SummaryAn Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?
Directed By:Elia Kazan
Written By:Budd Schulberg
A Face in the Crowd
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
User score
Generally Favorable
7.9
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
30% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
A raw, penetrating, and terrifying portrait of humanity.
90
Half a century after Elia Kazan made A Face in the Crowd, the performances–by Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, and Anthony Franciosa–are still pungent, the dark tale of media manipulation still resonates, and even fans can't quite define its power.
90
Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg, who teamed to bring forth On the Waterfront, have another provocative and hardhitting entry, based on Schulberg's short story The Arkansas Traveler. It's a devastating commentary on hero-worship and success cults in America.
63
The script, by Budd Schulberg, is pat and badly proportioned, but the picture has a sharp, dirty appeal.
63
Strong performances and a fiery aggressive tone keep things moving, but A Face in the Crowd is dated and not particularly deep.
60
In the opening scenes of Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg's satire on the dangers of television and advertising, Griffith's virtuoso, likeably irreverent performance makes for genuinely amusing viewing; but once he's mixing with the bigwigs, the film-makers' political messages start flying thick and fast, and the drama soon becomes overheated and unconvincing.
50
Some exciting scenes in the first half, but the later developments are frenetic, and by the end the film is a loud and discordant mess.
User score
Generally Favorable
82% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
18% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Mar 28, 2023
6
There is definitely no way I would dare call this film an underwhelming experience, especially since I always try not to let my own expectations work against me, but I also find it hard to believe that what I have seen is in any way the extraordinary film that I have heard for so many years that it was. I mean, this is considered one of Elia Kazan's best films and to me it felt extremely average and ordinary. Engaging of course, but nothing special. I may have misunderstood the quality, but there's something here that doesn't quite resonate with me.
Production Company:
- Newtown Productions
Release Date:Jun 1, 1957
Duration:2 h 6 m
Rating:TV-PG
Tagline:POWER! He loved it! He took it raw in big gulpfuls...he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood!
Awards
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Directors Guild of America, USA
• 1 Nomination
