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Actors: Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about A Face in the Crowd |
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Three years after "On the Waterfront," the same team of director Elia Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg made this much lesser known and sorely underrated classic. Patricia Neal plays Marcia Jeffries, a young reporter who does a local show for her uncle's Arkansas radio station called "A Face in the Crowd" and discovers a charismatic and talented hobo named Larry Rhodes in the local jail. Rhodes plays guitar, sings blues and rockabilly, and can talk up a storm. Dubbed "Lonesome Rhodes" by Marcia, he makes a meteoric climb to the top of the entertainment world, picking up powerful conservative backers and political connections and turning arrogantly corrupt along the way. It's a cynical portrait of advertising, entertainment, and politics, with excellent writing and fine acting. Matthau is the writer with a conscience ("Just let the vermouth kiss the gin"), Tony Franciosa in his second film is the scheming young manager, and in her screen debut 22-year-old Lee Remick beats Kirsten Dunst for sheer beauty and sexiness as a teenaged champion baton twirler Rhodes marries after a whirlwind romance. But it is Andy Griffith, aged 30 in his film debut, who offers the most astounding performance in the lead role. One can't help thinking he burned himself out giving it his all!
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of A Face in the Crowd |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- performer or comedian
Strong "rags to riches" component?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- singer/musician
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
- wild
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Deep South
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- wealthy
- rude people
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
- theater
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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