Delayed Reaction: The Bad and the Beautiful

Premise: A director, writer, and actress explain to a studio head why they refuse to work with a specific producer again.

 

I really should like this movie more. It’s designed to appeal to me: basically Citizen Kane but about movie-making. The cast is stellar. Vincente Minelli directing. These are all big plusses. It didn’t do much for me though and I think I’ve figured out why.

 

This came out in 1952, two years after Sunset Blvd. and All About Eve: two of the most scathing takes on the film industry (and theater community). The Bad and the Beautiful really feels like a studio trying to reverse-engineer those successes. It’s got the flashback mystery of Sunset Blvd. It’s got the discontent despite success of All About Eve. I know all of these were major studio films, but The Bad and the Beautiful is the only one that doesn’t feel like it’s getting away with something. Sunset and Eve both feel like they snuck through; like the studios didn’t realize how negatively the films were portraying the industry until they were released. B&B on the other hand, is ultimately a movie about how the studio is always right and knows better than the creatives. Think about it. A producer – clearly acting as a stand in for any studio chief – brings in an actress, director, and writer who are being difficult. They go on to tell their stories, all ending with the producer explaining how they were actually better for what happened. After he goes on to prove how they are wrong and they still refuse to take the job, it ends with them overhearing a description of the project and getting intrigued.

 

Huh. That’s fun. I went into this Reaction with no idea what I was going to write about this movie and stumbled into a full explanation of why I didn’t like it that I didn’t have going in.

 

The performances themselves are good. I like Kirk Douglas leading the movie but only as a character in flashbacks. I would’ve preferred if they left him a little more of a mystery like in Citizen Kane. The film looks slick. It won Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design Oscars, which feels right.

 

I got to this movie because I have a giant spreadsheet of movies to watch and points get added top films for awards, cast, recommendations, etc. I’ve noticed a trend for the films with the most points. There are three types. 1) Classic foreign films that I haven’t seen because I suck and don’t get to foreign films often enough. 2) Horror movies with high recommendations. 3) Films that were big for awards the year they came out but don’t age greatly. The Bad and the Beautiful is the platonic ideal for type 3. It was a hit that earned a lot of awards at the time (although curiously, not Best Picture or Best Director Oscar nominations). It was what a good movie was supposed to be then although it quickly moves to being something people forget about. Like The Revanent. Remember when that led Oscar nominations and made a lot of money?

 

Verdict: Weakly Don’t Recommend