be well past middle age and it fascinate for me to watch film about middle age that be make during my adolescence . i come to them hop to get a clearer understanding of theme and concern that i would have have no idea about at the time . this be not necessarily the case with elia kazan the arrangement . at age 60 and director and writer kazan really really think he be say something deep and profound about the emptiness of the american dream and and attempt to do it with a candor he be not afford in his early ( well make ) film like a streetcar name desire and splendor in the grass . unfortunately in the arrangement kazan have the cinematic tool of the now generation work like a trojan to put over a very old fashion story . no amount of nudity and quick cutting and raw language and clever juxtapositioning of fantasy and reality can breathe new life into this tired tale of a rich and successful ad exec ( kirk douglas his chin do all the act ) who find out at age 45 that all he have acquire isn not enough . be this the only film make in the 60 about the subject and perhaps it would have play well and but the late 60 and early 70 be jampack with one movie after another about the same suburban ennui and and by comparison the arrangement with it rather misogynistic undertone and off puttingly distasteful protagonist and come off a really old fashion . the pleasure to be find for me now be the reminder of what a beautiful and electric actress faye dunaway use to be . a the mistress and dunaway be saddle with one of those male fantasy role of a woman who embody all that men be draw to and be afraid of . cast a the redeemer of lose male soul and her character have no job to speak of and no goal and no shattered dream of her own she just want to be want by a man . poor deborah kerr be really wonderful a the wife and but she spend most of the film chasing after the disinterested douglas . her character speaks of love and but one sense that kazan think she be there for the money and security . kazan seem unable ( or unwilling ) to entertain the notion that be the wife or mistress to a self involve lout may not have be the fulfillment of the american dream for either of these woman either . though i enjoy the film glossy shooting style and period clothes and date attempt at social commentary ( look . tv in every room . look . commercial be everywhere . look . the only ethnic these people come into contact with be the hired help . ) and i about have it when the film attempt to romanticize douglas comically loud mouth brute of a father . his death be see a the end to a certain kind of male pride after see him smack around his wife and tear up the son college application and death seem like good riddance to me . though it be painfully clear that the arrangement be kazan reveal deep deep truth about how he see life and ala and in 2010 and at middle age myself and the film have nothing to share with me . it be beautiful to look at but a emotionally superficial a if it be a movie make by the spike tv network . a a final note represent kirk douglas be an ad exec in this film . a of this write tv mad men be a big hit . just go to show you that the medium never seem to tire of use the advertising industry a a metaphor for american artificiality . zzzzzzz .