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The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

4 Votes: 8

Director

Starring

Last On

16:10-18:50 Wed 23rd Jun 2021 160m
Sony Movies Classic

Synopsis

The Barefoot Contessa (1954) box art "The world's most beautiful animal", shrieked the ads for this mordant satire on the movie business. Unsurprisingly, nobody disputed the fact, for "the animal" was none other than Ava Gardner in her prime, playing a character based on her glamorous predecessor Rita Hayworth. Humphrey Bogart co-stars as her cynical director, Harry Dawes: "I made her," he snarls, witheringly, and you believe him. Director/writer Joseph Mankiewicz had previously satirised Broadway in the multi-Oscar-winning All about Eve, and this is similar, but far less theatrical. Edmond O'Brien collected an Oscar here as the sweaty publicist, and there's a star-making performance from Rossano Brazzi. By the way, the bare feet belonged not to Gardner but to Margo Lorenz, who was also the foot-double for Gardner in The Little Hut, and went on to star in some British B-movies.