The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

 Vincente Minnelli's "The Bad and the Beautiful"


After the wild success of his 1951 musical "An American in Paris," Vincente Minnelli opted for a film about the Hollywood industry itself. 1952's "The Bad and the Beautiful" and its central storyline is pulled right from real life inspirations of figures in Hollywood. Minnelli, when asked why he would film a movie criticizing Hollywood, replied that he felt the characters were flawed and human, which made the concept of the film far more fascinating. 

The film centers on three figures in the industry: a writer, a director, and an actress. Each tell their own individual perspective on their relationship to Jonathan Shields, an exacting movie producer who soiled each relationship by propping them up and then abandoning them for bigger and better prospects. Through their recollection of their experiences with Shields, we piece together the life of a man attempting to get to the top and burn every relationship down in that pursuit.

There are many who claim that the character of Shields perfectly resembles the life and career of famed Hollywood director David O. Selznick, and I would have to agree. Although Selznick was not able to sue for libel, as there were enough differences to differentiate the two. The film perfectly encapsulates the sacrifices needed to make it in Hollywood and the pieces of your soul needed to be sacrificed in order to attain success. 

I very much enjoyed the film and felt it was engaging enough by holding up a mirror to its own context. Hollywood has been explored by many films at the time of its release, even if the setting and career of the respective characters aren't exactly centered in Hollywood. Take, for example, films like "All About Eve," "Sunset Boulevard," and "The Greatest Show on Earth." The struggles of art vs commerce and integrity vs pander are on display in films that delve into the subject. And I feel as though "The Bad and the Beautiful" is yet another film to add to this pantheon of films regarding such a subject.



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