Barefoot Contessa (1954)

This is Ava Gardner’s best role. She plays a dancer from the Spanish slums who is "discovered" by film director Bogart and taken to Hollywood where she becomes a star. The film is told in flashback and is narrated by three characters who play a part in her life: Bogart, Edmond O’Brien (an agent), and Rossano Brazzi (an Italian Count who becomes her husband). The film’s title refers to the fact that she only feels at home with her feet in the dirt, despite her marriage into nobility. The dialogue is very witty and satirical. A lot of the fun comes from trying to match real names from "cafe society" with characters in this film. Today’s movies seem very childish in comparison. They just don’t make em’ like this anymore.

1954, colour, 128 minutes