Review of A Face in the Crowd (1957) by Ryan H — 21 Jan 2011
Perfection. As much as I've seen, Elia Kazan has done no wrong, other than be a total douche in real life. Andy Griffith puts on one of the best performances of all time as Lonesome Rhodes, a redneck who stumbles into a life many people only dream about.
Every word he says becomes pure gold to the American people. Perhaps they are in love with how genuine he is. Marcia finds Rhodes in a jail and has an interview with him and knows right away that he is going to be something huge.
She first signs him to her radio show, but that only lasts a short time until he gets offered to Memphis, then to New York, and then he sets his eyes on politics. At first he seems so pure, but Kazan slowly unveils his character just like he does to Brando's character in A Streetcar Named Desire.
The revelation brings about the fact that he is selfish and narcissistic. He loves the attention and he begins to live off of it. He pushes the ones he loves away and takes in the superficial. He is in love with Marcia, but he marries a 17 year old girl instead.
Even though his personality stems from manipulating people, there is one subtlety in the film that is beautiful, which is the fact that he might not have been making these decisions himself. He might have been pushed along by other people, saying things they want him to say by them manipulating him.
This doesn't make him a better person, but it is making a stronger statement on the American government. A Face in the Crowd is a brilliant film that deserves more recognition than it gets.
This review of A Face in the Crowd (1957) was written by Ryan H on 21 Jan 2011.
A Face in the Crowd has generally received very positive reviews.
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