The Barefoot Contessa main backdrop
The Barefoot Contessa main poster

The Barefoot Contessa

Visit website

6.8/10 • 249

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

View Credits
  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

View Reviews
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

Recommendations

  • Birdman of Alcatraz main backdrop

    Birdman of Alcatraz

    7.5

  • Valley of the Dolls main backdrop

    Valley of the Dolls

    6.0

  • La Terra Trema main backdrop

    La Terra Trema

    7.7

  • Empire of Passion main backdrop

    Empire of Passion

    7.0

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro main backdrop

    The Snows of Kilimanjaro

    5.9

  • Catwalk main backdrop

    Catwalk

    7.5

  • Four Mothers main backdrop

    Four Mothers

    6.2

  • The Clan: Tale of the Frogs main backdrop

    The Clan: Tale of the Frogs

    6.7

  • The Little Hut main backdrop

    The Little Hut

    6.5

  • Julius Caesar main backdrop

    Julius Caesar

    7.1

  • The Bad and the Beautiful main backdrop

    The Bad and the Beautiful

    7.3

  • A Star Is Born main backdrop

    A Star Is Born

    6.0

  • Live and Become main backdrop

    Live and Become

    7.5

  • Bad Day at Black Rock main backdrop

    Bad Day at Black Rock

    7.3

  • The Pink Panther main backdrop

    The Pink Panther

    6.8

  • To Be or Not to Be main backdrop

    To Be or Not to Be

    7.8

  • The Seven Year Itch main backdrop

    The Seven Year Itch

    7.1

  • Deerskin main backdrop

    Deerskin

    6.5

  • Happy as Lazzaro main backdrop

    Happy as Lazzaro

    7.4

  • All About Eve main backdrop

    All About Eve

    8.1

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