A Face in the Crowd [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

A Face in the Crowd [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Elia Kazan Cast: Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
, Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
, Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Elia Kazan
A Face in the Crowd [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

A Face in the Crowd [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Elia Kazan Cast: Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
, Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
, Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
, Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau
Elia Kazan

Blu-ray (Black & White)

$39.99 
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Overview

Andy Griffith makes a spectacular film debut in this searing drama as Lonesome Rhodes, a philosophical country-western singer discovered in a tanktown jail by radio talent scout Patricia Neal and her assistant Walter Matthau. They decide that Rhodes is worthy of a radio spot, but the unforeseen result is that the gangly, aw-shucks entertainer becomes an overnight sensation not simply on radio but, thereafter, on television. As he ascends to stardom, Rhodes attracts fans, sponsors and endorsements by the carload, and soon he is the most powerful and influential entertainer on the airwaves. Beloved by his audience, Rhodes reveals himself to his intimates as a scheming, power-hungry manipulator, with Machiavellian political aspirations. He uses everyone around him, coldly discarding anyone who might impede his climb to the top (one such victim is sexy baton-twirler Lee Remick, likewise making her film debut). Just when it seems that there's no stopping Rhodes' megalomania, his mentor and ex-lover Neal exposes this Idol of Millions as the rat that he is. She arranges to switch on the audio during the closing credits of Rhodes' TV program, allowing the whole nation to hear the grinning, waving Rhodes characterize them as "suckers" and "stupid idiots." Instantly, Rhodes' popularity rating plummets to zero. As he drunkenly wanders around his penthouse apartment, still not fully comprehending what has happened to him, Rhodes is deserted by the very associates who, hours earlier, were willing to ask "how high?" when he yelled "jump." Written by Budd Schulberg, Face in the Crowd was not a success, possibly because it hit so close to home with idol-worshipping TV fans. Its reputation has grown in the intervening years, not only because of its value as a film but because of the novelty of seeing the traditionally easygoing Andy Griffith as so vicious and manipulative a character as Lonesome Rhodes.

Product Details

Release Date: 04/23/2019
UPC: 0715515228817
Original Release: 1957
Rating: NR
Source: Criterion Collection
Region Code: A
Presentation: [B&W]
Language: English
Time: 2:06:00
Sales rank: 9,068

Special Features

New, restored 4k digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; New interview with Ron Briley, author of The Ambivalent Legacy of Elia Kazan; New interview with Andy Griffith biographer Evan Dalton Smith; Facing the Past, a 2005 documentary featuring actors Griffith, Patricia Neal, and Anthony Franciosa; Screenwriter Budd Schulberg; and film scholars Leo Braudy and Jeff Young; Trailer; Plus: An essay by critic April Wolfe, excerpts from Director Elia Kazan's introduction to the film's published screenplay, and a 1957 New York Times Magazine profile of Griffith

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Andy Griffith Lonesome Rhodes
Patricia Neal Marcia Jeffries
Anthony Franciosa Joey Kiely
Walter Matthau Mel Miller
Lee Remick Betty Lou Fleckum
Percy Waram Col. Hollister
Rod Brasfield Beanie
Charles Irving Mr. Luffler
Howard Smith J.B. Jeffries
Paul McGrath Macey
Kay Medford First Mrs. Rhodes
Alexander Kirkland Jim Collier
Marshall Neilan Sen. Fuller
Big Jeff Bess Sheriff Hosmer
Henry Sharp Abe Steiner
Willie Feibel 1st Printer
Larry Casazza 2nd Printer
Lois Nettleton Actor
Rip Torn Actor
Faye Emerson Herself
Betty Furness Herself
Virginia Graham Herself
Burl Ives Himself
John Swayze Himself
Mike Wallace Himself
Walter Winchell Himself
John Bliss Actor
Amanda Robinson Actor
Suzanne Ballard Actor
Bunny McCallum Actor
Sandra Wirth baton twirler
Kim Chan Radio Announcer
Tom Glazer Composer

Technical Credits
Elia Kazan Director,Producer
Budd Schulberg Screenwriter
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