The Bad and The Beautiful (1952)

When: Thursday, July 30th at 21.00
Where: Garden of Byzantine and Christian Museum, Vassilissis Sofias 22 (see map below) | Free entrance | R-13

An ambitious producer in the 50’s, will not hesitate to exploit an actress, a director and a writer, all in their early professional footsteps, to ensure his own ascent at a time where Hollywood’s «heavy» industry was at its peak. Years later, a phone-call from him re-unites those three as he asks them to make a movie with him. It seems however, that control has now switched hands.

In Vincente Minnelli’s brilliant career (including films like «An American in Paris» and «Meet Me in St. Louis»), «The Bad and the Beautiful» is probably his best work. Minnelli, not only sets up a luxurious drama but also, manages to obtain an intense and extremely pertinent comment on the devouring showbiz world and its, high on success and fame, people.

«The Bad and the Beautiful» remains, to this day, the clearest illustration of a back-stage, into which many would like to have a peek. It includes implicit mentions to a number of directors and films, it won 5 Academy awards and it has a radiant core quartet of performers (Lana Turner, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan) led by a terrific Kirk Douglas. Christos Politis

Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Starring: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame
Year: 1952
Running Time: 118'