The Country Girl
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Movie Reviews of The Country Girl
Movie Review: Worth a Look
Summary: 4 Stars
Groucho Marx supposedly called Grace Kelly's victory over Judy Garland ("A Star is Born") in the 1954 Best Actress race "the biggest robbery since Brinks." I've seen "A Star is Born" many times and decided to see what the fuss was about.
I think I see why Ms. Kelly won as Georgie Elgin, the wife of struggling actor Frank Elgin (Bing Crosby). The Academy likes to honor "character" performances by swan actresses who turn into ugly ducklings for the sake of a role (see also Charlize Theron in "Monster"). For most of "The Country Girl," Ms. Kelly wears unflattering hairstyles and frumpy clothes and carries herself with the air of someone who's been beaten down by life. She's an educated, well-bred, once-elegant woman who feels she has thrown away her life on a loser and she's fed up with it all. She really immerses herself in the role, and you can see she was quite ambitious as an actress. Was she better than Judy Garland (or Dorothy Dandridge in "Carmen Jones," or Audrey Hepburn in "Sabrina," or Jane Wyman in "Magnificent Obsession")? I wouldn't presume to say. I haven't seen "Carmen Jones." The other films are so different from one another and from "The Country Girl" that it's like trying to say whether a very good salad is better than a very good chocolate cake.
As to the rest of the movie: This is product of its time, when black and white film adaptions of "hard-hitting" Broadway dramas were common. Here our theme is alcoholism. They actually do a pretty good job addressing the lies alcoholics tell themselves and their loved ones, the excuses they make, the ways they manipulate people. Both Frank and Georgie are well-drawn characters. William Holden plays the hard-nosed Broadway director who wants to help Frank by casting him in his musical play. He is initially suspicious of Georgie, but finds his assumptions challenged. I was not crazy about Holden's performance; his range of emotion seemed a little to narrow and monotonous, but it was OK.
An odd thing about "The Country Girl," and what makes it different from similar movies of the period, is the way musical numbers are thrown in. I guess they wanted Bing to be able to do is song-and-dance schtick, but it really doesn't work well here. The songs he performs are lifeless and overlong, slowing down the story. Another weakness is the play that Holden's character is directing, a fictitious musical called "The Land Around Us." The scenes we see rehearsed, repeatedly, look like like the piece was written by a small-town high-school English teacher and performed by the drama club at the local Methodist church, yet we're supposed to believe this is going to be a big Broadway hit.
I wonder too if, as was the case with many Hollywood adaptions of Tennessee Williams et al. in the 1950s, they had to change some material from the source play to get it past the movie censors. Some of the events in the movie did not seem to make much sense.
All in all, worth a look for some decent performances and a fairly insightful script.
Movie Review: Not Sure What to Make of this One
Summary: 4 Stars
I watched "The Country Girl" last night for the first time and I confess that I have mixed feelings. Part of me wants to praise this movie and part of me wants to call it over-rated. The movie has most of the prerequisites for success; great writing, great acting, decent directing and a little song and dance mixed in for extra flavor. The story is a bit predictable although it is well told. It opens up with a view of a hard-driven Broadway director whose production is stalled for lack of a suitable leading man. We see the producer who is keeping a close watch on every penny. We hear that the director has in mind a big name from the past who has fallen on hard times due to personal problems. You can proabably figure out 60% of the rest of the movie on that much alone.
The focus of the movie is on the relationship between the old has-been and his still youthful wife. She married him on the way up and is stuck with him on the way down. You can now figure out another 20% of the movie. I'll leave the remaining 20% alone while reiterating that the predictibility does not diminish the impact of the movie.
My problem with the movie lies with the acting. My biggest problem is with Bing Crosby who plays the former star fallen on hard times: is he good or bad in this role? When your role is playing a washed up actor and you come across as unimpressive is that because that's how the role was meant to be played? Crosby seemed to be always standing with his arms dangling at his side and a look of absolute confusion. I kept wondering how much better the movie would have been with a real actor in the role. However, Bing brought the pathetic nature of his character to the forefront by allowing himself to look so inept. I'm still not sure whether to praise of criticize him. I'm a big fan of William Holden and his preformance was largely impressive. There were a few times, however, where his lines were too bad for anyone to look good in. Finally, there's Grace Kelly who got the Oscar for Best Actress in this role. There were times she was good and times she was mechanical. I couldn't make up my mind on her as well although I came away feeling that Dorothy Dandridge probably was cheated out of an Oscar in 1954.
