vincente minnelli the bad and the beautiful be an inside hollywood film in the vein of sunset blvd . the film recount the story of how three hollywood a lister come by their success under the guidance of producer jonathon shield ( kirk douglas ) . however and unfortunately for shield and he now find himself a pariah follow his numerous betrayal . can former business partner harry pebbel ( walter pidgeon ) convince the three to reunite for the project that shield hope will vault him back into the spotlight . the cast be admirable . kirk douglas fit well in the role of a manipulative hollywood producer and he find himself reward with an oscar nomination for his performance . lana turner be the other headliner and she deliver the good as well ( while look wonderful and i might add ) . gloria grahame somehow manage to snag an oscar for her relatively minor role and though i must admit that she be memorably fetch . the rest of the cast be uniformly solid with no weak link . minnelli direction be lively while the film oscar win for cinematography and costume design and art direction show that the film be easy on the eye . the david raksin score admirably support the visuals and run the gamut from bouncy to forebode . all in all and the film be a memorable inside hollywood yarn mix soapy melodrama with a somewhat noirish approach . while not a satirically cut a sunset blvd . it be bolster by an oscar win script . throw in the fine cast and technical polish and you have get a film that definitely worth watching .