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IMDbPro

The Barefoot Contessa

  • 1954
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer1:52
1 Video
87 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery

This is the life of a Hollywood movie star named Maria, as told by writer/director Harry Dawes, from being discovered in Madrid, Spain, until her funeral in Italy.This is the life of a Hollywood movie star named Maria, as told by writer/director Harry Dawes, from being discovered in Madrid, Spain, until her funeral in Italy.This is the life of a Hollywood movie star named Maria, as told by writer/director Harry Dawes, from being discovered in Madrid, Spain, until her funeral in Italy.

  • Director
    • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • Writer
    • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • Stars
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Ava Gardner
    • Edmond O'Brien
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
    • Writer
      • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
    • Stars
      • Humphrey Bogart
      • Ava Gardner
      • Edmond O'Brien
    • 123User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Trailer [OV]

    Photos87

    Edmond O'Brien in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Ava Gardner and Riccardo Rioli in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Rossano Brazzi in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart, Edmond O'Brien, and Warren Stevens in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Rossano Brazzi, and Valentina Cortese in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
    Ava Gardner in The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • Harry Dawes
    Ava Gardner
    Ava Gardner
    • Maria Vargas
    Edmond O'Brien
    Edmond O'Brien
    • Oscar Muldoon
    Marius Goring
    Marius Goring
    • Alberto Bravano
    Valentina Cortese
    Valentina Cortese
    • Eleanora Torlato-Favrini
    • (as Valentina Cortesa)
    Rossano Brazzi
    Rossano Brazzi
    • Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini
    Elizabeth Sellars
    Elizabeth Sellars
    • Jerry
    Warren Stevens
    Warren Stevens
    • Kirk Edwards
    Franco Interlenghi
    Franco Interlenghi
    • Pedro Vargas
    Mari Aldon
    Mari Aldon
    • Myrna
    Alberto Rabagliati
    • Proprietor
    Enzo Staiola
    Enzo Staiola
    • Busboy
    Maria Zanoli
    Maria Zanoli
    • Maria's Mother
    Renato Chiantoni
    • Maria's Father
    Bill Fraser
    • J. Montague Brown
    John Parrish
    • Mr. Max Black
    Jim Gérald
    • Mr. Blue
    • (as Jim Gerald)
    Diana Decker
    • Drunken Blonde
    • Director
      • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
    • Writer
      • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner had good chemistry on screen, off screen Bogart wasn't particularly impressed with her as an actress. He commented that Gardner gave him nothing to work with when they were performing together. Some believe Bogart's unfavorable feelings towards Gardner was due to the divorce between Gardner and his close friend Frank Sinatra.
    • Goofs
      Just after Maria's engagement is announced, Harry is in a small town near a seaport talking to a group of men. They are all looking and gesturing off to stage left. Maria drives right up behind the group and sounds the car horn. The group of men continue talking for almost 3 seconds before any of them react to a car horn that is supposedly going off just 5 feet behind them.
    • Quotes

      Harry Dawes: "Life, every now and then, behaves as though it had seen too many bad movies, when everything fits too well - the beginning, the middle, the end - from fade-in to fade-out."

    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1999)

    User reviews123

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Down and out in Hollywood, Rome and the Riviera
    When a movie opens with the funeral of the main character, you know you are in for a long, sad ride. Really long, in this case – the movie clocks in at two hours. With the inevitability of a tragic death fixed at the opening, it's hard not to see the entire film through filter of sadness.

    The Barefoot Contessa follows the rise, perpetual dissatisfaction and demise of a beautiful, charismatic Maria Vargas, a young Spanish woman played by Ava Gardner. A powerful wall street type turned movie backer wants her to be the new face and visits her in her small village, dragging along a PR man, the director and washed up actress. There are two narrators – a little confusing at times – but most of the movie is relayed from the perspective of Humphrey Bogart, a sad sack, world weary writer/director (in a mythical time when writers were as famous as the stars). He was great, as always, and Gardner was good but lacked oomph for someone supposedly able to set the world on fire.

    I think that was due mainly to the direction, she wasn't allowed to sparkle; quite the opposite, she was prohibited from shining. The odd thing about the movie is how much of her action happened off screen. When Hollywood arrives in her village to see her dance, we only see her hands clicking castanets. When she has a screen test which dazzles jaded directors and, we don't see it. When she makes three movies, we never see her on set or even get a hint of what she was like in the movies. When she rises to the top of the celebrity mountain with legions of adoring fans, we don't see them or even understand why. In fact, all she really does is mope around and wait for her demise. The only time she is allowed to partially captivate is during an odd scene where she hand-dances at a Gypsy camp.

    It must have been intentional, and added to the doomed mood throughout. Instead of the details, instead of watching a small town girl lose her innocence (though she always seemed quite confident, self-possessed and resigned to her fate) we see the outcomes -- cruel people growing crueler, the dehumanizing effect of fame and redemption for a few characters (Bogart's character finds true love after three marriages and manages to kick the booze habit for good). Mostly we see barefoot Ava, drifting through life, never able to let herself be happy, or fall in love, or enjoy success, or even laugh. And we are never really able to understand why. The opening shot shows that she is doomed and I was never able to shake that inevitability throughout.

    Still well worth the time.

    -- www.cowboyandvampire.come --
    helpful•13
    4
    • cowboyandvampire
    • Dec 10, 2012

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 30, 1954 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • Italian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Bosonoga kontesa
    • Filming locations
      • Portofino, Genoa, Liguria, Italy(Dawes directing a film shoot)
    • Production companies
      • Transoceanic Film
      • Figaro
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $17,018
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.75 : 1

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