Four years after the phenomenal All About Eve, Joseph L Manckiewicz moves away from Broadway and lands in Hollywood. Naturally, everything in Hollywood is bound to be louder, more vulgar, more shallow and more expensive and surprisingly less relatable, less credible. Ava Gardner is breathtakingly beautiful and Jack Cardiff photographs her like a goddess but that's no match for any of the exchanges between Bette Davis and Thelma Ritter in All About Eve. Here the soap opera elements dominate the tale. The Italian aristocrats as played by Rossano Brazzi and Valentina Cortese take the story for a ludicrous spin. Josseph L Manckiewicz as a writer and director makes sure the film doesn't become "The Legend Of Lylah Clare" for instance. Humphery Bogart plays the lead and I forgot to mention it. I wonder why. He's wonderful in it but the Oscar went to Edmond O'Brian for his unbearable press agent. Ava Gardner presence transformed this lurid tale into a classic and it's bound to remain so for ever.
132 Reviews
This contessa is beautiful but both overblown and bland
TheLittleSongbird20 October 2017
Was really intrigued into seeing 'The Barefoot Contessa'. Joseph L Mankiewicz was responsible for 'All About Eve', which is one of my all time favourite films, and when you have the likes of Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart and Edmond O'Brien one does expect a lot.
'The Barefoot Contessa' was disappointing. It is a long way from an awful film and has several very good things, but with such a talented cast and a director who was really good when he is in his prime it could have been so much more. Can totally see the polarising reactions on both sides, while 'The Barefoot Contessa' has a good deal to admire (more so than has been given credit for) it is not going to appeal, and has not appealed, to everybody. 1954 saw some great films, 'Rear Window', 'On the Waterfront', 'A Star is Born', 'Sabrina', 'Dial M for Murder', 'White Christmas' and '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', 'The Barefoot Contessa' to me just isn't in the same league.
Starting with what is good about 'The Barefoot Contessa', it looks great visually with beautiful autumnal cinematography and sumptuous costumes and settings, the very meaning of extravagant. The music score from Mario Nascimbene is lush and subtly done. There are some cracking lines and there is evidence of sincerity. Was very surprised at how daring and ahead of its time it was.
Ava Gardner lives up to her glamorous "the world's most beautiful animal" image and character and is positively luminous and graceful, she is very much in her prime here. Late-career Humphrey Bogart, rightly regarded as a cultural icon who died far too soon (only three years later), is as commanding as ever and not only the best actor in the cast but also one of the film's strongest elements. Edmond O'Brien is deliciously oily and in his best moments on dynamite form. Warren Stevens is very good too.
Rossano Brazzi was the weak link however in the cast, his role has little if anything to it and the only thing Brazzi brings to it is handsome looks, everywhere else he's very wooden and dull. Mankiewicz really is not at his best in the directing, he delivers on the style but elsewhere it's pedestrian and uninspired.
His writing fares even weaker, despite some moments of sincerity and cracking lines the acerbic wit that sparkled in 'All About Eve' four years earlier does not come through enough. Most of the film is too talky and rambling, as well as overwrought, flimsy and too rehearsed. The thin and sometimes muddled story does suffer from dull pacing that rarely fires on all cylinders and an overlong length, and feels both overblown as a result of being overwritten and bland due to the lack of depth to the writing and characterisation. Despite the great efforts of the cast the characters are under-explored and don't have much to allow us to connect properly with them.
Overall, beautiful but uneven. 5.5-6/10 Bethany Cox
'The Barefoot Contessa' was disappointing. It is a long way from an awful film and has several very good things, but with such a talented cast and a director who was really good when he is in his prime it could have been so much more. Can totally see the polarising reactions on both sides, while 'The Barefoot Contessa' has a good deal to admire (more so than has been given credit for) it is not going to appeal, and has not appealed, to everybody. 1954 saw some great films, 'Rear Window', 'On the Waterfront', 'A Star is Born', 'Sabrina', 'Dial M for Murder', 'White Christmas' and '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', 'The Barefoot Contessa' to me just isn't in the same league.
Starting with what is good about 'The Barefoot Contessa', it looks great visually with beautiful autumnal cinematography and sumptuous costumes and settings, the very meaning of extravagant. The music score from Mario Nascimbene is lush and subtly done. There are some cracking lines and there is evidence of sincerity. Was very surprised at how daring and ahead of its time it was.
Ava Gardner lives up to her glamorous "the world's most beautiful animal" image and character and is positively luminous and graceful, she is very much in her prime here. Late-career Humphrey Bogart, rightly regarded as a cultural icon who died far too soon (only three years later), is as commanding as ever and not only the best actor in the cast but also one of the film's strongest elements. Edmond O'Brien is deliciously oily and in his best moments on dynamite form. Warren Stevens is very good too.
Rossano Brazzi was the weak link however in the cast, his role has little if anything to it and the only thing Brazzi brings to it is handsome looks, everywhere else he's very wooden and dull. Mankiewicz really is not at his best in the directing, he delivers on the style but elsewhere it's pedestrian and uninspired.
His writing fares even weaker, despite some moments of sincerity and cracking lines the acerbic wit that sparkled in 'All About Eve' four years earlier does not come through enough. Most of the film is too talky and rambling, as well as overwrought, flimsy and too rehearsed. The thin and sometimes muddled story does suffer from dull pacing that rarely fires on all cylinders and an overlong length, and feels both overblown as a result of being overwritten and bland due to the lack of depth to the writing and characterisation. Despite the great efforts of the cast the characters are under-explored and don't have much to allow us to connect properly with them.
Overall, beautiful but uneven. 5.5-6/10 Bethany Cox
Interesting depiction of a Hollywood goddess
blanche-230 December 2006
Ava Gardner is beautiful Spanish dancer Maria Vargas who is discovered and given a Hollywood contract in "The Barefoot Contessa," also starring Humphrey Bogart, Edmund O'Brien, Rossanno Brazzi, Marius Goring, and Valentina Cortese. Written and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, the story is supposedly based on Rita Hayworth, who turned down the role. There are some similarities - the Spanish roots, the dancing angle, the studio head who desires her but doesn't get her, a la Harry Cohn, and the great sadness of her life. The famous story about Rita is that her first husband, Edward Judson, was nothing more than a pimp, though he is the man who turned her into a movie star. He demanded that she have sex with Harry Cohn, and Rita refused time and time again. Finally, Judson made a date for himself and Rita to go on a boat trip with Cohn, and Judson cancelled at the last minute, leaving Rita alone with the studio head. She still didn't go to bed with him.
The story begins at Maria's funeral and is told in flashback by the various men who were in her life. Most of the narration is provided by the Bogart character, writer-director Harry Dawes, who had a unique relationship with Maria - he cared for her deeply and was always there to listen to her and advise her. Maria was a woman whose life was lived as a barefoot Cinderella looking for her prince. Harry has a sixth sense about things, and when Maria is about to marry the man she believes to be her prince, Count Torlati-Favrini, Harry starts to worry. He knows that, as is often pointed out in the film, real life is much more erratic than a movie script.
Edmund O'Brien gives a terrific, Oscar-winning performance as a yes man/publicist who does all the talking for the studio head, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens). Bogart is excellent, but he does not have a great role; although he has top billing, he doesn't even have the starring role. One suspects he's there for box office pull.
The dialogue has been praised here - Mankiewicz was one of the great dialogue writers, but I found some of the dialogue in this a little pretentious and the pace slow. It's an interesting story, but for me it doesn't compare with "All About Eve" and "Letter to Three Wives" in script or in pace.
The star of the film is Ava Gardner. For this writer, Gardner and Hayworth were ultimate sex symbol/movie stars - gorgeous, sexy, exciting women. Around 32 here and living the wild life she always did, Gardner is breathtaking to look at. After the beginning of the film, she drops the Spanish accent, but she more than makes up for that in presence. Like Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, she was one of those actresses whose appearance and private life often received more publicity than her actual acting - but Ava could act. There was always something uninhibited, earthy, sexy, and inherently honest about her performances - and she was that way as a woman, too. I highly recommend her autobiography to anyone who hasn't read it.
