FACE IN THE CROWD, A - DVD review

"There's nothing as trustworthy as the ordinary mind--of the ordinary man."
--Lonesome Rhodes

The late 1940s and early 50s ushered in a new era--the era of television. And with it came a number of new and continuing phenomena. It meant that Hollywood had to come up with novel ways to lure people back into theaters now that free shows could be seen at home. Fads like 3-D, ActionScope, Emergo, Smell-O-Vision, and countless other gimmicks came and went, while more substantial fashions like widescreen pictures, stereo sound, and "message" movies gained in popularity.

"A Face in the Crowd" was one such message picture, a black comedy about the rise and fall of a pop-culture media star that offered moviegoers a chance to ponder some ideas they might never have encountered on commercial TV, where sponsors had to be appeased and conservatism was the rule of thumb. Then, too, "A Face in the Crowd" delivered a double whammy: It not only made viewers think critically, it made them think critically about the very entertainment medium they had come to cherish--television.

Released in 1957, "A Face in the Crowd" is as meaningful today as when it was made, nearly fifty years ago. Perhaps it was even prophetic, although one could easily see its import coming. Television reached into virtually everybody's home, not only with sound but with sight. It had, as it continues to have, the potential for creating instant celebrities, for making nobodies into somebodies overnight. Such power in the mass media could have tremendous positive value as well as devastatingly evil consequences, not only for the making of TV wonders but for those pushing their own political, social, and economic issues. Elections could be won or lost on the very image of those running for office; products, people, and ideas could be sold to millions at a single shot; and yesterday's school teachers and accountants could become superstars overnight.

You think it doesn't happen? Ponder the influence of Bill O'Reilly on today's tube. Where was he before television? Teaching high school among other things. Or consider Ray Romano ("Everybody Loves Raymond"). I read recently that he is the highest paid actor in television history. Like Bob Newhart, he was an accountant become striking it rich in television comedy.

All of which brings us back to "A Face in the Crowd," which was written by a fellow who knew television inside out, Budd Schulberg. Schulberg had already scripted scores of TV shows by the time he came to "A Face in the Crowd," as well as writing "Nuremberg," "On the Waterfront," "The Harder They Fall," and the satiric novel, "What Makes Sammy Run?"

Equally important, "A Face in the Crowd" came from noted director Elia Kazan, a filmmaker who seemed incapable of producing anything but serious subject matter. Movies like "Gentleman's Agreement," "Pinky," "Panic in the Streets," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Viva Zapata," "On the Waterfront," "East of Eden," "Baby Doll," "Splendor in the Grass," and "The Last Tycoon" attest to his willingness to delve into controversial themes that TV was reluctant to touch. Ironically, both Schulberg's and Kazan's liberal stance in moviemaking was countered by their willingness to speak before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early fifties, adding names to the Hollywood blacklist and infuriating most of the Hollywood community.

Anyway, "A Face in the Crowd" is, indeed, about a nobody who becomes a somebody overnight. Its lead is just such a talent, although not with the same devastating results. Andy Griffith rose to public attention first on Broadway in the play "No Time for Sergeants," followed by his first movie appearance in "A Face in the Crowd." But it was on television that Griffith would gain instant and lasting celebrity, becoming the beloved Sheriff Andy Taylor on the "Andy Griffith Show" in 1960, succeeded by lawyer Ben Matlock some quarter of a century later.

In "A Face in the Crowd" Griffith plays a variation of his own persona: a folksy, guitar-picking good-old-boy named Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes. But unlike Griffith's later characters, this one's got a mean streak in him. Rhodes is a broken-down, besotted, womanizing Arkansas hobo, who just happens to be charismatic as all get out when he needs to be.

When we first meet Rhodes, he's in a small-town jail for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He's "discovered" there by a local radio-show personality looking for new and unusual talent among the ordinary citizenry. The radio host is Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal), and she sees in Rhodes a possibility for her show, "A Face in the Crowd," dubbing him "Lonesome" and persuading him to strum his guitar, sing a little, and tell a few stories on the air. It doesn't take much persuading to loosen Rhodes up; he's just lazy enough to fancy the idea of getting paid for doing virtually nothing but being himself. Besides, Rhodes is part old-time preacher and part old-time con man, so the whole gig is right up his alley.

Needless to say, with Marcia as his manager (and sometimes girlfriend) his popularity skyrockets. He signs on with a local television station and then gets his own nationally televised network show. As his ratings increase, so does the size of his head. Before long he's dizzy with newfound power. Whatever he says, the nation listens. He's more than the new Will Rogers; he's as influential as the President. As Lonesome says, "They love his voice, they love his guitar, they love his ideas!"

