I started watching "The Barefoot Contessa," began to lose interest about 30 minutes in, and then began to fall asleep close to the 1 hour mark. I decided to bail and chalk it up to a loss. But I hate leaving movies unfinished, because I like to have a fully formed opinion about the whole thing, so I tried it again the next day. I was able to watch the full movie, and was mostly glad I gave it a second try. I think going in knowing what kind of movie it was was helpful.
What kind of movie is it? Well it's a lot like Joseph L. Mankiewicz's masterpiece "All About Eve" in that it has an incredibly dense screenplay and long long scenes of characters sitting and talking, or standing and talking, but not ever doing much of anything other than talking. This is a talky talky movie. The difference is that, despite Mankiewicz in a few instances almost lifting lines of dialogue wholesale from his other movie, the dialogue in "All About Eve," and the actors delivering it, are so much better than in this movie. Neither film has much in the way of directorial flair, and neither feels cinematic. Both feel like they could have been adaptations of stage plays. But "All About Eve" sizzles in the pan while "The Barefoot Contessa".......what?.....sits on the counter cooling?
There are a couple of moments that tease us with what might have been, but nothing ever comes fully enough to life to make this movie more than a moderately enjoyable drama. Humphrey Bogart looks absolutely bored to sobs to be in this movie, while Ava Gardner, lovely as she is, simply doesn't have the acting chops to make her character compelling. The premise just isn't very interesting. It's one of those "which man will she pick?" movies, so popular back in the 1950s when no one assumed women had any more pressing thought in their head. Seriously, who cares?
There is one cinematic thing about this movie, and that is the stunning cinematography by Jack Cardiff. It helps the movie avoid that flat, garish look that was also common to movies from the 50s.
Edmond O'Brien is sweaty, gross, and intolerable as a sleazy PR agent. His role was showy enough to win him the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award over three stellar performances from "On the Waterfront." Mankiewicz received a nomination as well for Best Story and Screenplay, but the Academy didn't make the mistake twice. That award went to the Elia Kazan classic.
Grade: B.
What kind of movie is it? Well it's a lot like Joseph L. Mankiewicz's masterpiece "All About Eve" in that it has an incredibly dense screenplay and long long scenes of characters sitting and talking, or standing and talking, but not ever doing much of anything other than talking. This is a talky talky movie. The difference is that, despite Mankiewicz in a few instances almost lifting lines of dialogue wholesale from his other movie, the dialogue in "All About Eve," and the actors delivering it, are so much better than in this movie. Neither film has much in the way of directorial flair, and neither feels cinematic. Both feel like they could have been adaptations of stage plays. But "All About Eve" sizzles in the pan while "The Barefoot Contessa".......what?.....sits on the counter cooling?
There are a couple of moments that tease us with what might have been, but nothing ever comes fully enough to life to make this movie more than a moderately enjoyable drama. Humphrey Bogart looks absolutely bored to sobs to be in this movie, while Ava Gardner, lovely as she is, simply doesn't have the acting chops to make her character compelling. The premise just isn't very interesting. It's one of those "which man will she pick?" movies, so popular back in the 1950s when no one assumed women had any more pressing thought in their head. Seriously, who cares?
There is one cinematic thing about this movie, and that is the stunning cinematography by Jack Cardiff. It helps the movie avoid that flat, garish look that was also common to movies from the 50s.
Edmond O'Brien is sweaty, gross, and intolerable as a sleazy PR agent. His role was showy enough to win him the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award over three stellar performances from "On the Waterfront." Mankiewicz received a nomination as well for Best Story and Screenplay, but the Academy didn't make the mistake twice. That award went to the Elia Kazan classic.
Grade: B.