Supposed story of actress Jeanna Eagels. She was big star on Broadway and went on to make a few movies (silents and talkies)...but her career was destroyed by her drug addiction.
Since this is a Hollywood adaptation this is more than a little fictional. Characters and events that never happened are trotted out to make the story more dramatic. I can live with that though. It's also beautifully done and shot in stark black & white (which fits the mood of the story perfectly). The one big problem in Novak. In the right role she was perfect but she was way out of her depth with this one. She does try but she never pulls it off. I have nothing against Novak at all--I just thought she was very limited in terms of acting ability. She's not helped at all by Jeff Chandler (acting worse than usual) playing a totally fictional character that follows her all through her life. The only good acting comes from Agnes Moorehead who tears into her role and really kick starts the movie a few times. This isn't a bad movie but it's just not a very good one. I give it a 7.
Since this is a Hollywood adaptation this is more than a little fictional. Characters and events that never happened are trotted out to make the story more dramatic. I can live with that though. It's also beautifully done and shot in stark black & white (which fits the mood of the story perfectly). The one big problem in Novak. In the right role she was perfect but she was way out of her depth with this one. She does try but she never pulls it off. I have nothing against Novak at all--I just thought she was very limited in terms of acting ability. She's not helped at all by Jeff Chandler (acting worse than usual) playing a totally fictional character that follows her all through her life. The only good acting comes from Agnes Moorehead who tears into her role and really kick starts the movie a few times. This isn't a bad movie but it's just not a very good one. I give it a 7.