The snippets of the play that was being produced reminded me of the amateur production of my town's centennial play. Come to think of it, ours was probably better.
OK, OK, why the 4 stars after all of this? Well, William Holden for one. He still controls every scene with his forceful presence. There's a truly poignant personal tragedy that touched us all and helped draw us into the story more. Finally, there's the feeling that some of the "bad" acting was really good acting in disguise. I'm glad I watched "The Country Girl" but it still puzzles me somewhat. Watch it and see what you think.
Movie Review: Better Than Average Transfer for this Country Girl
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Country Girl" is one of the finest films in Paramount's illustrious catalogue of library titles; a poignantly tragic love story with a show biz background, it stars Bing Crosby in a decided departure from his usual light-hearted form. Crosby is Frank Elgin, a one time musical comedy legend now barely holding it together between drinks and his guilt-ridden angst over a dark secret. Georgie (Grace Kelly) is Frank's emotionally prostrated wife and the only ray of hope in his life. Bernie Dodd (William Holden, is the parasitic director of a new Broadway play that affords Frank his last chance at the big time. Believing that Georgie is the cause of Frank's loneliness Bernie deliberately keeps her at bay, the net result; a burgeoning and not so unlikely romance brewing between the two. Though outstanding in the pivotal role of Georgie, Grace Kelly's lacks what Judy Garland gave Esther Bloggett in 1954's A Star is Born or Gloria Swanson's maniacal rampages in Sunset Blvd. - these latter two nominated opposite Kelly for Best Actress at the Oscars. Ultimately Kelly walked off with the little gold bald guy which, in retrospect, was an error in judgment.
Based on the play by immanent playwright, Clifford Odet and with a brilliant underscoring from Harold Arlen and Victor Young, this classic, directed by George Seaton is a profoundly stirring cinematic drama.
Lots to be happy about with the video quality on this disc. Presented in full-screen, much of the film exhibits a sharp B&W image with a nicely balanced gray scale and deep, solid blacks. Contrast levels are bang on and film grain is minimal for a generally smooth image. This discs single failing is in the amount of dust and scratches visible. While some scenes are relatively clean others are riddle in blemishes that generally distract. The audio is Mono but very nicely preserved. There are no extra features on this disc.
Movie Review: Excellent performances by Crosby, Kelly, and Holden
Summary: 4 Stars
Years ago, Frank Elgin (Bing Crosby) was a successful singer and actor, but a tragedy turned him in to an alcoholic loser and his wife, Georgie (Grace Kelly), into a bitter shrew. A young Broadway director (William Holden) wants Frank to star in his new show, but Frank's drinking and his uncooperative wife may spell disaster.
This stark and touching drama has both Bing and Grace playing against type and they're both wonderful. Bing plays the weak has-been with utter sincerity and Grace drabs it up to play the nagging wife. She won Best Actress and he was nominated for Best Actor. The two reunited two years later in "High Society," playing carefree socialites, showing their versatility. William Holden is excellent as the demanding director who pulls a good performance out of Frank and shakes up the angry Georgie.
The script draws on the themes of guilt, alcoholism, and redemption and the black and white photography emphasizes Frank and Georgie's misery. It's a very good and thought-provoking film. 4.5 stars.
Movie Review: Three Top Stars Giving Their All In Gritty and Non Sentimental Backstage Drama
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Country Girl", starring the powerhouse acting trio of Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden has often been unfairly remembered only for the fact that it won Grace Kelly a "surprise", Best Actress Oscar that year over popular favourite Judy Garland who was considered a sure thing for the honour for her legendary return to the screen in the remake of "A Star is Born". However after viewing this seldom seen film last night I can see that it most definately stands up on its own merits as an assured and at times stark illustration of the life behind the glitter of the New York Stage. "The Country Girl", with its rather misleading title not only boasts the beautiful Grace Kelly in her most non traditional and unglamourous role but also displays some of the finest work achieved by both leading men with Bing Crosby in particular also playing dramatically against his usual screen type in the role of a washed up alchoholic actor being given one final chance at a Broadway comback.