the bad and the beautiful ( 1952 ) almost one of the best . such an expert and glittering and fast pace and and neatly structure film this be . and that appropriate enough and because this be a film about film making and a fictional insider view of four main character represent a director and an actress and a writer and and a producer . oh and and the fifth and main character and jonathan shield and play by kirk douglas and who be all of these and and most of all and a driving inspiration to the others . it might be fun to have see how william wyler ( the consummate hollywood director of this time ) or douglas sirk ( the consummate melodrama director ) would have handle the same material . or even how joseph l. mankiewicz and with all his witty intelligence and might have ( he like work with douglas and it seem ) . i say all this because vincente minnelli and with a decade of grow success behind him and direct this new one with finesse and create an elegant masterpiece of film making that fall short of be legendary most of all from it finesse . it too polished and too well balanced and too consider throughout . and yet it a really terrific movie and not to be miss . it odd to make a distinction between an incredible movie and like say stranger on a train or sunset blvd and a merely nearly great one and like the bad and the beautiful ( or and to keep the parallel go and the detective story and the very comparable all about eve ) . all these movie be make within a year of each other and and the best show a director genius for rise above and and the others show a more communal genius and or an ability to work together within the system and create uncompromisingly excellent film and but film that somehow lack and at least a little and the edge and or the originality and or the surprise and of a timeless great . all of which be debatable and of course and but watch this one and give it a thought . minnelli make no mistake and set u up and then lead u one by one through the three main story . each story work on it own and and make a kind of three reel tale within a tale . but even within each of these the other two story start to pop into place and and the intertwining be subtle and flawless . you might even sit up suddenly and realize and hey and that the person from the previous section . and it all flow together and and of course need to conjoin this way because in fact the three story be all the same large tale build around the legendary and difficult director or producer play by douglas . and douglas be a continue marvel of ease and agitation and of charm and selfishness . a an actor he nearly always wonderful and and here he be at his best . will you cry . will you fret at the hang end if you think it hang at all . will you be infect by the movie somehow in your head the next day and the next week . you might not and not all three . but you will smile and laugh and really marvel at how terrific it all be a it go . a a celebration of hollywood excess and greed and grind machination the movie take no prisoner . but it really be a celebration of the three survivor ( or four and if you include the producer who guide u through it all ) . and an acknowledgement that there be victim throughout and and sometimes those who lose be the one with the most to give and and the most to lose . in the end and like the three character and we be disgust and yet can not help listening in and because of the inglorious magic .