Review of The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) by Xgary X — 28 Apr 2010

An actress, writer and director recount their experiences with uncompromising movie producer Kirk Douglas when he comes back to them, cap in hand wanting help to get back on top. The Bad And The Beautiful is a film by Hollywood about Hollywood done in the warts and all style of the likes of Sunset Boulevard and The Sweet Smell Of Success, although it is done with nowhere near the bitterness or cynicism of those films.

Kirk Douglas' central character was not the hateful asshole I was expecting, rather more a slightly cold, single-minded man who would let nothing get in the way of his own vision. This is highlighted by Walter Pidgeon's pragmatic studio exec who shows that the success the three had subsequently enjoyed was due largely to his interference and it was in fact their own indignance and ego that was fuelling their hatred.

The cast are all excellent but I felt it missed the darker satirical edge of the aforementioned films and occasionally dipped a little too far into melodrama for my tastes, but it's considered a bit of a classic of the genre and is an interesting window onto the studio system of the golden age of hollywood.