The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

“Don’t worry. Some of the best movies are made by people working together who hate each other’s guts. ” – Jonathan

Number of Times Seen – 1 (4 Jun 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A movie producer scams his way in Hollywood by using a talented director, actress and screenwriter to help him reach for the top.

My Take on it – This is yet another film that I knew nothing about before seeing and was pleasantly surprised with the end result.

They do a great job here of trying to show some of the darker areas of Hollywood and the movie making system because it comes across as seeming quite realistic.

The term “one hand washes the other” is often used in Hollywood and that is what is shown here.

People do professional favors for one another in the hope that eventually they will both find a way to stardom in the process.

The way things are presented here seem as if they truly are the way things have always worked in Hollywood and still do.

The cast of this film is great with Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell and Gloria Grahame all giving amazing performances here.

Grahame won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her somewhat brief role, but it seems quite deserving because it is done exceptionally well (See Trivia section below).

This film doesn’t necessarily show the Hollywood Industry in a good light, but it still comes across as being quite genuine because it doesn’t sugarcoat things at all.

When this film came out, the rumors that most of the characters were based on real people in the Industry caused quite a stir, but that actually helps the story instead of taking away from the poignancy of it all.

Bottom Line – Great premise that works quite well. It may not show Hollywood in such a good light but it comes across as feeling quite realistic as to how things really work. The cast is great with Douglas, Turner, Pidgeon, Powell and Grahame giving great performances. The rumor that most of the roles are based on real people in the industry caused quite a stir but doesn’t take away from the story at all, in fact, it has the opposite effect. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – At 9 minutes and 32 seconds, Gloria Grahame’s performance in this movie became the shortest to ever win an Oscar. She held the record until 1976, when Beatrice Straight won for her 5 minute performance in Network (1976). (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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