"In TV we have the greatest instrument for mass persuasion in the history of the world," says Lonesome's new sponsor, hoping to use his client to impact the country's social and political climate. The network turns Rhodes into a folk hero, a living legend, a "great American." The country begins to name ships after him, even mountains. Yet, despite the money, fame, and glory, he's still the lazy, corrupt, no-good con man he always was, now more contemptuous than ever of the masses he so easily sways.

So far, so good; but if the movie has a serious fault, it one that plagues many other films: It goes on much too long. The story makes its point in the first hour, and we can see long before that where it's all heading and how it's going to wind up. Lonesome's meteoric rise will end in a meteoric fall. But that doesn't stop the filmmakers from letting things get wrapped up in gooey romantic problems and sticky political ambitions, finally concluding in an exaggerated and overwrought climax. The movie is 126 minutes long; it could easily have been trimmed by half an hour.

Griffith is a ball of fire, but the role was such a downer that neither he nor the film attracted much attention. The actor would go on the next year to establish the sweet public image we all know and love in the movie version of "No Time for Sergeants" and cement his reputation with "The Andy Griffith Show" shortly after.

In the supporting cast, Patricia Neal is fine as the long-suffering manager/girlfriend, but she's rather overshadowed by Griffith's overpowering performance. Anthony Franciosa does a good turn as Joey, a slick, shifty office gofer who takes advantage of Lonesome's popularity to become his unscrupulous agent. Walter Matthau plays his usual self as a cynical and crafty television writer named Mel Miller, a fictional variant, no doubt, of the movie's own screenwriter, Budd Schulberg. And Lee Remick made her screen debut as a young, baton-twirling fan, Betty Lou Fleckum, who catches Lonesome's eye.

"I'm not just an entertainer," says Lonesome, "I'm an influence, a wielder of opinion, a force!" Until he's exposed, he becomes what Matthau's character calls a "demagogue in denim" and a bigheaded hypocrite besides.

"A Face in the Crowd" makes a plea for audiences not to fall for appearances over substance, not to allow the media to create instant cult heroes with almost unlimited power. But will we ever get wise to these charlatans? Isn't it human nature always to fall for the handsomest, the most beautiful, or the smoothest talking, especially when their media handlers allow it no other way? After all, haven't we seen movie actors become Governors and Presidents, regardless of their actual experience or qualifications? And didn't megastars like Oprah and Martha and Jay and David spring up virtually overnight as national celebrities via the media?

Well, the film is fun, at least in its first half, and it's still an important cautionary tale for all of us not take everything we see and hear at face value. "A Face in the Crowd" is mostly entertaining and often thought-provoking, which is more than most films can boast.

Video:
The movie's video qualities are pretty good, all the way around. The picture is in black-and-white, as were many of the movies in the fifties as Hollywood began the long, slow switch to color that wouldn't be complete until the late sixties. The screen ratio was originally 1.85:1, a widescreen scope that was much more quickly adopted by the industry than color was. The DVD's anamorphic transfer maintains most of that scope, easily filling a 16x9 widescreen television's viewing area. The B&W contrasts are excellent, as is the clarity of the image and the general absence of age marks or grain. There are a few vertical lines that impose themselves momentarily on the screen, but they are hardly noticeable, and definition is good but not outstanding.

Audio:
The sound is reproduced via Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural, which may not seem too impressive compared to modern multichannel audio, but it's among the better mono soundtracks around. The dynamic range and impact match any but the most superspectacular film today, and the midrange naturalness is hard to fault. Deepest bass and highest treble are limited, of course, but that would be expected even of a contemporary film that relied almost exclusively on dialogue.

Extras:
There are really only two bonus items of importance on the disc--a new, twenty-nine minute documentary and a widescreen theatrical trailer. The documentary, titled "Facing the Past," concentrates on a couple of areas: director's Kazan's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee and the movie's depiction of the image machine that television created. Among those interviewed are Jeff Young, author of "Kazan: The Master Director Discusses His Films"; Professor Leo Brandy, author of "On the Waterfront--BFI Film Classics"; Budd Schulberg, the film's screenwriter; and actors Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, and Anthony Franciosa. It's a worthy probing of the director and his film. The extras conclude with thirty-two scene selections, but no chapter insert; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Parting Thoughts:
In its time, "A Face in the Crowd" bombed, and Andy Griffith never went near so gritty or edgy a starring role again, content to maintain his reputation as everybody's favorite, down-home father figure. But looking at the movie again, I'd have to say it's only grown better over the years. In 1957 it was prescient; today it's a textbook chapter on how the television medium has shaped our lives. It is, no doubt, one of Hollywood's most overlooked, underestimated, and underappreciated films.

"A Face in the Crowd" is available separately or in a Warner Bros. seven-disc box set titled "Controversial Classics" that also includes "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Fury," "Advise & Consent," "Blackboard Jungle," "The Americanization of Emily," and "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang."