X
- 1957
- Approved
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 6 m
- 1957
- Approved
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 6 m
Summary An Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: Budd Schulberg
- 1957
- Approved
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 6 m
- 1957
- Approved
- Warner Bros.
- 2 h 6 m
A Face in the Crowd
72
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary An Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: Budd Schulberg
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
72
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
72
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A raw, penetrating, and terrifying portrait of humanity.
Half a century after Elia Kazan made A Face in the Crowd, the performances–by Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, and Anthony Franciosa–are still pungent, the dark tale of media manipulation still resonates, and even fans can't quite define its power.
Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg, who teamed to bring forth On the Waterfront, have another provocative and hardhitting entry, based on Schulberg's short story The Arkansas Traveler. It's a devastating commentary on hero-worship and success cults in America.
The script, by Budd Schulberg, is pat and badly proportioned, but the picture has a sharp, dirty appeal.
Strong performances and a fiery aggressive tone keep things moving, but A Face in the Crowd is dated and not particularly deep.
In the opening scenes of Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg's satire on the dangers of television and advertising, Griffith's virtuoso, likeably irreverent performance makes for genuinely amusing viewing; but once he's mixing with the bigwigs, the film-makers' political messages start flying thick and fast, and the drama soon becomes overheated and unconvincing.
Some exciting scenes in the first half, but the later developments are frenetic, and by the end the film is a loud and discordant mess.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 User Ratings
7.6
78% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 User Ratings
7.6
78% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Newtown Productions
Release Date Jun 1, 1957
Duration 2 h 6 m
Rating Approved
Tagline POWER! He loved it! He took it raw in big gulpfuls...he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood!
Awards
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Directors Guild of America, USA
• 1 Nomination
