The Bad And The Beautiful

One of the most telling films Hollywood has ever made about itself, Minnelli's film won a raft of Oscars including Best Script (by Charles Schnee), Best Supporting Actress for Gloria Grahame, Best Black and White Cinematography for Robert Surtees, and considerable public acclaim.

Schnee’s screenplay, based on an Ladies' Home Journal article, "Tribute to a Bad Man", by George Bradshaw tells the story of Jonathan Shields, a tyrannical studio boss whose rise and fall is seen in flashback and from the multiple perspectives of three main characters  - Lana Turner as his lover, Dick Powell as an award-wining screenwriter and Barry Sullivan as a famous director, Although neither won Oscars, Kirk Douglas (who was nominated but who inexplicably lost to Gary Cooper for High Noon ) is memorable whilst Lana Turner gives one of her best-ever performances.

 

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