To see this marvelous cast and especially to see them in something written and directed by a fine artist like Mankiewicz is worth it, even if it's a little flawed. Nobody's perfect.
The story begins at Maria's funeral and is told in flashback by the various men who were in her life. Most of the narration is provided by the Bogart character, writer-director Harry Dawes, who had a unique relationship with Maria - he cared for her deeply and was always there to listen to her and advise her. Maria was a woman whose life was lived as a barefoot Cinderella looking for her prince. Harry has a sixth sense about things, and when Maria is about to marry the man she believes to be her prince, Count Torlati-Favrini, Harry starts to worry. He knows that, as is often pointed out in the film, real life is much more erratic than a movie script.
Edmund O'Brien gives a terrific, Oscar-winning performance as a yes man/publicist who does all the talking for the studio head, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens). Bogart is excellent, but he does not have a great role; although he has top billing, he doesn't even have the starring role. One suspects he's there for box office pull.
The dialogue has been praised here - Mankiewicz was one of the great dialogue writers, but I found some of the dialogue in this a little pretentious and the pace slow. It's an interesting story, but for me it doesn't compare with "All About Eve" and "Letter to Three Wives" in script or in pace.
The star of the film is Ava Gardner. For this writer, Gardner and Hayworth were ultimate sex symbol/movie stars - gorgeous, sexy, exciting women. Around 32 here and living the wild life she always did, Gardner is breathtaking to look at. After the beginning of the film, she drops the Spanish accent, but she more than makes up for that in presence. Like Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, she was one of those actresses whose appearance and private life often received more publicity than her actual acting - but Ava could act. There was always something uninhibited, earthy, sexy, and inherently honest about her performances - and she was that way as a woman, too. I highly recommend her autobiography to anyone who hasn't read it.
To see this marvelous cast and especially to see them in something written and directed by a fine artist like Mankiewicz is worth it, even if it's a little flawed. Nobody's perfect.
Ava Gardner carries herself--and the film--beautifully.
scorpio-x14 July 2001
"The Barefoot Contessa" is a greatly underrated film--which is rather surprising, when you consider the amount of talent involved. First, there's the brilliant script by Joe Mankiewicz, who was always at his best when dissecting Hollywood and its denizens. The movie's best scene may be the Hollywood party where Kirk Edwards gets his comeuppance, all booze, boredom and viciousness ("What she's got, you can't spell. And what you've got, you used to have."); although the scenes of the pathetic/glamorous European jet set are also excellent, the way Mankiewicz can create a small line or gesture that delineates an entire character. Really, the only time his touch fails him is toward the end, when Maria meets her Count and things get a bit melodramatic.
Also magnificent is the cinematography by the always-brilliant Jack Cardiff, who invests everything with color-drenched glamour. (Did you know that, along with shooting such visual masterpieces as "Black Narcissus," "The Red Shoes" and "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," Cardiff was also the cinematogrpaher on "Rambo: First Blood." Yikes.) Edmond O'Brien won a well-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of the sleazy PR man Oscar Muldoon, managing to bring hints of depth and dimension to a character that could have easily been pure caricature. Another fine, if brief, supporting turn comes from Mari Aldon as Edwards' long-suffering mistress, Myrna (especially her "I'm just a scared tramp" exit line).
Still, what makes this film work is the presence and performance of Ava Gardner. See "The Barefoot Contessa" and you will understand why many have thought her to be the most beautiful woman ever to grace the screen. She is simply breathtaking. Ava's appearance alone is enough to give credibility to Maria Vargas' legendary magnetism--and, without that, the whole film would fail, as it's really just about three men standing around one woman's coffin, wondering that made her tick--but it's her work as an actress that raises the character from beautiful blank to irresistible enigma. Even when her dialogue is a bit trite and soap-opera, she manages to make it believable by making shallowness appear to conceal depth (if you get what I mean), and even does a fine job with the accent. This was the film that earned her the tag "the world's most beautiful animal," but Ava Gardner was much more than that.
Also magnificent is the cinematography by the always-brilliant Jack Cardiff, who invests everything with color-drenched glamour. (Did you know that, along with shooting such visual masterpieces as "Black Narcissus," "The Red Shoes" and "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," Cardiff was also the cinematogrpaher on "Rambo: First Blood." Yikes.) Edmond O'Brien won a well-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of the sleazy PR man Oscar Muldoon, managing to bring hints of depth and dimension to a character that could have easily been pure caricature. Another fine, if brief, supporting turn comes from Mari Aldon as Edwards' long-suffering mistress, Myrna (especially her "I'm just a scared tramp" exit line).
Still, what makes this film work is the presence and performance of Ava Gardner. See "The Barefoot Contessa" and you will understand why many have thought her to be the most beautiful woman ever to grace the screen. She is simply breathtaking. Ava's appearance alone is enough to give credibility to Maria Vargas' legendary magnetism--and, without that, the whole film would fail, as it's really just about three men standing around one woman's coffin, wondering that made her tick--but it's her work as an actress that raises the character from beautiful blank to irresistible enigma. Even when her dialogue is a bit trite and soap-opera, she manages to make it believable by making shallowness appear to conceal depth (if you get what I mean), and even does a fine job with the accent. This was the film that earned her the tag "the world's most beautiful animal," but Ava Gardner was much more than that.
Waiting for that perfect romance
bkoganbing13 October 2005
If there were any more beautiful women ever walked this planet of our's than Ava Gardner, they must have existed long before Thomas Edison invented the movies. Else they would have been film stars.
Maris Vargas is so different from the real life Ava. She's a silly girl filled with romantic notions and isn't about to give in to anyone unless it's for love.
When we meet her, she's dancing in a Spanish cafe and being eyed by Warren Stevens who's playing Kirk Edwards a not so veiled portrait of Howard Hughes who did in fact have the real Ava on his short list of desirable conquests. Stevens wants to sign her, but also to bed her. One doesn't go without the other.
Screenwriter Harry Dawes played by Humphrey Bogart foils Stevens's plan by having other producers view her test. With a bidding war on, Stevens has to sign Ava on her terms.
Ava doesn't give it up for Stevens and later neither to international playboy Marius Goring. Goring's character is based on Dominican diplomat and legendary lover, Porfirio Rubirosa. That's a story that would rate a film. I can see Antonio Banderas in the part.
She finds herself finally with Italian count Rossano Brazzi and she's sure this is it. But Brazzi has a terrible secret and Ava's efforts to deal with it bring nothing but tragedy.
Humphrey Bogart is top billed, probably as per his contract. But the film is really Ava's show. You won't easily forget her as Maria Vargas.
Edmond O'Brien won a Best Supporting Actor that year as sweaty press agent Oscar Muldoon. His is a profession that inspires cynicism by nature, yet O'Brien proves to have a lot more character than originally thought. O'Brien was up that year against Tom Tully from The Caine Mutiny and Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, and Lee J. Cobb from On the Waterfront. Of course those three split the vote and O'Brien was the lucky beneficiary.
Warren Stevens got his first real notice in The Barefoot Contessa and Marius Goring probably has his best film role of his career as Alberto Bravano the thinly disguised Rubirosa.
It's a sad tale and a cautionary one against silly romantic notions.
Maris Vargas is so different from the real life Ava. She's a silly girl filled with romantic notions and isn't about to give in to anyone unless it's for love.
When we meet her, she's dancing in a Spanish cafe and being eyed by Warren Stevens who's playing Kirk Edwards a not so veiled portrait of Howard Hughes who did in fact have the real Ava on his short list of desirable conquests. Stevens wants to sign her, but also to bed her. One doesn't go without the other.
Screenwriter Harry Dawes played by Humphrey Bogart foils Stevens's plan by having other producers view her test. With a bidding war on, Stevens has to sign Ava on her terms.
