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The Barefoot Contessa

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6.8/10 • 235

1954-09-292h 8m

Drama

The world's most beautiful animal!

Has-been director Harry Dawes gets a new lease on his career when the independently wealthy tycoon Kirk Edwards hires him to write and direct a film. They go to Madrid to find Maria Vargas, a dancer who will star in the film.

Directors
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writters
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Editors
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, William Hornbeck

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Humphrey Bogart

    Humphrey Bogart

    Harry Dawes

  2. Ava Gardner

    Ava Gardner

    Maria Vargas

  3. Edmond O'Brien

    Edmond O'Brien

    Oscar Muldoon

  4. Marius Goring

    Marius Goring

    Alberto Bravano

  5. Valentina Cortese

    Valentina Cortese

    Eleanora Torlato-Favrini

  6. Rossano Brazzi

    Rossano Brazzi

    Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini

  7. Elizabeth Sellars

    Elizabeth Sellars

    Jerry

  8. Warren Stevens

    Warren Stevens

    Kirk Edwards

  9. Franco Interlenghi

    Franco Interlenghi

    Pedro Vargas

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jan 11, 2024

7/10

Occasionally narrated by Humphrey Bogart, he regales us with his story as the down on his luck Hollywood writer/director "Dawes" who alights on a tavern dancer in Madrid. "Maria Vargas" (Ava Gardner) is a woman with striking good looks and an aloofness that he immediately sees stardom in. Luckily his spoilt rich-kid backer "Edwards" (Warren Stevens) agrees to give her a screen test, but a combination of his own fecklessness and some competitive manoeuvring from "Dawes" creates quite an interest, an interest well fanned by PR man "Muldoon" (Edmond O'Brien). We know right from the start that she has died - we turn up at her funeral - and this film has something of a piece of musical vinyl to it. The first half side illustrates her rise to fame and fortune, her marriage and her death. Flip it over and we get a tale of just how she fell in love with "Count Torlato-Favrini" (Rossano Brazzi) and ultimately came a cropper. The constant being the increasing affection "Dawes" and "Vargas" share as their professional paths diverge and their friendship - entirely platonic - solidifies. Gardner could look quite cold sometimes on screen, but here she and Bogart exude a certain warmth through their characters, goaded nicely by the increasingly exasperating and brattish "Edwards" and also by the rather cruel and bullying "Bravano" - another solid effort from Marius Goring. It takes quite a swipe at the film industry - people obsessed with finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - regardless of whether there's any gold or any rainbow, and the threads tie rather poignantly, if a little sadly, at the conclusion. It's a stylishly photographed production that looms great and showcases a strong ensemble of talent.

Media

  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster
  • The Barefoot Contessa poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
dancermadrid, spaincountmillionairefilm director