Embedded Files
A Face in the Crowd
I grew up watching ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘Matlock’, so I’ve been a lifelong fan of Andy Griffith and his work. However, I had never seen this, and the fact that I’ve waited this long was a very poor choice. I say that because this film is just about as perfect as you can get, with fantastic themes of greed, power, celebrity influence, and more. In many ways, this film almost predicts the 20th and 21st century rise of power hungry celebrities. So much of what was filmed and shown can be applied to today’s culture. The story follows Lonesome Rhodes, who rises to fame through radio and TV, and it all gets into his head. It’s a lot more intricate than that, as it deals with advertising, ratings, and business, but it all adds up to one man’s temperament. That man is portrayed, of course, by Andy Griffith, and his performance is one of the best I’ve ever seen in any film, ever. Despite being charismatic, charming, and happy-go-lucky, he almost becomes monstrous, and downright terrifying. His performance should be studied in all acting schools. His flip-of-a-switch personality is fascinating, and will stick with me for the next several days. I guarantee that much. His raw vocals resonate strongly, with so much force put into them. And that last scene? Holy crap. It had me squirming in my seat. You could feel his sheer presence radiating from the TV screen. Bravo, Mr. Griffith, bravo. The rest of the cast does pretty good as well. Overall, this is one of the best films from the 50’s, a very strong film debut from Andy Griffith, and an eerily realistic vision of celebrity influence and greed. I would recommend that everyone watch this at least once in their life. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!
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