Ava doesn't give it up for Stevens and later neither to international playboy Marius Goring. Goring's character is based on Dominican diplomat and legendary lover, Porfirio Rubirosa. That's a story that would rate a film. I can see Antonio Banderas in the part.
She finds herself finally with Italian count Rossano Brazzi and she's sure this is it. But Brazzi has a terrible secret and Ava's efforts to deal with it bring nothing but tragedy.
Humphrey Bogart is top billed, probably as per his contract. But the film is really Ava's show. You won't easily forget her as Maria Vargas.
Edmond O'Brien won a Best Supporting Actor that year as sweaty press agent Oscar Muldoon. His is a profession that inspires cynicism by nature, yet O'Brien proves to have a lot more character than originally thought. O'Brien was up that year against Tom Tully from The Caine Mutiny and Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, and Lee J. Cobb from On the Waterfront. Of course those three split the vote and O'Brien was the lucky beneficiary.
Warren Stevens got his first real notice in The Barefoot Contessa and Marius Goring probably has his best film role of his career as Alberto Bravano the thinly disguised Rubirosa.
It's a sad tale and a cautionary one against silly romantic notions.
Pretty good, but also VERY whiny
planktonrules14 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The film begins in Spain where a totally obnoxious and evil rich producer (Warren Stevens) has come to offer a talented Spanish lady (Ava Gardner) a film contract. His entourage includes an alcoholic director who is on the wagon (Humphrey Bogart) and a fast-talking idiot PR man (Edmund O'Brien). Ms. Gardner makes it big in Hollywood, but seems bored with it all and spends much of the rest of the movie running from herself until a very tragic conclusion.
Aside from a few clichés here and there, this is a pretty good film and has a pretty cynical view of stardom. However, I also felt pretty annoyed at times during the picture because most of the characters in the film are amazingly wealthy and/or famous and they spend all their time whining about how bored they are!! This is exactly the sort of film that gives Communist revolutionaries the incentive to destroy the 'decadent Capitalists'! The character Ava Gardner played was on top of the world but also spent much of the film in a depressed stupor and the rich guys around her were ALL selfish louts. In fact, the only decent person in the entire film was Bogart.
While very watchable, the film is highly reminiscent of the Godard film, CONTEMPT, as well as THE SUN ALSO RISES (also starring Gardner). It's almost like the producers of the these other two films teased apart THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA and broke it into two films.
Aside from a few clichés here and there, this is a pretty good film and has a pretty cynical view of stardom. However, I also felt pretty annoyed at times during the picture because most of the characters in the film are amazingly wealthy and/or famous and they spend all their time whining about how bored they are!! This is exactly the sort of film that gives Communist revolutionaries the incentive to destroy the 'decadent Capitalists'! The character Ava Gardner played was on top of the world but also spent much of the film in a depressed stupor and the rich guys around her were ALL selfish louts. In fact, the only decent person in the entire film was Bogart.
While very watchable, the film is highly reminiscent of the Godard film, CONTEMPT, as well as THE SUN ALSO RISES (also starring Gardner). It's almost like the producers of the these other two films teased apart THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA and broke it into two films.
Bittersweet tale of success leading to tragedy
BuddyBoy19614 March 2000
Scouting talent for an upcoming film to be shot in Italy, a trio from Hollywood (writer/director Bogart, producer Stevens and publicist O'Brien) travel to Spain to scope renowned local dancing sensation Maria Vargas (Gardner). Immediately, they are struck by her beauty and presence. In fact, Gardner has a profound effect on every man she meets...though the effect is as unique as each man she encounters. Stevens sees a talent to be exploited for all it's worth and O'Brien sees only huge marquees and dollar signs. But Bogart, after a couple of brief but revealing conversations with Maria, sees so much more. Expecting a naive Spanish peasant eager to grab at the brass ring, he finds instead a woman as smart as she is beautiful, whose main motivation is to enjoy the challenge and escape that a Hollywood career might offer a woman who will nevertheless always value the simpler things in life. Even with her inate beauty and uncommon savvy, to Maria's detriment she does not have eyes in the back of her head. Told in flashback the viewer experiences her success in Hollywood and her quest to find the true love of a man (Brazzi) that has always eluded her.
In the hands of Joseph Mankiewicz, "The Barefoot Contessa" frequently bristles with crackling dialogue (would you have expected less?). Unique to this contribution from Mankiewicz is the portent that hangs over the film. As the details of Maria's life are expounded, empathy for her fate increases accordingly. Impeccably well-cast, this is actually an ensemble film. Gardner is luminous as Maria, though she is not solely dependent on her looks to carry the film--she gives a real performance. Bogart is stalwart and sympathetic as Maria's protector. And O'Brien, in an Academy Award-winning turn, is sly and oily as the single-minded publicist who changes allegiances as often as his sweat-soaked shirts. Lensed by the great Jack Cardiff and shot largely in Italy, the European ambiance, as well as the snappy dialogue, push the credibility of the premise a notch or two above so many other so-called exposés of Hollywood excess and pretense.
In the hands of Joseph Mankiewicz, "The Barefoot Contessa" frequently bristles with crackling dialogue (would you have expected less?). Unique to this contribution from Mankiewicz is the portent that hangs over the film. As the details of Maria's life are expounded, empathy for her fate increases accordingly. Impeccably well-cast, this is actually an ensemble film. Gardner is luminous as Maria, though she is not solely dependent on her looks to carry the film--she gives a real performance. Bogart is stalwart and sympathetic as Maria's protector. And O'Brien, in an Academy Award-winning turn, is sly and oily as the single-minded publicist who changes allegiances as often as his sweat-soaked shirts. Lensed by the great Jack Cardiff and shot largely in Italy, the European ambiance, as well as the snappy dialogue, push the credibility of the premise a notch or two above so many other so-called exposés of Hollywood excess and pretense.
A Bunion
Bolesroor27 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Ouch. What can I tell you? "The Barefoot Contessa" is a film so heavy, so un-fun, so self-consciously aware of its own bitter sophistication that I could not find a single saving grace in the picture.
Okay, Ava Gardner is luscious, and her lovely breasts are wonderfully showcased. And yes, Bogart manages to turn in a decent performance despite the disastrous dialogue, a tribute to his charm.
What went wrong? First and foremost the dialogue, written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. There is no action in the film- just characters standing and speaking in the most heavy-handed movie metaphors ever committed to screen. Voice-over fills every silence to drown us in details that would have choked the actors outright. Ava Gardner & Bogey share a relationship that spans years... and yet they never have a conversation in which either of them simply says what they mean.
BOGEY: Has Cinderella found her Prince Charming yet or must she return to the ball?
AVA: The actor writes the role for the screenwriter, not the other way around. And yet all this time, the peasant girl abides, and wonders when she must put on shoes and walk out of the valley forever...
!CRINGE! Every time I had a vague notion of what the characters were trying to say my attention waned and I had to start all over again. It wasn't worth the effort. If you want to know why novels are adapted and condensed before becoming a screenplay this movie stands as a perfect example. "The Barefoot Contessa" would have made a brilliant novel, but as a film it's a plodding failure.
GRADE: D
Okay, Ava Gardner is luscious, and her lovely breasts are wonderfully showcased. And yes, Bogart manages to turn in a decent performance despite the disastrous dialogue, a tribute to his charm.
What went wrong? First and foremost the dialogue, written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. There is no action in the film- just characters standing and speaking in the most heavy-handed movie metaphors ever committed to screen. Voice-over fills every silence to drown us in details that would have choked the actors outright. Ava Gardner & Bogey share a relationship that spans years... and yet they never have a conversation in which either of them simply says what they mean.
BOGEY: Has Cinderella found her Prince Charming yet or must she return to the ball?
AVA: The actor writes the role for the screenwriter, not the other way around. And yet all this time, the peasant girl abides, and wonders when she must put on shoes and walk out of the valley forever...
