Dirty Movie Club: A Face in the Crowd

[grady]

A Face in the Crowd
dir: Elia Kazan
starring: Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau
1957

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Synopsis
Andy Griffith in his first film role plays a drifter name Larry 'Lonesome' Rhodes who is made into a star by a radio producer who discovers him in a small Southern Jail while doing a story. The film explores the corruption of power as this small time thug/con artist/womanizer rises up with megalomanical power to help sway an election with his public persona

Why I chose it?
Much like b.miller and Stranglet before me, I had an idea of selecting some canonical, appreciated, and lauded film that everyone will agree was good but then felt compelled to go in the opposite direction. Elia Kazan made this film three years after On the Waterfront and two years after East of Eden. As good as those two films are, I still like this film more. The first time I saw the film I was bowled over by it. Part of my awe came from it's social commentary that seemed perfectly applicable when I saw it in 1998 and even more so now with our media saturated lives.

Another thing I wanted to avoid was rambling on about the film, pontificating so I attempt to make this brief. Andy Griffith had always been the Sheriff of Mayberry and Matlock until I saw this film. This film made me sit up at attention. This was made before the Andy Griffith show, but the role confronted my preconceived ideas towards Griffith.

Finally, this like b.miller mentioned in his posting is a movie I wish more people would see, especially in regards to Kazan film's and career. When the film was released on DVD last year I was overjoyed that someone had finally got around to it.

Enough from me. Time to watch.

This film also echoes some films made a few dacades later, especially Network.