The Goddess (1958)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The goddess |
| Original title | The Goddess |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1958 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Cromwell |
| script | Paddy Chayefsky |
| production | Milton Perlman |
| music | Virgil Thomson |
| camera | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| cut | Carl Lerner |
| occupation | |
| |
The Goddess is an American film from 1958 by John Cromwell with Kim Stanley in the title role of a "screen goddess " based on Marilyn Monroe . This film ended the six-year boycott of the now 70-year-old Cromwell, who had been on the black list since 1951, initiated by the Committee for Un-American Activities in the McCarthy era , because of alleged proximity to communists.
action
Emily Ann Faulkner grew up in poor conditions in the southern United States in the 1930s. Her father is up and away, the loveless mother Laureen shows no interest in her daughter and one day unceremoniously dumps her with her brother George and his wife Alice Marie. Emily, who is very pretty by nature, has no friends, but she has a big dream: One day she wants to leave for Hollywood, where she will be discovered as an actress and eventually become a big screen star! Even as a teenager, Emily Ann remains a loner, but with her growing body shapes and sensual sexuality, she soon begins to turn the boys' heads violently. Emily marries early to escape the misery at home, but never loses sight of her great goal. Soon she is leaving her husband John Tower, a GI and son of a former silent film star, to finally realize her dream. Emily Ann, who has just become a mother herself, is heading to Hollywood.
The film bosses quickly recognize the potential that lies in this country bitch. You re-style her, bleach her hair and give Emily not only a new look, but also a new name. The country girl is purposefully transformed into a glamorous diva and new sex goddess Rita Shawn. Since the marriage to a former boxing champion named Dutch Seymour could be of use to her, she quickly marries the much older man. After she had a studio boss like Harvey Weinstein bring her to his "cast couch", Emily seems to have reached the goal of her dreams: Her rise to the "goddess" of the screen can no longer be stopped. Rita achieves fame and money, but she has still not overcome her inner emptiness and loneliness. On the contrary: both have gotten bigger and worse. The hated mother, whose love Emily had begged all her life, has become a fanatical believer and supporter of the Seventh-day Adventists , who would like to eradicate immorality with fire and sword. When she visits Emily / Rita one day, the lonely daughter is very happy to finally see a familiar face from her home country again and clings to her. Emily tries to impress Laureen with what she has achieved and has invited two guests to her home. When the guests leave, Laureen thanks them for being such good friends with their daughter. Producer Jay Woolsy tells Laureen that they don't really know Emily, they've been invited. Woolsy advises Mrs. Faulkner to put her daughter under psychiatric control.
Alone with their mother again, they both talk past each other. Rita alias Emily shows off her fame and money, mother Laureen demands from her daughter that she should finally open her heart to the Lord (i.e. God). Fearing that Laureen might leave her again, Emily dresses more modestly and begs her mother to stay longer. Laureen Faulkner, however, insists on leaving the “den of sin” Hollywood and wants to return home. When she leaves the house, Rita gets angry and yells after her that she hates her and wishes her death. A few years later old Mrs. Faulkner dies. Emily arrives at the funeral under strong sedatives. She looks miserable. She has now put the studio under control, with a strict woman named Harding, officially a mixture of secretary and nurse, watching by Rita's side. It is supposed to bind the self-destructive powers of the over-excited and insecure actress and keep them under control. Emily's ex-husband John and their daughter, now almost a young woman, have also met at the grave. In her room, John explains to Emily, whom he still loves, that their daughters taught him what love means and that he brought the girl so that Emily could see that there was a reason for her to live. Quite surprisingly, Emily alias Rita reacts completely hysterically to these words. Mrs. Harding rushes into the room and first takes a bottle of sleeping pills that Emily had hidden under the mattress. Harding makes it clear to John that a psychiatrist has called Rita / Emily a hopeless case, but at the same time assures John that they will be looked after. John runs to his daughter outside and they both walk away arm in arm.
Production notes
The goddess was made in just one month between late July and late August 1957 in a Bronx film studio and premiered in Boston on April 17, 1958. In Germany, the film never ran in cinemas, the television premiere was on March 27, 1981 on ZDF .
The main actress of the film Kim Stanley, who until then had only been on stage and in front of television cameras, and Patty Duke , who was only ten years old at the time of shooting , who played Stanley's role as a child, made her film debut here.
Leo Kerz and Ted Haworth designed the film structures, Frank L. Thompson the costumes.
Writer Paddy Chayefsky received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.
Reviews
Bosley Crowther called The Goddess in the New York Times "a harrowing but really powerful film in which many characters grab for fulfillment that they obviously cannot find." The reviewer also noted that the screenwriter Chayefsky “carefully studied his subject because the interconnection of human and emotional relationships is clear and sensible. In addition, he conveyed them in well-written scenes and dialogues. "
The Movie & Video Guide saw The Goddess as "the compelling biography of an ambitious girl in search of Hollywood fame" and stated that "the film captures the tragedy of the real Monroe thanks to the fine acting skills of Stanley and Bridges".
Halliwell's Film Guide saw the film as a "wild attack on the Marilyn Monroe cult, a little lewd and compromised by the wrong cast, but interesting in detail."
The lexicon of the international film found: "Excellent in character drawing and representation, impressively staged, the relentlessly analyzing, pessimistic film is able to stimulate reflection on the real values of life and the world of show business."
Individual evidence
- ^ Review in the New York Times, June 25, 1958
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 500
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 408
- ↑ The goddess. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed January 28, 2020 .
Web links
- The Goddess in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Goddess in the American Film Institute catalog