!CRINGE! Every time I had a vague notion of what the characters were trying to say my attention waned and I had to start all over again. It wasn't worth the effort. If you want to know why novels are adapted and condensed before becoming a screenplay this movie stands as a perfect example. "The Barefoot Contessa" would have made a brilliant novel, but as a film it's a plodding failure.
GRADE: D
The Crown Jewelless...
Xstal14 August 2023
There's a beauty that's discovered and she's a star, the kind of woman who would twist your neck and jar, and there are those who want to own her, with gifts a plenty they can confer, she won't let them through her door, as there's a bar. Harry Dawes becomes a friend and helps her grow, giving advice and wise direction she glows and glows, until one day the magic spells, she meets a Count, it all just gels, there's a proposal, a great big wedding, it's a great show. But the fruits of expectation are not hanging, it's not just hearts who's beats slow down, there is no banging, it all drives the lady nuts, and this might make you cuss and cuss, the deception is extreme, fraudulent planning.
Ava Gardener, what more can you say.
Ava Gardener, what more can you say.
A Cruel Irony of Fate
JamesHitchcock25 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The early fifties saw several excellent films made in Hollywood about Hollywood itself, such as "Sunset Boulevard", "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Bad and the Beautiful". "The Barefoot Contessa" also falls into this category. The main female character, Maria Vargas, is a famous actress and the leading male one, Harry Dawes, is a veteran director and screenwriter, although the film does not deal with the technicalities of movie-making quite as much as, say, "The Bad and the Beautiful". The emphasis is more on Maria's private life than on her professional career, and we never see any clips from her films.
The film begins with a scene set at Maria's funeral, with the main story told in flashback. It follows the normal structure of the "woman's picture", which was a popular genre in the forties and fifties. Such films were primarily aimed at a female audience and generally had a strong female figure as their leading character. The plot revolved around this female character and her life and loves, with male characters being defined in terms of their relationship to her.
Maria becomes a Hollywood star after she is discovered dancing in a Spanish night club story by Kirk Edwards, a business tycoon turned film producer. Her story is narrated by three of the men in her life- Harry, who becomes her friend but not her lover (he is happily married), Oscar Muldoon, a publicist working for Edwards, and Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini, the Italian Count who becomes her husband. (The title derives from the title Maria acquires on her marriage and the fact that she likes to dance barefoot). Another important character is Maria's lover Alberto Bravano, a wealthy Latin American playboy
As with "The Bad and the Beautiful" there has been a lot of speculation as to whether any of the characters were based on real-life individuals. (Howard Hughes, for example, has been suggested as the model for Edwards and Rita Hayworth for Maria). I suspect, however, that Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who acted as both writer and director of the film, would have been too cautious to risk upsetting any of his Hollywood colleagues by basing his characters too obviously on any living individual, and the studio would not have wanted to risk a possible libel suit. Certainly, one can always find significant differences between the characters and those individuals upon whom they were supposedly based; Hughes, for example, may have had his faults, but he had a real passion for film- making, unlike Edwards who has only moved into the industry because he sees it as a money-making opportunity.
1954 was a vintage year for Humphrey Bogart, as it was the year when he made three of his finest films, this one, "Sabrina" and "The Caine Mutiny". In his early days as a major star, he tended to specialise in a few genres- gangster pictures, films noirs, war films and Westerns, generally as a tough guy or action hero. In the last few years of his life, however- he was to die less than three years after completing "The Barefoot Contessa"- he was to extend his range, into comedy ("We're No Angels"), romantic comedy ("Sabrina") and into playing flawed, emotionally vulnerable characters ("The Caine Mutiny", "The Left Hand of God"). Harry Dawes is in some ways, such as his world-weary cynicism, a typical Bogart character, but in others he too represents a new departure for the actor. Although Harry is the leading role- he has more screen time than any other male character- he is (unlike most Bogart characters) a bystander, someone who comments on the action rather than participating directly in it. Edwards, Bravano and the Count all play much more active roles in Maria's life.
This was one of a number of films- others include "The Killers" and "Bhowani Junction"- which show that Ava Gardner deserves to be remembered as a serious actress, not just as a sex symbol. Maria can be seen as a tragic heroine- not in the sense that she is destroyed by a flaw in her character but in the sense that she falls victim to a cruel irony of fate; in a desperate attempt to please the one man whom she truly loves she only succeeds in provoking his anger and jealousy.
I have always had a high regard for this film, so I am surprised at some of the negative comments on this board. One reviewer compares it to a soap opera, but few soap operas can call upon actors as gifted as Humphrey Bogart, or Edmond O'Brien, or have dialogue as witty and literate as that written by Mankiewicz. Soap operas tend to be excessively melodramatic, but this is not the case with "The Barefoot Contessa"; much of the film, particularly in the first half, is taken up with dialogue rather than physical action, and potentially melodramatic elements in the plot, such as the trial of Maria's father for the murder of her mother, tend to be played in a low-key manner. Only at the end, when we learn the manner of Maria's tragic death and the reason for it, does strong emotion predominate, and it would have been ridiculous to have played these scenes in anything other than an emotional way.
This is not perhaps Mankiewicz's finest film- in my view that is probably "All About Eve", another film with an actress at its centre. It is, however, a fine study of the rise and fall of a twentieth-century goddess. 8/10.
The film begins with a scene set at Maria's funeral, with the main story told in flashback. It follows the normal structure of the "woman's picture", which was a popular genre in the forties and fifties. Such films were primarily aimed at a female audience and generally had a strong female figure as their leading character. The plot revolved around this female character and her life and loves, with male characters being defined in terms of their relationship to her.
Maria becomes a Hollywood star after she is discovered dancing in a Spanish night club story by Kirk Edwards, a business tycoon turned film producer. Her story is narrated by three of the men in her life- Harry, who becomes her friend but not her lover (he is happily married), Oscar Muldoon, a publicist working for Edwards, and Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini, the Italian Count who becomes her husband. (The title derives from the title Maria acquires on her marriage and the fact that she likes to dance barefoot). Another important character is Maria's lover Alberto Bravano, a wealthy Latin American playboy
As with "The Bad and the Beautiful" there has been a lot of speculation as to whether any of the characters were based on real-life individuals. (Howard Hughes, for example, has been suggested as the model for Edwards and Rita Hayworth for Maria). I suspect, however, that Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who acted as both writer and director of the film, would have been too cautious to risk upsetting any of his Hollywood colleagues by basing his characters too obviously on any living individual, and the studio would not have wanted to risk a possible libel suit. Certainly, one can always find significant differences between the characters and those individuals upon whom they were supposedly based; Hughes, for example, may have had his faults, but he had a real passion for film- making, unlike Edwards who has only moved into the industry because he sees it as a money-making opportunity.
1954 was a vintage year for Humphrey Bogart, as it was the year when he made three of his finest films, this one, "Sabrina" and "The Caine Mutiny". In his early days as a major star, he tended to specialise in a few genres- gangster pictures, films noirs, war films and Westerns, generally as a tough guy or action hero. In the last few years of his life, however- he was to die less than three years after completing "The Barefoot Contessa"- he was to extend his range, into comedy ("We're No Angels"), romantic comedy ("Sabrina") and into playing flawed, emotionally vulnerable characters ("The Caine Mutiny", "The Left Hand of God"). Harry Dawes is in some ways, such as his world-weary cynicism, a typical Bogart character, but in others he too represents a new departure for the actor. Although Harry is the leading role- he has more screen time than any other male character- he is (unlike most Bogart characters) a bystander, someone who comments on the action rather than participating directly in it. Edwards, Bravano and the Count all play much more active roles in Maria's life.
This was one of a number of films- others include "The Killers" and "Bhowani Junction"- which show that Ava Gardner deserves to be remembered as a serious actress, not just as a sex symbol. Maria can be seen as a tragic heroine- not in the sense that she is destroyed by a flaw in her character but in the sense that she falls victim to a cruel irony of fate; in a desperate attempt to please the one man whom she truly loves she only succeeds in provoking his anger and jealousy.
