Review of The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) by Elliott F — 20 Dec 2010

One of Vincente Minnelli's non-musical efforts, The Bad and the Beautiful is, if nothing else, interesting. It provides a fascinating (white-washed?) look at the golden age of studio Hollywood. The film is basically a portrait of a "Hollywood heel" (a brilliant Kirk Douglas) and his effect on those around him, namely a successful director and former collaborator (Walter Pidgeon), an actress whose ascension to stardom was blocked by alcoholism (an exquisite Lana Turner), and a writer recently awarded the Pulitzer (Dick Powell).

In three separate episodes, the development of the relationship between these three people and Douglas's Jonathan Shields is developed. The supporting cast includes Barry Sullivan and Gloria Grahame (whose near-cameo role somehow won her the Oscar for 1952's Best Supporting Actress).

Personally, I felt that the contempt the three people felt for Shields was slightly exaggerated: Turner's actress feels that she was betrayed by Shields after she found him with another woman, even though he made her a star when everybody else was telling him otherwise; Pidgeon's director was deprived of a chance to make a film that was his idea, but because of this, he went on to be a successful director (and apparently win two Academy Awards); and Powell's writer, yes, lost his wife (Grahame) in an airplane accident, but he also scripted a series of films and won the Pulitzer for a novel based on his wife.

Personally, I think the good outweighs the bad, at least for two of them. So, in between some excellent performances, some exaggerated contempt, and a third act that loses a lot of steam, The Bad and the Beautiful is a solid, escapist Hollywood melodrama.