|
 |
A Face in the Crowd
|
by Warner Home Video
Sales Rank: 9718
Price: $19.98
|
|
|
More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry <I>Meet John Doe</I>. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day (<I>Face in the Crowd</I> was the <I>Network</I> of the Eisenhower era), and there are some startling, near-documentary sequences shot on location in Arkansas. An extraordinary supporting cast (led by Walter Matthau and Lee Remick) helps keep the energy level high, even when the satire turns shrill and unpersuasive in the final reel. There's an interesting parallel in Tim Robbins's snide pseudodocumentary <I>Bob Roberts</I>: both these pictures have almost as much contempt for the lemmings in the audience as for the manipulative monsters who herd them over the cliff. <I>--David Chute</I>
Viewer Reviews
Andy Griffith, in his acting debut, certainly isn't the Andy Taylor we all love. Here, he plays "Lonesome" Rhodes, a charming drifter that catches the eye and fancy of Patricia O'Neil. She puts him on her radio station and he becomes a star. His folksy ways and "every man" personality is played to the hilt, taking along O'Neil, his ever-growing audience, and even a presidential candidate in his masquerade. Not too soon, "Lonesome" is revealed as what he is - not the Will Rogers that his public sees, but a power-mad snake oil salesman that is taking his followers with him. The viewer sees the act, as O'Neil eventually does, too, but in the meantime, Rhodes is remaking the image of Senator Worthington Fuller to make him the next president of the United States.
If you love classic b&w cinema, morality tales, or politics, this will soon be one of your all-time favorites.
It should be required viewing for all political candidates, their staff personnel, volunteers, and in every Civics class in America. The timeless message of people following a charismatic personality all the way to the Highest Office in the Land is as appropriate today as it was fifty years ago.
Various reviewers have compared the film to campaigns ranging from president-elect Obama to the radio programs of Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.
Back To Top
|
A Face in the Crowd
Available from Amazon
|
|
NOTICE: All product prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
Copyright © 2009, Dominant Systems Corporation
info@HowlingVideo.com
Privacy Policy
Last Modified : 1-5-2009
|
