Viewed in
2010
Premise
Kirk Douglas plays a newspaper writer who turns a trapped local man into a national sensation.
Loved
The sharp writing.
Liked
Douglas' performance and old school film-making.
Hated
The awkward love scene.
Thoughts
A very cool, biting film.
Very much like his other works, this film's greatest strength was the excellent writing and dialogue. I was shocked by the themes of sensationalistic journalism and when the media puts itself above the story. These scenes were just timeless and had a harbinger-like quality. I am a huge fan of Network, but now I'm amazed that there was something just as harsh, funny and interesting made 30 years earlier!
In addition to the fantastic story, it was supported by sharp dialogue and strong (pre-method era) acting. I liked Douglas much better here than in Spartacus as the slick, career-driven writer. Jan Sterling balanced Douglas with a restrained, worn-spirit performance as the emotionally trapped wife of the physically trapped man. As for the dialogue, there were some great lines echoing the themes of the film. One of my favorite moments was Douglas' character's rant about being stuck in New Mexico; I could almost see the beautiful words pour out as he punched it out in Shakespearean tempo.
While it has been a long time since I had seen Sunset Boulevard or Wilder's other great works, this film was definitely one of his finest, and arguably his best masterpiece.
What I would change
The extremely out-of-rhythm scene when Douglas' character grabs Jan Sterling's character's hair and places her head between him and the camera. Perhaps they had to deal with the Hays code, and could only imply a kiss (or a love scene)? Otherwise, that was a glaring hiccup in an otherwise awesome film.