I have always had a high regard for this film, so I am surprised at some of the negative comments on this board. One reviewer compares it to a soap opera, but few soap operas can call upon actors as gifted as Humphrey Bogart, or Edmond O'Brien, or have dialogue as witty and literate as that written by Mankiewicz. Soap operas tend to be excessively melodramatic, but this is not the case with "The Barefoot Contessa"; much of the film, particularly in the first half, is taken up with dialogue rather than physical action, and potentially melodramatic elements in the plot, such as the trial of Maria's father for the murder of her mother, tend to be played in a low-key manner. Only at the end, when we learn the manner of Maria's tragic death and the reason for it, does strong emotion predominate, and it would have been ridiculous to have played these scenes in anything other than an emotional way.
This is not perhaps Mankiewicz's finest film- in my view that is probably "All About Eve", another film with an actress at its centre. It is, however, a fine study of the rise and fall of a twentieth-century goddess. 8/10.
Ava Gardner acted with the distracted air of a woman searching for something she cannot quite define
Nazi_Fighter_David8 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Ava Gardner replaced Rita Hayworth, in the late forties and early fifties, as Hollywood's leading love goddess
She was less sparkly than Rita, and her reign, coming just before Marilyn Monroe's, was a short one, but she had certain symbolic virtues that were not to be denied
There is indeed an animal quality about her sensuality
She is a proud, restless tigress, sure of her powers, yet confused about their proper uses
"The Barefoot Contessa," opens at the rain-drenched gravesite of actress Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) where the people who were involved with her recount how she arrived at this stern destination They include Bogart as a film director and Edmond O'Brien, who won an Academy Award for his performance as a loud-mouthed press agent
Bogart relates how he was hired to write a screenplay featuring a new glamor girl He and a rude millionaire interested in movie-making (Warren Stevens) discover Maria dancing in a Madrid cabaret and choose her as their leading lady She becomes an overnight sensation and helps Bogart regain his lost stature... The remainder of this overlong film then turns to pretentious soap-opera, building to a climax in which Maria and a boyfriend are in face of an impotent husband
The film was populated by harsh, self-indulgent, and unsavory men who all came off second-best to Bogart, a cynical but comparatively likable character
The plot had strong cinematic possibilities, but the script by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also directed, had ambiguous passages, overly ornate, and ultimately tiresome
"The Barefoot Contessa," opens at the rain-drenched gravesite of actress Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) where the people who were involved with her recount how she arrived at this stern destination They include Bogart as a film director and Edmond O'Brien, who won an Academy Award for his performance as a loud-mouthed press agent
Bogart relates how he was hired to write a screenplay featuring a new glamor girl He and a rude millionaire interested in movie-making (Warren Stevens) discover Maria dancing in a Madrid cabaret and choose her as their leading lady She becomes an overnight sensation and helps Bogart regain his lost stature... The remainder of this overlong film then turns to pretentious soap-opera, building to a climax in which Maria and a boyfriend are in face of an impotent husband
The film was populated by harsh, self-indulgent, and unsavory men who all came off second-best to Bogart, a cynical but comparatively likable character
The plot had strong cinematic possibilities, but the script by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also directed, had ambiguous passages, overly ornate, and ultimately tiresome
A Talky Film, But Highly Compelling For All That
theowinthrop12 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I have always felt that if Humphrey Bogart had not died in 1957 he would have gradually left the lead roles of his greatest films to pick up very juicy character roles, and the film that convinces of this is THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA. His Harry Dawes is not the hero of this tragedy - there is no hero, just a heroine who loses all. Harry is her closest confidante and guide, for he sees the talent that makes Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) the great film star she becomes, but he realizes that she is a very real and good person - but a terribly naive one for all that in a corrupt world. It is Harry's sad duty not only to help tell the audience the story, but to watch (one might say inevitably) Maria destroy herself.
Harry is one of the people that wealthy control freak Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens) finds available because they are on beams end. Harry has had drinking problems, and his career as a film director is in the toilet. Edwards has found Maria in the slums of Madrid, and believes she has great potential. He wants Harry to direct her in a film test, just to be sure. Harry has little choice, and does the test - but he gets to know Maria and win her trust. And he finds a way to somehow do his work for Edwards but give Maria a fighting chance to not be under Edwards' iron glove control.
We watch Maria's career progress, with her honesty able to capture public approval when she runs to defend her father from a homicide charge. Later we see her successfully break with first Edwards, and then his Latin American rival Alberto Bravano (Marius Goring) and then falling in love with the Count Vincenzo Torlato - Favrini (Rossano Brazzi) whom she marries in the belief he is her long awaited knight in shining armor. But the Count has a secret, and in learning it and trying to overcome it Maria destroys all she achieved in four short years.
All of Joseph Mankiewicz's films are literate - he is possibly the most verbally careful of all major film directors. Some by the way find that THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA may stray too far afield because of the dialog (most of the film's narration is during a funeral). But he still gets some very effective scenes in. The confrontation between Edwards, a humorless example of the Puritan work ethic, and Bravano (who for all his defects is honest about enjoying his money and position to appreciate living) at a party is a great highpoint. So is such a minor moment as when a royal pretender to a throne makes a tragically accurate comparison between himself and Torlatto - Favrini. So stick to that dialog - it pays off.
The film is also a roman-a-clef. Some of the characters are obviously clones of real people. Edwards the millionaire control freak is based on Howard Hughes, especially with private contracts for performers like Jane Russell. Bravano has a lot of the Dominican Republic playboy Porfirio Ruberosa. The background of Maria Vargas is supposedly based on that of Rita Casino (Rita Hayworth). I am sure that Harry Dawes is based on some directors that Mankiewicz knew of, as was Edmond O'Brien's publicist and factotum Oscar Muldoon (catch his scene on the telephone talking to Harry when the latter is in Hollywood and Oscar is in London, or his final break with Edwards - "the Party's Over" - and realize this role, not D.O.A., was the one that netted O'Brien his Oscar for best supporting actor). A fascinating study of the limits of movie fame and fortune in winning happiness.
Final note: Mankiewicz apparently could not avoid having a small joke at the expense of his audience. When we see Maria's first film, the marquee has a poster that mentions the screenplay is by "Lloyd Richards". "Lloyd Richards" (Hugh Marlowe) was the dramatist who wrote plays for Margo Channing and Eve Harrington in Mankiewicz's classic ALL ABOUT EVE!
Harry is one of the people that wealthy control freak Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens) finds available because they are on beams end. Harry has had drinking problems, and his career as a film director is in the toilet. Edwards has found Maria in the slums of Madrid, and believes she has great potential. He wants Harry to direct her in a film test, just to be sure. Harry has little choice, and does the test - but he gets to know Maria and win her trust. And he finds a way to somehow do his work for Edwards but give Maria a fighting chance to not be under Edwards' iron glove control.
We watch Maria's career progress, with her honesty able to capture public approval when she runs to defend her father from a homicide charge. Later we see her successfully break with first Edwards, and then his Latin American rival Alberto Bravano (Marius Goring) and then falling in love with the Count Vincenzo Torlato - Favrini (Rossano Brazzi) whom she marries in the belief he is her long awaited knight in shining armor. But the Count has a secret, and in learning it and trying to overcome it Maria destroys all she achieved in four short years.
All of Joseph Mankiewicz's films are literate - he is possibly the most verbally careful of all major film directors. Some by the way find that THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA may stray too far afield because of the dialog (most of the film's narration is during a funeral). But he still gets some very effective scenes in. The confrontation between Edwards, a humorless example of the Puritan work ethic, and Bravano (who for all his defects is honest about enjoying his money and position to appreciate living) at a party is a great highpoint. So is such a minor moment as when a royal pretender to a throne makes a tragically accurate comparison between himself and Torlatto - Favrini. So stick to that dialog - it pays off.
