
I see how the director meant it as a critique of Hollywood and of the European artistocracy and even of Howard Huges (who apparently sued for libel and had them redo parts to lessen the resemblance to himself). I think filmmakers of that era did that a lot (critiqued famous people) in their movies but to me, such insider gossiping, even exposes, of the elite, might make for good witty talk at parties but really isn't very interesting for a movie to revolve around, is it? But maybe this is because I'm using 21st century attitudes? Hierarchies were a lot more... visible back then. Institutions a lot more... institutionalized. Pre-1960s was this their version of questioning the power structure?
But witty insider critiques strike me as aristocratic and elitest in and of themselves. Look at the credits of old films: STARRING Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, [insert superfamous old film star here]. They're the top tier. The second tier gets the WITH so and so and semi-famous actors. The third tier become ALSO all these nobodies. Now that's a silly minor example but the point is what's so interesting about listening to famous elites take jibes at other famous elites?
And if you take that away from this movie, what's left? Well, a decent story at its barebones, but awkwardly told from the view points of three different (but oddly chosen) narrators. (Bogart's and the Count's characters make sense, but why do we hear the point of view of such a flunky as Muldoon? Why couldn't we have heard her own POV?)
But then again, it makes up for itself in Ava Gardner's character. The leading lady is eye candy for sure, but she does undergo a transformation. At first she's the haughty ice queen then she meets her Prince Charming and becomes the innocent naive girl who believes in fairy tale endings. There must've been something of that in her from the start to have made her accept the invitation to go to Hollywood to become a star. So that was nicely done.
I guess I would've seen it differently if I'd been around in the 50s. Only one thing I think I still would've hated: those terrible gringo accents! |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.26)
34 Votes
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