1954 · drama · melodrama · hollywood
The Barefoot Contessa
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz2h 8m1954
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then star in, his next big picture. But as the producer's possessive nature and the realities of stardom weigh on Maria, she seeks a genuine lover with whom she can escape.
Our read: The Barefoot Contessa (1954) reads as a sombre, steady, grounded drama · melodrama · hollywood entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, measured in temperature, nihilistic in outlook.
Sombre, steady, measured drama / melodrama, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, intimate, measured.
- sombre
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Availability in the UK · via JustWatch
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“You want lush Old Hollywood glamour curdling into tragedy.”
Skip it tonight — You need something light after 10pm; this ending will sit heavy.
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