Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

chauge-73253 "The Country Girl" is Grace Kelly's Oscar winning movie about an alcoholic singer and stage actor who digs deeper into his bottle after the accidental death of his son, and the long-suffering wife who tries to keep him on the straight-and-narrow when he attempts a comeback. Bing Crosby plays Frank Elgin, a rising star who loses track of his young son during a photo shoot with a record company when the boy suddenly wanders off into traffic and dies. His record turns into a one-hit-wonder that is mostly forgotten because Frank abandons the music biz after the tragedy. He has also been paying the bills as a stage actor, but has ruined his reputation by being an unreliable drunk until director Bernie Dodd (played by William Holden), desperate for a leading man for his new play, convinces his producer that Frank is perfect for the lead as long as he cleans him up. Throughout the movie, Bernie thinks Frank's wife Georgie is holding him back by belittling him and micromanaging his career, thus enhancing his insecurities and driving him to continually drink. In other words, as you will see, Bernie is clueless as to what is really going on. Grace Kelly is an early adapter of the-- I'm too beautiful to be taken seriously so the only way I can get an Oscar is if I'm made to look unattractive and given a dark dramatic role that is against type--strategy. It does work for her though. I really bought into her angst and regret as the pain of her daily ordeal of propping up Frank's ego and keeping him away from the booze becomes more clear. Even though Bernie is frustrated with Georgie, he slowly starts to fall in love with her because HELLO! this is Grace Kelly, and no matter how frumpy her clothes are and how pale the makeup is, she's still her, and the movie does show a few scenes of a happier Georgie where all that is washed away and you see the diamond in the rough she really is without Frank's downward spiral to deal with. Bing Crosby is too old for the part and Grace Kelly is too young for hers, but because of their great chemistry together I was able to get past it. Bing Crosby earned a Best Actor nomination by pivoting from his usual crooning self to miserable washed-up showman with ease. George Seaton's Oscar winning screenplay explores how the loss of a child can affect both husband and wife and the ways they deal with it--good or bad, and whether they can rise above it. Definitely worth a watch.

lasttimeisaw A plain reason why I arouse my interest in this film is the controversy of Grace Kelly's Oscar win over Judy Garland in A STAR IS BORN (1954), according to trivia report, a narrow 6 votes altered the result for the jinxed Ms. Garland, who had the best shot in her entire lifetime. But on the other hands 1954 is the prosperous year for Ms. Kelly, with cinema chef-d'oeuvres like REAR WINDOW, DIAL M FOR MURDER, her final victory is quite plausible, just imagine if the prolifically marvelous Jessica Chastain had won over her co-star Octavia Spencer for THE HELP (2011) this year, I doubt there would be a big fuss about it. The film is an adaption of Clifford Odets' most famous play, about a drunkard singer-actor's revival of his plummeting career against his insecurity and impotence for responsibility after a wretched family tragedy. Judging by the title, his wife, a devoted, morally dignified woman, is the linchpin, a paragon wife, undergoes all her tribulation from her husband and at last procures the affection of another man, a divorced director in the Broadway coterie. The 3-triangle team is the backbone of the film, this is my first film starring Bing Crosby, who has a showier role than his co-star Holden, Crosby manifests his talent in dramas, but his role has been overshadowed by Holden and Kelly's showdown, thanks to the self-degrading makeup skill, Grace Kelly sacrifices her beauty and morphs into a woman under the family trauma but still holds steady of her self-respect, William Holden's double-chin hasn't stopped him from being a complete charmer during the sex battle despite of the ambiguous mutual attraction stunt is a turn-off. PS. I'm no stylist, but Bing Crosby's high waist pants are torturing my eyes when they constantly pop up on the screen, I may not be a fashion follower, but this instance speaks for itself of the importance of not looking ludicrous on the celluloid. Likewise, the film has a setback to be digested by a modernized audience, and by far Judy Garland has still been my win in the race.

MartinHafer This film is about a down-and-out performer (Bing Crosby) who has sunk into alcoholism and self-pity. However, out of the blue, he's received a huge break--to star in a Broadway show! Can the guy hold it together and rise to the occasion or will be return to the bottle and despair?! Although this idea is interesting, what is truly original is what happens with Crosby--how he copes with all this responsibility. Again and again, he manages to make it appear as if his wife (Grace Kelly) is a domineering woman who is trying to push him to fall on his face--when actually she is doing the opposite. She tries to help him from falling and, behind her back, he manipulates things so that the producer (William Holden) thinks SHE is the problem. Like many alcoholics, he has a great need to appear confident and capable AND to make excuses for when he does hit the bottle once again--'it's all her fault' is his excuse waiting to happen! Eventually, Crosby's manipulations result in Holden confronting Kelly for her supposedly undermining Crosby! He wants her to leave and return home so that Crosby will supposedly be free from distractions and her wicked clutches! Simply put, he's an alcoholic--a manipulative and insincere drunk. Now when I saw the film as a kid, I thought Kelly was a nice and innocent woman who meant well. Now, however, I see that by sticking with him, Kelly plays an enabler--a well-intentioned one but an enabler nevertheless. This, too, is interesting--creating a nice portrait of a drunk AND his partner.The film is original and cleverly written--plus it's one of the better films about addiction from this era. Grace Kelly received the Oscar for Best Actress for this performance. I used to think this was unmerited, though in seeing the film again I see what an exceptional job she did. Plus 1955 was a particularly weak year and she was better than the competition. Crosby was also nominated for an Oscar but considering Brando's performance in "On the Waterfront", it's not surprising he lost--though this is perhaps Crosby's greatest acting of his long career. Now this does not mean the film was perfect or problem-free. I cannot understand the casting as Kelly just seemed too young and glamorous (even when they gave her a very subdued makeup job)--I would have picked someone older considering Kelly was 51 and Kelly was 25! Although the part was to have been played by someone younger--perhaps in her mid-30s or older would have worked better. Otherwise, though, it's a very good film nevertheless. The other problem was the inexplicable relationship that sprang up between Holden and Kelly near the end....where the heck did THAT come from?!?! (yes, I know I ended this sentence with a preposition...deal with it. After 9600+ reviews I think I am entitled to one dangling preposition.)

bernie-122 I'm sorry, but I can't see much that's Oscar-worthy about this soap drama. Grace wasn't too bad, but I've seen a lot better from her. The performances all round are terribly forced; one should not be aware that the people one is watching are acting. But I couldn't avoid this. William Holden is perhaps the exception.Some of this reflects the style of the times, and certainly isn't as bad as Jack Lemmon, who I often find to be self-consciously over-expressive. Bing-o is woefully miscast here, and too old for the part. There are clichés galore and very few surprises. The story is actually fairly shallow and doesn't well reflect the real tribulations of alcoholism. If it was meant to be something like Days of Wine and Roses, it didn't work.Good film, but nothing to write home about.