The Bad and the Beautiful

film by Minnelli [1952]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

The Bad and the Beautiful, American film drama, released in 1952, that—highlighted by an Academy Award-nominated performance by Kirk Douglas—helped solidify the unflattering popular image of the ruthless Hollywood mogul.

The film, most of which is told in flashback, traces the rise and fall of Hollywood producer Jonathan Shields (played by Douglas), who achieves fame and fortune but surrenders his humanity in the process. Three of his “victims”—an actress (Lana Turner), a director (Barry Sullivan), and a screenwriter (Dick Powell)—recount their relationship with Shields, who has asked them to work on a project that he hopes will lead to his comeback.

The Bad and the Beautiful was originally titled Tribute to a Badman, but the change was made to accommodate a reference to Turner (the “beautiful”). In addition to being noted for the acting, the film was praised for its cinematography. There has long been debate as to which Hollywood stars were the models for the various fictional characters.