The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

And that's about the totality of it. One for Bogey and one for Gardner.For most of my life, The Barefoot Contessa was a movie that begged me to see it. Now that I saw it, it turns out to be a movie in search of significance.It starts out with the graveyard scene then goes to the Spanish dive scene the makes no sense. Then the movie continues down that path on and on and on.Some of the lines reminded me of the worst scriptwriting I've heard since "Green Dolphin Street." I expected more from Contessa but it never delivers. It just wants to drone on and on and more and more down the drain.Guess they gave the Oscar to O'Brien cuz his character was the only one awake enough to try to liven this dragster up. Even so, it's not enough to CPR it. Contessa proves that even Hollywood elite can make bad movies. My recommendation is... don't be fooled by the star power, pass this one up, and watch Mary Poppins again. "

Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this slightly above average drama features the Academy Award winning Supporting Actor performance by Edmond O'Brien (the first of his two nominations in the category); original story and screenplay writer Mankiewicz was also Oscar nominated.Humphrey Bogart plays a washed up director who gets a new opportunity from a millionaire (Warren Stevens) that wants to make a film starring his girlfriend (Ava Gardner in the title role), a Spanish beauty peasant who dances the flamenco provocatively.O'Brien plays a press agent. Gardner's character becomes a star after three films with (a fatherly) Bogart; she then runs off with a millionaire playboy played by Marius Goring. Later, she marries a Count (Rossano Brazzi) with a protective sister (Valentina Cortese) and a secret.The movie actually begins with the Contessa's funeral, with the story being told in flashback such that the audience eventually learns how and why she died.

I saw the movie Mogambo and was surprised at how natural Ava Gardner was in it. I got her autobiography (just her words transcribed from tape with little editing and flow) and thought I might find an interesting person in there. The Barefoot Contessa came on TV with me just at her chapter in the book on the movie. Little or no info about the production, which gives scant insight into how she felt, some but not enough to make it interesting. Mostly her struggles with the men in her life and drinking. Contessa is a silly tapestry of episodes with a central character of Maria Vargas (Gardner) beginning well, but becoming more and more ridiculous. You get the feeling the Joseph L. Mankiewicz picked up fragments of this from his life in Hollywood and beyond (there are references to a Howard Hughes type) and part of Rita Hayworth's real story,but where ever it sprang from it doesn't hold together well and none of the characters are that believable because of the tenuous thread. You can see Humphrey Bogart trying very hard and Ava Gardner is a knockout to look at and begins well as the Spanish girl dancer with humble beginnings, but then she just comes across as a stunningly beautiful vacuous idol that is determined to make mistake after mistake. I didn't mind the shared narration at all but a modern audience would not be able to deal with all those words, especially the heavy handed long winded explanations near the end. Could have done much of that with a few well held head shots of people thinking, as in the opening of the movie with intriguing shots of an audience watching a never seen Maria dance. Anyway, it looks good. Some great locations and great old cars.

The movie starts with the funeral of a relatively young woman. Her story is told in flashbacks. You keep watching because you want to know how and why she died.She is not a particularly interesting person, more a china bust with a frozen smile. She is supposedly a spectacular dancer but does only one rather embarrassing dance routine that reminded me of my mother dancing when drunk.She is surrounded by interesting people e.g. screenwriter Harry Dawes, played by a very mellow and likable Humphrey Bogart.Kirk Edwards is a gum chewing billionaire, who makes his life miserable by bullying everyone just for the fun of it.Alberto Bravano is a South American tycoon, who is perfectly candid about his own selfishness. His honesty and lack of hypocrisy makes him extremely charming.The movie makes clear how wealth and fame can most of the time get in the way of happiness. It shows how they seduce and corrupt. It pokes fun at the airhead wealthy who descend on the Riviera each year to gamble.The movie also explores jealousy, how pleasant life can be when it is in check and how miserable when it is not.It is a quite slow paced, somewhat boring movie. Not much happens. It just meanders around to its rather surprising conclusion.