Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Heath Holland On...A Face in the Crowd

by Heath Holland
Sometimes movies have even more to say in the years after they were made than they did when they were new.

1957’s A Face in the Crowd tells the story of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, an alcoholic vagrant and southern ne’er-do-well who is as comfortable behind bars as he is playing his guitar. The film opens with the host of a local radio show (which is named “A Face in the Crowd”) broadcasting from the town jail in an effort to display the raw reality of the everyman, saying that the American culture flows from the bottom up. It’s not unlike NPR’s This American Life in that she is seeking to convey the different daily experiences and perspectives of society by giving the spotlight to a wide array of voices from all walks of life. One prisoner immediately takes to the experience: with his casual, say-anything attitude, raucous guitar playing, and natural charisma, Lonesome Rhodes is an overnight sensation, and it isn’t long before New York comes calling with the aim of putting him in the national spotlight. Can this wandering, womanizing scoundrel learn from his past and smooth his rough edges to embrace fame on a national scale, or is he doomed to self-implode? The movie takes a long look at celebrity and fame, showing how easy it is for those who entertain us to appear to be something they aren’t.
The film was directed by Elia Kazan, the man who had earlier directed Marlon Brando in movies like A Streetcar Named Desire and On The Waterfront, as well as James Dean and Julie Harris in East of Eden. The screenplay is by Bud Schulburg, who adapted his own short story. Kazan’s films often have big issues on their mind and something to say about the world that they inhabit, almost always without coming across as being preachy or feeling judgmental. A Face in the Crowd is no exception to this, and gives us a look at Lonesome Rhodes from several different perspectives, fleshing out his characters to the degree that they leap of the screen. Investing in the movie is easy because the people we’re watching aren’t archetypes; instead, they’re like us, with both good and bad qualities. The films may be black and white, but Kazan’s worlds aren’t.

The cast is outstanding, and the movie owes a lot to their performances. Patricia Neal (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) plays Marcia Jeffries, the Arkansas radio host of the program that propels Lonesome Rhodes to stardom; Neal also believably portrays the conflict that comes with being Rhodes’ part-time lover. She’s strong and ambitious, but she’s also weak to his charms, and she hates that fact. Walter Matthau (The Odd Couple) is Mel Miller, a weary writer for the station who watches the meteoric rise of Rhodes and has reservations about what he sees unfolding. I’ve seen Matthau play comedy, I’ve seen him play a dangerous criminal boss, I’ve obviously seen him play a grumpy old man, but I don’t ever recall seeing him play such a quiet, understated character. Mel Miller appears to have seen everything and been exhausted by it all. Anthony Franciosa (The Long, Hot Summer) is a businessman who ends up becoming a key player in Rhodes’ rise, but he has motivations of his own.
The real star of the film is Andy Griffith, who makes his feature film debut as Lonesome Rhodes. This is one of those big-screen launches that will blow you away. I grew up with The Andy Griffith Show around me and in the background, but I never paid too much attention to it. I certainly never sat down and watched any of the episodes back then. I knew Andy Griffith for his “aw-shucks,” country shtick, and I didn’t like it. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve gone back and watched the show that made him famous, finally being able to enjoy it and become a fan. I’ve even been to his actual hometown, the real Mayberry in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, which is populated by old men sitting on benches and people warmly greeting strangers like they’ve known them all their lives. Candy stores, diners, and bakeries line the streets, and everyone stops to say hello. Mayberry might not have been real, but places like it are. I never thought Andy Griffith as much of an actor. He only seemed capable of being himself.

What a big mistake on my part. Any Griffith’s performance is a tour de force; there’s simply no other way to say it. The “aw-shucks” bit is there, but it’s set within a dangerous frame. There’s something about the character’s eyes: they’re wild, like an animal, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. The character of Lonesome Rhodes is a hard-drinking, slovenly loser. He’s a womanizer who is addicted to sex and addicted to seduction. He has no morals and no conscience. His greatest skill is the art of manipulation, and it’s one that he practices often. Griffith’s character on his television show was a quiet, dignified man who was almost never angry and certainly never lost his temper, but Lonesome Rhodes spend what seems like half of his time on the screen yelling and red-faced. I’ve seen more of Andy Griffith’s uvula than I ever imagined possible. I’m not usually a fan of big, showy performances, but this one really impresses me because of how unique it is from this actor. It’s a grating and INCREDIBLY annoying role, but that’s exactly what it’s intended to be, and it impresses me. There’s also a vulnerability on display, but it’s always unclear if it’s genuine or just another manipulation. Griffith is so much more than I’ve given him credit for, and I have new respect for him as an actor. I’ve read that being Lonesome Rhodes caused problems for the actor in his private life because he ended up taking the character home with him. As far as I know, he never again went as dark as he did in this film.
Just as with any other movie, it’s important to remember the context of A Face in the Crowd. Television was relatively new, having only recently replaced the radio as the center of every home’s source of entertainment. With the newness and the novelty came a whole new set of dangers, and a people could be manipulated and exploited like never before. Kazan’s film was timely and it cautiously reminded audiences to be aware the motivations BEHIND the images on television as well as to question what was being presented as reality. In A Face in the Crowd, everyone has an agenda.

Fast forward nearly 60 years later and the message of the film is as relevant now as it was in 1957. In fact, it’s even more relevant, because the last six decades have proved that nothing really changes. If anything, our society has become even more addicted to the false existence presented in reality TV, the carefully packaged stories on the nightly news, the worship of celebrities who we build up only to tear down, and the idea that everyone is entitled to 15 minutes of fame. It’s scary just how much HASN’T changed since A Face in the Crowd was filmed. It’s a remarkable film populated with remarkable performances, and I guarantee you that you’ll be thinking about it long after the credits have rolled.

6 comments:

  1. People can talk about Eliza Kazan and On The Waterfront all they like; this, to me, is his masterpiece and this is an excellent piece, Heath.

    (By the way, you don't mention it so I'm wondering if you've ever seen Walter Matthau in Fail Safe. That's the other role of his that I immediately flash on, where he's an analyst, the equivalent of the mineshaft gap guy in Dr. Strangelove, whose logic has gone over into madness.)

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    1. Matthau is uber-creepy in that role. His calm assessment of what a nuclear bomb would do to New York sends chills down my spine. The implied message is that "rational" analysis of the incomprehensible makes it comprehensible, and thus more palatable.

      Fail Safe will always be seen as the nerdy too-serious brother of Dr. Strangelove, but I think it's a great (and incredibly tense) movie.

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    2. No, I've never seen Fail Safe, but now I'm definitely going to make the time to do so! Thanks, fellas.

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  2. What you said about television fame reminded me of when Joaquin Phoenix was doing that "I'm Still Here" movie and going around acting all weird. I never actually saw the movie, but I liked their inspiration for it which was basically that fame these days is just someone being a scripted version of themselves. Reality shows aren't really what those people are like. It's still their tv persona. Anyway, this is yet another recommendation from HHH that's going on my must-see list. You're giving me too much to watch Heath!

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  3. What you said about television fame reminded me of when Joaquin Phoenix was doing that "I'm Still Here" movie and going around acting all weird. I never actually saw the movie, but I liked their inspiration for it which was basically that fame these days is just someone being a scripted version of themselves. Reality shows aren't really what those people are like. It's still their tv persona. Anyway, this is yet another recommendation from HHH that's going on my must-see list. You're giving me too much to watch Heath!

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  4. I've always told people that Andy Griffith was a great actor but they never believe me until they see this film then they change their minds. Plus i agree Fail Safe is a chilling masterpiece.

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