The Barefoot Contessa

The first part, charting Gardner's success and building her relationship with father figure Bogart, is actually pretty good. But Bogie slips out around the halfway point and isn't around much until the end, and it's this long period that just seems to plod along, not establishing much or doing anything interesting with the characters. And for a movie that keeps reiterating how life is not like a movie script, the dialogue is awfully overwritten and the performances quite theatrical.

Beautiful tragic story of a high spirited, sharply intelligent Spanish dancer who finds that Hollywood stardom brings her everything she doesn't want. One of Ava's best performances - & she's stunningly gorgeous to boot. Humphrey Bogart shines as her friend & mentor.

I hoped that this would be in the same league as 'All About Eve' and I was disappointed.

Patchy film, better when Bogart is in it, although Bogie looks a little disinterested.

Too long, too much drama, too little Bogart.

Talky, but more than occasionally amusing. Besides, Gardner is very good here and so is Bogart. Even Rozanno Brazzi gives a good performance.

Kinda weird seeing Bogie in color. That's the only really memorable thing about this movie, unfortunately

Bogart looks bored out of his mind

While it's tempting to call this trite and dated, it's so uniquely charming that I can't do it. Bogart and Garner dominate but the entire supporting cast is wonderful in showing just what's needed from their characters, making Garner the center of the story even when she's not on screen. There's tons of narration yet it never feels jarring and if it weren't for the magnificent Cardiff colour cinematography this would be a classic Noir.

Viewed February 5, 2015. Gorgeous to look at and some of the dialogue is great, but it's also exhausting and unengaging. When it comes to movies about showbiz, it's clear that All About Eve is the way to go.

# 545

Kind of pointless and dull like real life.

598

Inconsequential with stuffy accents going nowhere

Mankiewicz induces death by talking in this overlong, irresolutely cynical showbiz tragedy that remains opaque and lifeless while much drama unfolds. Bogart looks like roadkill, O'Brien won an Oscar for sweating, and Ava Gardner looks good in a dress.

This probably isn't the first thing to say about this movie, but Rossano Brazzi might be my favourite character actor. There's a subtlety to his performance that outshines Bogart and Gardner.

telling her story through the memories of the people who worked with her +++. I also liked that her apparent freedom was ultimately subject to her sexuality (and her cousin). like the mentioned disappearance of the nobility, subjected to a higher determinism

85.50

Bogart isn't the focus of this movie, but there's a long sequence in the middle where he doesn't appear, and it's quite noticeably draggy then. It's a bit of Citizen Kane meets All About Eve, and it plays with some stereotypes ("I'd have thrown my drink at him") while seemingly reinforcing others (the "international set"). It's got some of the old Hollywood glamor (which I like) although it does feel like it takes a little too long to tell.

526

8+

I want to like this more than I did, largely for the friendship between Maria and Dawes, a relationship that in most films would have turned romantic. But when Bogart exits the film almost entirely for a lengthy stretch in the middle, this thing just about grinds to a halt and burns the goodwill it had previously earned. That said, there is some memorable dialogue, such as: "Is she an actress?" "No, she's a woman."

#556