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<blockquote data-quote="Willie Oleson" data-source="post: 386167" data-attributes="member: 8">ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)[ATTACH=full]50589[/ATTACH]I think I just watched not only Kirk Douglas&#039; best film. not only Billy Wilder&#039;s best film. not only the best film-noir but also the best film of the 1950s.Well, maybe after The Incredible Shrinking Man&nbsp; because that&#039;s the best American film ever made. And maybe after Roman Holiday&nbsp; because that was also really very good.I knew the premise before I started watching the film and I expected some kind of satire in the style of Network&nbsp; - but only better timed, and I&#039;m sure the story is making a point about the tam-tam shenanigans of the press - but what I got instead was an almost nauseatingly dark drama with Kirk Douglas as a tragic villain.Also interesting to see what a &quot;story goes viral&quot; looked like in those days. In addition to the ruthless newspaper man we have a crooked sheriff and also a cold-blooded blonde wife who makes the best of a horrific situation. An understated femme fatale, as it were.The other reporters who don&#039;t get the scoop behave like jealous vultures.Meanwhile, the victim and his old parents suffer in silence while pinning all their hopes on the dastardly reporter. There are lots of interesting characters in small roles, it&#039;s a very vibrant film that perfectly captures the buzz and the consumerism derived from it.Interestingly, the nicest characters are the people in the audience who are genuinely rooting for the man trapped in the cave, unaware of the theatre that&#039;s playing out in front of their very noses.I must know what that means. The other one is already in my watch list but I&#039;m waiting for the price to come down.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Willie Oleson, post: 386167, member: 8"] ACE IN THE HOLE (1951) [ATTACH type="full"]50589[/ATTACH] I think I just watched not only Kirk Douglas' best film. not only Billy Wilder's best film. not only the best film-noir but also the best film of the 1950s. Well, maybe after [I]The Incredible Shrinking Man[/I] because that's the best American film ever made. And maybe after [I]Roman Holiday[/I] because that was also really very good. I knew the premise before I started watching the film and I expected some kind of satire in the style of [I]Network[/I] - but only better timed, and I'm sure the story [I]is[/I] making a point about the tam-tam shenanigans of the press - but what I got instead was an almost nauseatingly dark drama with Kirk Douglas as a tragic villain. Also interesting to see what a "story goes viral" looked like in those days. In addition to the ruthless newspaper man we have a crooked sheriff and also a cold-blooded blonde wife who makes the best of a horrific situation. An understated femme fatale, as it were. The other reporters who don't get the scoop behave like jealous vultures. Meanwhile, the victim and his old parents suffer in silence while pinning all their hopes on the dastardly reporter. There are lots of interesting characters in small roles, it's a very vibrant film that perfectly captures the buzz and the consumerism derived from it. Interestingly, the nicest characters are the people in the audience who are genuinely rooting for the man trapped in the cave, unaware of the theatre that's playing out in front of their very noses. I must know what that means. The other one is already in my watch list but I'm waiting for the price to come down. [/QUOTE]

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