Vincente Minnelli directed this classic starring Kirk Douglas as an unscrupulous movie producer named Jonathan Shields who has big ambitions and will let absolutely nothing stop him.
The film is told in three separate, yet interconnected flashbacks about how Jonathan used a star named Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner), a writer named James Bartlow (Dick Powell) and a director named Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) to make himself a very powerful man.
The film opens as the above mentioned three people are gathered in the office of a movie studio producer named Harry Pebble (Walter Pidgeon) as they await a phone call from Shields. This is where the tales are related. We discover that Shields has ruined many lives in his pursuit of fame.
The film won 5 Oscars and it's easy to see why. Everything in this film works perfectly. All of the actors turn in excellent performances and of course Lana Turner is a sexy as hell knockout. There are parts of the film that are disturbing, such as the death of Rosemary (Gloria Ghahame) who was Bartlow's wife and then the film has a very humorous scene when Shields and Fred Amiel are stuck looking for costumes for a low budget horror film called "The Cat Man" or something like that. The look on both men's faces when they see the costumes is hilarious.
The supporting cast of this film is filled with people you all know including Leo G. Carroll, Paul Stewart, Gilbert Roland, Vanessa Brown, Sammy White, Ivan Triesault and the unforgettable Elaine Stewart.
Gloria Ghahame took home as Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and it is a well deserved one. One of the best American films ever made. SEE IT!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.