I'm not sure where I first heard of The Country Girl, but I wish I could remember and give credit where it's due. It made a lot of noise back in 1954--Oscars for Grace Kelly and for director George Seaton's screenplay (based on Clifford Odets' 1950 play), and nominations for Bing Crosby, Seaton's direction, and Best Picture, as well as art direction and cinematography--but you rarely hear of it today.
Crosby's a washed-up, hard-drinking actor, Kelly is his long-suffering wife, and the outstanding William Holden is a bigshot Broadway director who gives Crosby one last chance at redemption and falls in love with Kelly in the process. The plot takes some mildly surprising twists, but it's fairly heavy-handed--it's Odets, what'd ya expect? And if this is nomination-worthy cinematography, then the Fifties were pretty lean years, visually speaking.
But the principals truly deliver the goods. Crosby is so neglected these days it's a mortal sin. Everyone from Sinatra to Satchmo to Elvis has had a revival, but Crosby--who was bigger in his day than any of them--remains woefully underappreciated. And although I'm primarily a fan of his singing, he's probably the best singing actor ever, and this is one of his best roles. Kelly's stiff, ornamental style usually leaves me less than enthralled, but I really fell for her here. And William Holden! I've never seen "Sunset Blvd." or "Stalag 17," and it's flicks like this that remind me what an ignorant fool I am.
tags: the country girl bing crosby grace kelly william holden clifford odets george seaton
