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Genres:
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Drama /
Crime /
Mystery /
Romance
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Release:
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Director:
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Joseph L. Mankiewicz
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Actors:
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Warren Stevens,
Marius Goring,
Bill Fraser,
Elizabeth Sellars,
Diana Decker,
Mari Aldon,
Enzo Staiola,
Humphrey Bogart,
Ava Gardner,
Edmond O'Brien,
Valentina Cortese,
Rossano Brazzi,
Franco Interlenghi,
Bessie Love,
Alberto Rabagliati
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Duration:
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125 min.
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Rating:
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(7/10)333.5
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Plot Summary:
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Flashbacks at a exequies push the boat out how a Madrid nightclub dancer was propelled to instant stardom and eventual hard luck.
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Nothing special, but a solid film
This film isn't very memorable, and didn't affect me in any way, but was by no means a bad film, just an uneventful one. The story is concerned with the rise of a young Spanish girl (Ava Gardner) to movie stardom, and her subsequent fall from fame. The same plot has been dealt with so much more effectively in superior films, such as 'A Star Is Born', 'Sunset Blvd.' etc... but Gardner is beguiling as always, and I enjoyed the Oscar-winning performance of Edmond O'Brien as one of the producers who discovers her.
Fine Bogart and Gardner outing
This film has always been a favourite of mine, very much of its period (1954) in lush Technicolor told in flashbacks with a lot of wonderful Bogart voice over.
Bogart dominates the film as the cynical director Harry Dawes who makes Maria Vargas (Gardner) into a super star. Gardners part plays to her cool screen goddess type persona and is well partnered by Bogart who is cynical but caring.
I find Brazzis admired performance as the Count somewhat cool. Good acting all round particularly Edmund OBrien won an Oscar for his role as the sweaty publicist.
Oh, the bare feet, they belong to a double Margo Lorenze who did a similar service for Gardner in The Little Hut.
Mankiewicz directed and wrote this cautious expose of the film industry ...
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