The film is also a roman-a-clef. Some of the characters are obviously clones of real people. Edwards the millionaire control freak is based on Howard Hughes, especially with private contracts for performers like Jane Russell. Bravano has a lot of the Dominican Republic playboy Porfirio Ruberosa. The background of Maria Vargas is supposedly based on that of Rita Casino (Rita Hayworth). I am sure that Harry Dawes is based on some directors that Mankiewicz knew of, as was Edmond O'Brien's publicist and factotum Oscar Muldoon (catch his scene on the telephone talking to Harry when the latter is in Hollywood and Oscar is in London, or his final break with Edwards - "the Party's Over" - and realize this role, not D.O.A., was the one that netted O'Brien his Oscar for best supporting actor). A fascinating study of the limits of movie fame and fortune in winning happiness.
Final note: Mankiewicz apparently could not avoid having a small joke at the expense of his audience. When we see Maria's first film, the marquee has a poster that mentions the screenplay is by "Lloyd Richards". "Lloyd Richards" (Hugh Marlowe) was the dramatist who wrote plays for Margo Channing and Eve Harrington in Mankiewicz's classic ALL ABOUT EVE!
Down and out in Hollywood, Rome and the Riviera
cowboyandvampire10 December 2012
When a movie opens with the funeral of the main character, you know you are in for a long, sad ride. Really long, in this case – the movie clocks in at two hours. With the inevitability of a tragic death fixed at the opening, it's hard not to see the entire film through filter of sadness.
The Barefoot Contessa follows the rise, perpetual dissatisfaction and demise of a beautiful, charismatic Maria Vargas, a young Spanish woman played by Ava Gardner. A powerful wall street type turned movie backer wants her to be the new face and visits her in her small village, dragging along a PR man, the director and washed up actress. There are two narrators – a little confusing at times – but most of the movie is relayed from the perspective of Humphrey Bogart, a sad sack, world weary writer/director (in a mythical time when writers were as famous as the stars). He was great, as always, and Gardner was good but lacked oomph for someone supposedly able to set the world on fire.
I think that was due mainly to the direction, she wasn't allowed to sparkle; quite the opposite, she was prohibited from shining. The odd thing about the movie is how much of her action happened off screen. When Hollywood arrives in her village to see her dance, we only see her hands clicking castanets. When she has a screen test which dazzles jaded directors and, we don't see it. When she makes three movies, we never see her on set or even get a hint of what she was like in the movies. When she rises to the top of the celebrity mountain with legions of adoring fans, we don't see them or even understand why. In fact, all she really does is mope around and wait for her demise. The only time she is allowed to partially captivate is during an odd scene where she hand-dances at a Gypsy camp.
It must have been intentional, and added to the doomed mood throughout. Instead of the details, instead of watching a small town girl lose her innocence (though she always seemed quite confident, self-possessed and resigned to her fate) we see the outcomes -- cruel people growing crueler, the dehumanizing effect of fame and redemption for a few characters (Bogart's character finds true love after three marriages and manages to kick the booze habit for good). Mostly we see barefoot Ava, drifting through life, never able to let herself be happy, or fall in love, or enjoy success, or even laugh. And we are never really able to understand why. The opening shot shows that she is doomed and I was never able to shake that inevitability throughout.
Still well worth the time.
-- www.cowboyandvampire.come --
The Barefoot Contessa follows the rise, perpetual dissatisfaction and demise of a beautiful, charismatic Maria Vargas, a young Spanish woman played by Ava Gardner. A powerful wall street type turned movie backer wants her to be the new face and visits her in her small village, dragging along a PR man, the director and washed up actress. There are two narrators – a little confusing at times – but most of the movie is relayed from the perspective of Humphrey Bogart, a sad sack, world weary writer/director (in a mythical time when writers were as famous as the stars). He was great, as always, and Gardner was good but lacked oomph for someone supposedly able to set the world on fire.
I think that was due mainly to the direction, she wasn't allowed to sparkle; quite the opposite, she was prohibited from shining. The odd thing about the movie is how much of her action happened off screen. When Hollywood arrives in her village to see her dance, we only see her hands clicking castanets. When she has a screen test which dazzles jaded directors and, we don't see it. When she makes three movies, we never see her on set or even get a hint of what she was like in the movies. When she rises to the top of the celebrity mountain with legions of adoring fans, we don't see them or even understand why. In fact, all she really does is mope around and wait for her demise. The only time she is allowed to partially captivate is during an odd scene where she hand-dances at a Gypsy camp.
It must have been intentional, and added to the doomed mood throughout. Instead of the details, instead of watching a small town girl lose her innocence (though she always seemed quite confident, self-possessed and resigned to her fate) we see the outcomes -- cruel people growing crueler, the dehumanizing effect of fame and redemption for a few characters (Bogart's character finds true love after three marriages and manages to kick the booze habit for good). Mostly we see barefoot Ava, drifting through life, never able to let herself be happy, or fall in love, or enjoy success, or even laugh. And we are never really able to understand why. The opening shot shows that she is doomed and I was never able to shake that inevitability throughout.
Still well worth the time.
-- www.cowboyandvampire.come --
A giant question mark posing as a metaphor.
mark.waltz29 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
There are so many moments lingering underneath this pretentious "art" film that is more puzzling as each scene goes by. There are so many messages pro-film making and anti-film making, and whether this was meant to be Mankiewicz;'s valentine to the growing influence of European films as his masterpiece "All About Eve" was to the theatre. The story of Spanish movie star Ava Gardner, discovered by American filmmaker Humphrey Bogart, begins in the present and sinks back to the past. Like Bogart's 1944 war film "A Passage to Marsaille", the film has flashbacks within flashbacks. The story covers her discovery by Bogart, her ascent to stardom, and ultimately, descent into degradation after making a shocking discover about the count (Rossano Brazzi) she has discovered isn't quite the prince charming she envisioned him to be.
Gardner, one of the screen's most breathtaking beauties, is a delight to look at, and it seems her own disgust with the Hollywood publicity machine has influenced her almost blank performance. The narration by the three different men in Gardner's life is the bulk of the Oscar Nominated Screenplay. Highlights of the story are the trial of Gardner's father for the murder of her mother (who is revealed not to be the saint most Spanish mothers are elevated to), and Edmund O'Brien's description of the vacuum-like international society set which is as empty as the cocoon he uses to describe some of the members to be in. That sequence offers an opportunity to laugh at the rich. The costumes, art direction and photography are sumptuous, but the film, like most of the characters, is an example of the walking dead. Still, there are some wonderful observations about humanity (or the lack of it) and the people who live a shell of a life that is even missing the sounds of the ocean in the midst of its blankness.
Gardner, one of the screen's most breathtaking beauties, is a delight to look at, and it seems her own disgust with the Hollywood publicity machine has influenced her almost blank performance. The narration by the three different men in Gardner's life is the bulk of the Oscar Nominated Screenplay. Highlights of the story are the trial of Gardner's father for the murder of her mother (who is revealed not to be the saint most Spanish mothers are elevated to), and Edmund O'Brien's description of the vacuum-like international society set which is as empty as the cocoon he uses to describe some of the members to be in. That sequence offers an opportunity to laugh at the rich. The costumes, art direction and photography are sumptuous, but the film, like most of the characters, is an example of the walking dead. Still, there are some wonderful observations about humanity (or the lack of it) and the people who live a shell of a life that is even missing the sounds of the ocean in the midst of its blankness.
Good Character Study, Writing, & Settings
Snow Leopard14 November 2005
This sometimes slow, but interesting, movie has a number of strengths, most notably its characters, writing, and settings. The cast also features some fine performances from Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, and Edmund O'Brien. The 'contessa' herself is undeniably the center of attention, but there is also much more to appreciate.
Gardner does well in personifying Maria, a character with an unusual mix of earthiness and innocence. The symbolic contrast between wearing shoes and going barefoot seems at first to be a rather obvious device, but as the character is developed, it gradually takes on more meaning. Gardner, with a lot of help from the Joseph Mankiewicz script, is convincing amidst Maria's changing fortunes in love and in her career.
