The Bad and the Beautiful
I’m always fascinated by how Hollywood filmmakers explore power dynamics in Hollywood. Sometimes, there is a romantic view of Hollywood (or filmmaking), but it’s curious how some of the most vicious examples of the genre come from the height of the studio system. Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” is a film with open contempt for producers who view themselves as the end-all be-all of success in Hollywood, and as such, it’s probably one of the most enduring portraits of Hollywood.
The screenplay by Charles Schnee gives us the framing device of a studio head, Harry Pebbel (Walter Pidgeon), bringing together one director, one star and one writer. Each has been enlisted by producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas), who is out of the country, to help him make his next film. But it’s a hard sell to get each one to cooperate, and each person tells their story with Jonathan, and it’s easy to see why they fell out with him. We then get the stories of how these people got themselves into Shields’s orbit, and what happened.
Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan) is an up-and-coming filmmaker who finds a kindred spirit in Shields’s desire to make big movies. First, however, they have to find themselves working in B-movies for Harry, as Shields lost money in a poker game that would have allowed him to work independently. Once they find success, Fred brings Jonathan his passion project, and they try to sell it to Harry. Jonathan can, but what he does stabs Fred in the heart, though Fred will go on to be an Oscar-winning director.
Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner) is an alcoholic and the daughter of a famous actor whom Jonathan admired. He gets her confidence up, and gives her a leading role. She falls in love with him, but his focus is on her performance, not his feelings. When she discovers he doesn’t feel the same way, she leaves him to work at another studio, becoming a star.
James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) is a professor and author. Jonathan has optioned Bartlow’s book- a bestseller- and wants James to write the screenplay. Bartlow is reluctant, but his wife- Rosemary (Gloria Grahame)- convinces him. They go to Hollywood. But Rosemary is a distraction to his work, and Jonathan does some dealing behind the scenes to keep her distracted, improving his work, but when tragedy strikes, Bartlow cannot abide Shields anymore, leaves Hollywood, and his next book- based on his wife- wins him the Pulitzer.
Minnelli is merciless in the portrayal of Shields as a megalomaniacal producer who will walk over anyone to get the desired results, but by all three people becoming acclaimed after their tenure with Shields, what is implied is that, well, he did have an eye for talent. Minnelli was at the peak of his popularity at the time he made this- coming off of “An American in Paris”- so sure, there’s a bit of self-congratulations in the film, but he does understand that sometimes, collaborators don’t have to be friendly to one another. The right idea can bring even the most impassioned rivals together, something hinted at in the final moments of the film. He moves between these different stories- with all the actors doing terrific work- so he can get to that truth about the business that probably frustrated him as much as it allowed him to set his imagination free.
