From Eureka Entertainment comes the powerful Hollywood satire from Oscar-winning writer-director Joseph L Mankiewicz on Blu-ray (a UK first) in a dual format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition.
Hollywood star Ava Gardner smoulders as Maria Vargas, a beautiful Spanish dancer who attracts men like moths round a fire. With the help of a disillusioned, cynical writer, Harry Dawes (Bogart at his most world-weary), she becomes a great star. But, tragically, she soon tires of the tinsel world she has conquered and indulges in a series of ruinous romances that brings only heartache…
Writer-director Joseph L Mankiewicz, who had already won Oscars for A Letter for Three Wives and All About Eve, laces his 1950s satire with a deeply sardonic tone which pulls the rug from under the Hollywood film world and gives the talented cast some meaty themes to play with.
Bogart and Gardner are both excellent, but it was Edmond O'Brien's portrayal of a loud-mouthed press agent that took the acting honours and won the film an Oscar. The cast also includes Elizabeth Sellars, Rossano Brazzi, Marius Goring, Valentina Cortesa and, in a small role, ex-ballet dancer Mari Aldon, who was a star in her first major film (Distant Drums) but failed to stay at the top. Featuring stunning cinematography (of Sanremo and Portofino) courtesy of the legendary Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus), and a memorable score from Mario Nascimbene (The Vikings), this is Mankiewicz's most glamorous and extravagant 'Hollywood' films.
Eureka Entertainment presents the film as part of their Masters of Cinema Series in a special Dual Format edition, that includes the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
SPECIAL FEATURES • 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray, with a progressive encode on the DVD • Optional 5.1 and uncompressed LPCM dual mono soundtracks • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing • Audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and David Del Valle • Original theatrical trailer • Collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by Farren Smith Nehme; and rare archival material.
https://youtu.be/GPqq6UZy4B8
