Review of The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) by Adrian B — 11 Nov 2010

"Will you help him get started again? Will you work with him just this once?".

Three people: a Pulitzer Prize winning writer (Dick Powell), a beloved actress (Lana Turner), and an Oscar winning director (Bernard Sullivan) ; all connected by one man (Kirk Douglas). A charismatic, volatile, unknowable movie producer (with some serious daddy issues) who in the past brought all three of them great success in their careers, before selfishly taking actions that caused them all to vow to never work with him again. But now, it's years later and he needs all their help to make a movie (and a comeback). Will they help him, or are the scars of the past to painful to forgive?

The Bad and the Beautiful grew on me as it went along, and I found myself really enjoying it. The three self-obtained stories that make up the movie were very interesting, and Kirk Douglas and the rest displayed some fantastic acting (especially in the second story, which was my favorite). This was my first exposure to Douglas and Turner, and they were both absolutely great. As were the rest of the cast.

The Bad and the Beautiful is a must-see for those who like films about the movie industry. It's dramatic, captivating, and just very satisfying in that ageless, old school kind of way. Recommended.