Bogart is an ideal choice to play the director, whose own nature has an unexpected combination of world-weariness and integrity. And O'Brien gets one of his very best roles, as a press agent who is largely a parasite, but who turns out to have a couple of interesting things inside of him.
On the surface, the story is a relatively simple tale of a young 'discovery' and of what happens to her after she finds sudden fame. Yet the contrasts and conflicts among the characters, and the contrasts between them and their surroundings, make for plenty of good material. The multiple narratives and the dialogue help considerably in bringing out many of these possibilities. It's an interesting and effective movie that makes its characters come alive, and allows you to spend a couple of hours in their world.
Gardner does well in personifying Maria, a character with an unusual mix of earthiness and innocence. The symbolic contrast between wearing shoes and going barefoot seems at first to be a rather obvious device, but as the character is developed, it gradually takes on more meaning. Gardner, with a lot of help from the Joseph Mankiewicz script, is convincing amidst Maria's changing fortunes in love and in her career.
Bogart is an ideal choice to play the director, whose own nature has an unexpected combination of world-weariness and integrity. And O'Brien gets one of his very best roles, as a press agent who is largely a parasite, but who turns out to have a couple of interesting things inside of him.
On the surface, the story is a relatively simple tale of a young 'discovery' and of what happens to her after she finds sudden fame. Yet the contrasts and conflicts among the characters, and the contrasts between them and their surroundings, make for plenty of good material. The multiple narratives and the dialogue help considerably in bringing out many of these possibilities. It's an interesting and effective movie that makes its characters come alive, and allows you to spend a couple of hours in their world.
The last act could lose twenty minutes easily
christopher-underwood14 March 2018
This starts very well, more than a little reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard, with initially Humphrey Bogart as the narrator. This is probably one of Bogart's finest performances, certainly his is a stand out performance in this fairytale romance that can never have a happy end because that is where we come in, in the graveyard. Ava Gardner is good, I don't know about the claims as to her fabulous beauty, Blue Ray does her no favours, exposing the thickness of make-up but her costumes also seem most constricting and unflattering. But she puts in a good performance, especially in her scenes with Bogart. It is just a shame that the promise at the start of some Hollywood expose and an attack upon the bullying and abusive producers comes to nothing and we talk once more of Cinderella. The last act could lose twenty minutes easily and indeed I would remove the entire performance of Valentina Cortese as the Count's sister who does not help at all as we descend into an appalling Hollywood cop out ending. Remains watchable, however, for the first half, Ava's early scenes and the complete Bogart performance only a couple of years before his death.
interesting tale from mankiewicz
ksf-224 March 2022
Maria (gardner) starts out as a performer in a club. She sets her own boundaries, but never seems happy. When the rich, snooty producer brings his team in, he tries to steamroll maria, and convince her to come make a film in hollywood. This was kind of a strange role for bogart; he was a gangster for so long. Here, he's the film's writer and director, but he respects maria., and has a friendship with her. It's a long film, but the last thirty minutes is where all the meat is. Maria meets her prince, or in this case the count; but even with him, she doesn't know if she will ever find happiness. It's all very well done. Written and directed by joe mankiewicz. He had already won his four oscars.
Hollywood warts and all
Sergiodave11 August 2020
1950's tale of a Spanish dancer who becomes a leading lady in Hollywood. Ava Gardner plays the sultry lead brilliantly and Humphrey Bogart as her friend and director is great. This is not a happy film, but shows Hollywood for what it was, and probably still is. Really enjoyable old colour movie.
She Found the Wrong Prince Charming
claudio_carvalho21 October 2006
While in the burial of Countess Torlato-Favrini (Ava Gardner), her friend Harry Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) and the Count Vincenzo Torlato- Favrini (Rossano Brazzi) recall parts of her past. When the wealthy Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens) hires director and screenplay writer Harry Dawes, they travel to Spain with the public relations Oscar Muldoon to see the dancer of a nightclub Maria Vargas and invite her for an audition, since they need a new face for their next movie. Maria, a naive woman with simple origins, is convinced by Harry to go to Hollywood and becomes a famous star and a close friend of Harry and his girlfriend Jerry (Elizabeth Sellars). Along her successful career, Maria lives personal dramas including lack of adaptation for her new lifestyle, is unable to love and is disputed by the powerful millionaires Kirk Edwards and Alberto Bravano (Marius Goring). When she meets the noble and handsome Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini (Rossano Brazzi) in the French Riviera, she believes that she found her prince charming and her life becomes a fairy tale. But after the wedding, she sees that her Cinderella's castle of dreams has become a pumpkin.
"The Barefoot Contessa" is another movie of the great director Joseph L. Mankiewicz where, like in "All About Eve", the backstage of the lifestyle of Hollywood of the 50's is disclosed without any glamor, full of betrayals, ambition and manipulation, where lives are destroyed by cynic and powerful people. Ava Gardner steals this movie with her astonishing beauty, Humphrey Bogart is excellent as usual and Edmond O'Brien won the Oscar. This melodramatic story has also a great cinematography and locations, and in spite of some moments of "soap-opera", it is a good film. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Condessa Descalça" ("The Barefoot Countess")
Note: On 01 May 2012, I saw this film again on DVD.
"The Barefoot Contessa" is another movie of the great director Joseph L. Mankiewicz where, like in "All About Eve", the backstage of the lifestyle of Hollywood of the 50's is disclosed without any glamor, full of betrayals, ambition and manipulation, where lives are destroyed by cynic and powerful people. Ava Gardner steals this movie with her astonishing beauty, Humphrey Bogart is excellent as usual and Edmond O'Brien won the Oscar. This melodramatic story has also a great cinematography and locations, and in spite of some moments of "soap-opera", it is a good film. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Condessa Descalça" ("The Barefoot Countess")
Note: On 01 May 2012, I saw this film again on DVD.
A lugubrious, Hollywood-turns-on-self potboiler from Joseph Mankiewicz
bmacv19 March 2003
Joseph L. Mankiewicz' The Barefoot Contessa exerts the baleful fascination of an uncoiling serpent. It's one of a brood of movies dating from about 1950 (Sunset Boulevard, The Bad and The Beautiful, A Star Is Born, Two Weeks in Another Town, The Legend of Lylah Clare) that shows Hollywood turning poisonously on itself. But while Mankiewicz' similar lowdown on Broadway, All About Eve, transformed all the backstage bitchery and mordant cynicism into entertaining, brittle artifice, The Barefoot Contessa sinks into its own fetid swamp. It reeks of private scores being settled, of spiteful inside jokes.
An unpleasant party of American filmmakers, none of whom likes the others, descends on a dive in Madrid to watch Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) dance flamenco. But the haughty peasant girl won't consort with patrons, even with a filthy-rich icepick of a producer (Warren Stevens), who sends first his toadying publicist (Edmond O'Brien) then a director in his employ (Humphrey Bogart) to fetch her. Ultimately she relents, journeys to Hollywood, and becomes the toast of the town. The possessive, controlling Stevens pushes her too hard, and she leaves him for an even wealthier South American playboy (Marius Goring). When, he, too, pushes hard, a proud Italian nobleman waits in the wings to make her his Contessa.
The central portrait of Gardner descends from the proto-feminist carnality of her compatriot Carmen (as drawn by Prosper Merimée and Georges Bizet). For various reasons, her relationships with the four principal males in the story stay chaste; she reserves her passion for flings with lusty men of the same soil in which she likes to dig her unshod toes. (The avuncular Bogart numbers among her platonic lovers, wed as he is to doting Elizabeth Sellars, who looks like Dorothy Kilgallen in her What's-My-Line couture).
But, as the 1950s never tired of telling us, unbridled sexuality leads to death. The movie opens at the Contessa's rainy funeral, and returns there again and again like a tolling bell. That sets the lugubrious, portentous tone a splashy threnody. But The Barefoot Contessa is closer in spirit to a pulpy potboiler, with its movie-colony parties and casinos at Cannes, and with characters suggesting Porfirio Rubirosa and the exiled Windsors.
