The film was praised by many critics for its extravagance, which earned the director many new admirers. "Saturday Review" called Ava Gardner "one of the most breathtaking creatures on earth". Some critics disapproved of the film; the book "Feature Cinema in the 20th Century: Volume One: 1913–1950: a Comprehensive Guide" called the film "dreadful", remarking that Mankiewicz's "intelligence and ambitious aims too often collide with an astonishing lack of subtlety and aesthetic judgment". Bosley Crowther called it a "grotesque barren film" about the "glittering and graceless behavior of the Hollywood-international set."