The Barefoot Contessa

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Blu B For me this feels like when someone is hesitant to watch a movie from this time period who never had before they are afraid because it will be something like this. Very slow, dry feeling, and just feeling foreign and "old". This feels "old" to me but I've learned that's not how Golden Era films all are. Far from it. But rather this is how J. Mankiewicz films mostly are like and it's just not my thing at all. The technicolor pops amazingly here with great production value. Ava Gardner and Bogie in color with a big name director and O'Brien supporting sounds like a smash hit for suceess. And the resuts here are just....a whole lot of nothing but something. The cinematography and soundtrack are great. Easily the two best things here. The guitars scores are great and help a lot when used. Thing is as colorful as this is, half the film is just people sitting talking and it just gets boring after a while. And that's my biggest problem the TALKING....good god. This film has more voiceover work than a Dreamworks film. There is sooooooooo much dialouge and it's not terrible at all but just meandering and doesn't stop at all. I swear there is dialouge 95% of the time and you just wish these people would stop talking so much and show not tell for a second. The dialouge isn't bad but just isn't Noir level stuff to justify it. There is way too much. The editing and pacing are alright enough. The second major flaw here is the focus. Whose film is this? You'd think Gardner or Bogie & Gardner. Your...right....30-40% of the time? The rest is O'Brien, flashbacks to other producers, and other stuff that just isn't interesting. It's like about how people perceive Maria versus being about Maria and the results are mixed to be nice. The best scenes are with Bogie & Gardner together and they have good chemistry. (O'Brien is good too but his scenes feel unrelated) And we cut around to key points in her life and rise to fame but never see the struggles or relationships develop. We come in after it's happened from one of the supporting cast POVs. It makes it jumpy and the constant dialouge are what kills this. If your a die hard fan of the director or any actor here than maybe check this out. This should be remade honestly. With 60% less dialouge and more focus on the Contessa herself. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Leaburn O It holds that evocative golden age of cinema feel. An epic but simple tale of impending tragedy with Bogart narrating. Enjoyed it but it is a bit trite and melodramatic. Watched on Amazon Prime. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/20/25 Full Review Darrell S Bogie and Ava Gardner. Two legends who make a really great film. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/28/25 Full Review nick s The script was sharp and the acting was excellent. However the plot was meandering and ultimately not that satisfying. It was hard to maintain interest throughout the runtime despite the great interactions. And the ending felt like it came out of nowhere. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/06/25 Full Review Blobbo X Jeopardy answer to: What is opposite of action movie? So many words - was author on bennies? But nothing can sink teethblobs into. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/12/24 Full Review Audience Member this movie was a lot talking, and not my favorite Joseph L. Mankewicz film. The twists of the 3rd act were interesting though Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Barefoot Contessa

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