The Bad and the Beautiful (1953)
87%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Melodrama at its most confident, The Bad and the Beautiful is an ode to moviemaking that offers unblinking insight into the ugly egos that have shaped Hollywood history
The Bad and the Beautiful is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Some critics loved it, some hated it, and some were just plain confused. But one thing’s for sure, this film is a wild ride through the ups and downs of Hollywood. With a star-studded cast and a gossipy screenplay, it’s a melodramatic masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show – just don’t forget to hold your nose, because the smell of Hollywood with the lid off is not for the faint of heart!
Production Company(ies)
Amazon Studios, Stay Gold Features, Kindred Spirit
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows – 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1953
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1953 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 26, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame, directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by George Bradshaw, Charles Schnee, produced by John Houseman, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by James Morgan, Times (UK) Staff, TIME Staff, Bruce Grant, Derek Malcolm, Joshua Brunsting, Jane Corby, Courier Mail Staff, Virginia Graham, Clyde Gilmour, Fresh Kernels, MPAA rating, Hollywood, movie producer, movie star, director, writer, unscrupulous, egos, success, betrayal, ambition, obsession, tragedy, boozehound actress, old school producer, creative process, B-movie producer, Val Lewton, black and white, making films, Sunset Boulevard, Paris when it sizzles, camera work, collaboration, filmography, top horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, movie info, sound mix, cast and crew, audience reviews, critic reviews, Tomatometer, rotten, fresh, audience score, verified purchase, Fandango
Worldwide gross: $2,025
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,521
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,115
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,783
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Kirk Douglas – Jonathan Shields
Walter Pidgeon – Harry Pebbel
Dick Powell – James Lee Bartlow
Barry Sullivan – Fred Amiel
Gloria Grahame – Rosemary Bartlow
Director(s)
Vincente Minnelli
Writer(s)
George Bradshaw, Charles Schnee
Producer(s)
John Houseman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (10)
Brilliant as the film undoubtedly is, ingeniously shaped and textured, it remains, with its lack of a developing centre, too insubstantial.
August 31, 2020
James Morgan
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Instead of satire there is false sentiment.
August 31, 2020
Times (UK) Staff
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Though some of the characters may be bad and others beautiful, few are either real or believable.
August 31, 2020
TIME Staff
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
As a study of Hollywood the film is not particularly observant. It has gumption but no imagination. It draws attention to false values but does not put them in their place.
August 31, 2020
Bruce Grant
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Douglas’ teeth-clenched, dimple-thrusting megalomaniac is among his best work, while the gossipy screenplay (another Oscar winner) is served wonderfully by Minnelli’s lush melodramatics.
August 31, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Not quite Sunset Boulevard but almost.
April 20, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Bad proves Minnelli to be one of the most assured and powerful names in the world of cinematic melodrama, and his ability to bring to the genre the sense of tension found more often in noir pictures, really makes this film a singular and esoteric entrant.
September 1, 2020
Joshua Brunsting
The CriterionCast
The Bad and the Beautiful is a lot of film, and seems always on the verge of getting somewhere. But it never does.
August 31, 2020
Jane Corby
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
MGM gathered together a galaxy of stars… and to my mind attempted to make another All About Eve. Instead, they just made another film with one of the most incoherent stories I’ve ever tried to decipher.
August 31, 2020
Courier Mail Staff
Courier Mail (Australia)
If this is Hollywood with the lid off, the smell is not pleasant, but it is certainly powerful, and i strongly urge you to take a sniff.
August 31, 2020
Virginia Graham
The Spectator
Although a good deal less penetrating in its close-up of “the real Hollywood” than it pretends to be, this is a smooth and enjoyable comedy-drama.
August 31, 2020
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine
The film gets full marks for dialogue and full marks for direction by Vincente Minnelli.
August 31, 2020
Robin Slessor
Daily Telegraph (Australia)…
Plot
Told in flashback form, the film traces the rise and fall of a tough, ambitious Hollywood producer Jonathan Shields, as seen through the eyes of various acquaintances, including a writer James Lee Bartlow, a star Georgia Lorrison and a director Fred Amiel. He is a hard-driving, ambitious man who ruthlessly uses everyone – including the writer, star and director – on the way to becoming one of Hollywood’s top movie makers.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Kirk Douglas delivers arguably his greatest performance in The Bad and the Beautiful.
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