Mankiewicz, a wildly uneven director, misfires badly here, with an overlong, overblown melodrama that some ruthless nipping and tucking might have made more svelte. (He even repeats an entire scene, shot from a different angle, but to no rhetorical point.) The dialogue shows grease stains from all the midnight oil, and what in All About Eve was overwrought and epigrammatic has become arch, too cleverly coy.
Though Gardner took the title role, the center of attention defaults to Bogart, starting to look old and ill but still the best thing in the movie. O'Brien walked away with a supporting-actor Oscar for his part, though he lent much finer support in two better pictures, The Killers and White Heat. Both Goring and Brazzi could benefit from subtitles. Voice-overs disorientingly shift from character to character, like a relay race. The freshest element in the production is the camera work from Jack Cardiff, who defied the garish Technicolor of the era to give The Barefoot Contessa a muted, autumnal look. He and Bogart are the only two participants who guessed the movie's intended key right.
An unpleasant party of American filmmakers, none of whom likes the others, descends on a dive in Madrid to watch Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) dance flamenco. But the haughty peasant girl won't consort with patrons, even with a filthy-rich icepick of a producer (Warren Stevens), who sends first his toadying publicist (Edmond O'Brien) then a director in his employ (Humphrey Bogart) to fetch her. Ultimately she relents, journeys to Hollywood, and becomes the toast of the town. The possessive, controlling Stevens pushes her too hard, and she leaves him for an even wealthier South American playboy (Marius Goring). When, he, too, pushes hard, a proud Italian nobleman waits in the wings to make her his Contessa.
The central portrait of Gardner descends from the proto-feminist carnality of her compatriot Carmen (as drawn by Prosper Merimée and Georges Bizet). For various reasons, her relationships with the four principal males in the story stay chaste; she reserves her passion for flings with lusty men of the same soil in which she likes to dig her unshod toes. (The avuncular Bogart numbers among her platonic lovers, wed as he is to doting Elizabeth Sellars, who looks like Dorothy Kilgallen in her What's-My-Line couture).
But, as the 1950s never tired of telling us, unbridled sexuality leads to death. The movie opens at the Contessa's rainy funeral, and returns there again and again like a tolling bell. That sets the lugubrious, portentous tone a splashy threnody. But The Barefoot Contessa is closer in spirit to a pulpy potboiler, with its movie-colony parties and casinos at Cannes, and with characters suggesting Porfirio Rubirosa and the exiled Windsors.
Mankiewicz, a wildly uneven director, misfires badly here, with an overlong, overblown melodrama that some ruthless nipping and tucking might have made more svelte. (He even repeats an entire scene, shot from a different angle, but to no rhetorical point.) The dialogue shows grease stains from all the midnight oil, and what in All About Eve was overwrought and epigrammatic has become arch, too cleverly coy.
Though Gardner took the title role, the center of attention defaults to Bogart, starting to look old and ill but still the best thing in the movie. O'Brien walked away with a supporting-actor Oscar for his part, though he lent much finer support in two better pictures, The Killers and White Heat. Both Goring and Brazzi could benefit from subtitles. Voice-overs disorientingly shift from character to character, like a relay race. The freshest element in the production is the camera work from Jack Cardiff, who defied the garish Technicolor of the era to give The Barefoot Contessa a muted, autumnal look. He and Bogart are the only two participants who guessed the movie's intended key right.
I like it better than All About Eve, myself
zetes3 November 2002
A quietly moving film about the short life of a curiously indescribable woman, Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner), and the men who knew her. Joseph L. Mankiewicz is probably most famous for his film All About Eve, which he both wrote and directed, as he did with The Barefoot Contessa. He structures Contessa much the same as he does Eve, starting the film at the end of the story and then working backward through flashbacks. This time we begin at Maria's funeral, and three men who are attending it narrate her strange and melancholy story. Humphrey Bogart is arguably the lead actor, as he narrates the majority of the film, probably about half. He plays Harry Dawes, a washed-up movie writer/director who is carried along to Madrid by his producer, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens) and his producer's assistant, Oscar (Edmond O'Brien, who won a much-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar; Oscar is the second narrator). They go to Madrid to pursue Maria, whose name has started to become famous in Europe. While Maria at first refuses, Harry is able to convince her to come where others have failed. Where one might expect Mankiewicz to make The Barefoot Contessa about Hollywood what All About Eve was to Broadway, the film has little to do with Hollywood. We do experience a couple of Hollywood parties, but the film is more concerned with the world of the fabulously wealthy. Maria has grown up poor and rather wretched - she has many sad stories about her life during the Spanish Civil War - and she can hardly relate to anyone around her. Harry comes the closest; he's more down to earth. Maria is such a fascinating character. We know a lot about her - but, then again, we know so little. The film never really does define or understand her, but that is the point. Mankiewicz almost tops All About Eve with his dialogue here; sometimes it's almost too good. The story and its structure work perfectly, and Mankiewicz does not repeat his one mistake from All About Eve, that is, he doesn't shove our faces in the film's point. We're left to ponder, which I think is going to make me remember this one a lot longer than I will All About Eve. 10/10.
Great movie to watch but...
gerritbrand17 December 2021
A great Hollywood morality tale
perfectbond18 February 2003
This film covers a lot of the same themes as Sunset Boulevard, though in my opinion that film is more riveting than this one. It's hard to believe Bogart got top billing for this one since this film clearly revolves around Ava Gardner's Maria Vargas. In fact I think you could plug practically anyone world-weary and haggard into Bogart's role and the film wouldn't lose much. I guess they felt they needed his starpower to sell the movie. He just doesn't have much to do in this film. On the other hand Edmond O'Brien is truly memorable as the sweaty publicist. He deserved the Oscar he got for the role. Maria's relationship with Count Favrini seemed a bit rushed but not to the point that it is totally unbelieveable. Afterall Maria's whole life is supposed to be a fairy tale. I wish somehow they could've developed the role of Kirk Edwards. He came across as one-dimensional. This film being so old, there is no commentary to explain the purpose for this or whether it was by design at all. Despite my complaints, I still enjoyed the film and appreciated its message, 8/10.
Well, it does have Bogie and Gardner......
ksdilauri12 November 2022
This is one of those films that this Golden-Age-of-Hollywood buff has only now gotten around to seeing. Frustratingly, in spite of the glossy mega-talent in front of and behind the camera, it's a tough one to rate. It was a gorgeous color print, with all the stops pulled out on lead casting, production design, and even "All About Eve" veteran Joe Mankiewicz as director and screenwriter....all the ingredients of a top-tier '50's classic, but it doesn't quite come off. The other reviewers here have more than adequately described the plot, so I'll vote with those who find it gorgeously filmed but overly talky, especially in the first half---for all its gloss, it sadly lacks "Eve"s sparkling wit and engaging supporting characters. I thought leads Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner play well off each other, though, in spite of the dialogue they're given. The concluding scenes are pure soap, but by then you'll want to know what happens to these impeccably attired, Technicolor screen folk. Edmond O'Brien snagged the supporting actor Oscar win as the agent, (though IMO the Academy should have nominated Jack Carson that year instead, for his outstanding performance in a similar role in "A Star Is Born.") But, if you love Old Hollywood, you might give this one watch, especially if you're fans of Bogie and Gardner.
This film seemed to be populated by one-dimensional characters.
gloryoaks31 January 2004
I expected much more out of the writer of this film. Was he not the creator of "All About Eve"? That was a wonderful satirical work with interesting, believable characters. This movie seemed to be ponderously written with a series of one-dimensional characters, most of them cliches. Humphrey Bogart did his best, but Ava Gardner was unsatisfying, though beautiful to look at--a paper doll. Edmond O'Brien played his shallow part well, but I was amazed to learn that he took the Oscar from Steiger, Cobb, and Malden in their great turns in "On the Waterfront." I hold Joseph Mankiewicz responsible. If this movie had been well-written, it could have been truly intriguing.
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