From the laconic and gentle opening credits, A Face In The Crowd is like a drawn pot of water; carefully put upon the stove, gracefully ignited by the turn of a burner and generated by the subtle and stellar performances of one and all, spearheaded by the great Andy Griffith and sublime Patricia Neal.
And yet, this is not a 'potboiler' in the Hollywood tradition, no! The situation of a small-town radio gal (Neal) finding gold in a tiny Southern jail (Griffith) breathes with Kazan's fine direction.
Chilling it is to watch it today, the situation commentary then about the power of television over the masses in the hands of advertisers, networks and politicians does take one aback. This is as fresh and raw now as it was when released in 1957.
If you fancy yourself a devotee of film, you should possess this amongst your collection of DVDs and VHS; and if you don't, then what the hell is the matter with you?
From my theater seat, this IS the masterpiece from Elia Kazan.
I contemplate this piece of celluloid far long and much more than the revered Citizen Kane.
Shame on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not recognizing Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Elia Kazan, Walter Matthau, Anthony Franciosa, and Budd Shulberg with Oscar nominations for their contributions to this classic!
And yet, this is not a 'potboiler' in the Hollywood tradition, no! The situation of a small-town radio gal (Neal) finding gold in a tiny Southern jail (Griffith) breathes with Kazan's fine direction.
Chilling it is to watch it today, the situation commentary then about the power of television over the masses in the hands of advertisers, networks and politicians does take one aback. This is as fresh and raw now as it was when released in 1957.
If you fancy yourself a devotee of film, you should possess this amongst your collection of DVDs and VHS; and if you don't, then what the hell is the matter with you?
From my theater seat, this IS the masterpiece from Elia Kazan.
I contemplate this piece of celluloid far long and much more than the revered Citizen Kane.
Shame on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not recognizing Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Elia Kazan, Walter Matthau, Anthony Franciosa, and Budd Shulberg with Oscar nominations for their contributions to this classic!