Cinema Sunday: A Face In the Crowd

For today's Cinema Sunday, I want to take a look at movie that came out in 1957 but is unnervingly prescient regards to the current state of our culture and politics in the present day. 

When I first saw this movie a few years back, I found it more than a little shocking.  The movie stars Andy Griffith and if all you know of Andy is from The Andy Griffith Show and his genial take of Sheriff Andy Taylor, well, Griffith's turn in his film debut will shock you too.  

The movie is A Face in the Crowd about a drifter called Lonesome Rhodes (played by Andy Griffith) who parlays a lucky shot at singing and talking on a local Arkansas radio program to a television career of ever growing national fame that threatens to extend his reach to grasp the levers of political power.   

Rhodes' talent, his folksy humor and his personal charm carries him along on a wild ride of fame and fortune. Behind the scenes, however, Rhodes is a dark and fractured soul, an angry man with a raging ego, always in the grip of drunken debauchery and sex.  Even as his public profile grows into some kind of inspirational role model. Rhodes' private dark excesses continue to grow.   

Caught in the conflicting chaos of Rhodes' parallel ascents and descents is Marcia Jeffries, played by Patricia Neal. Marcia is the one who discovers Rhodes in Arkansas and becomes instrumental in developing his burgeoning success. She is also attracted to Rhodes' charms and has an affair with Rhodes. But her front row seat for Rhodes' growing fame also puts her front and center to his worse impulses where she is consistently hurt and betrayed.  Marcia regrets her role in creating Lonesome Rhodes but nothing can stop his ascent, not just as a performing celebrity but also as a force in politics.  

For a movie made in 1957, A Face in the Crowd remains a remarkably sharp mirror on the world today.  I thought that when I first saw this movie about 10 years ago and sadly, it is even more true today.  Lonesome Rhodes isn't a genius but he knows his audience and he knows how to play them. Rhodes heads up a cult of personality that holds and builds his audience. 

Rhodes does things that should hurt him. There's a bit when he insults his sponsor. His sponsor pulls their ads and takes Rhodes off the air, only to find their sales increased after Rhodes' on air jabs.  Back on the air once more, Lonesome Rhodes learns a powerful lesson about his ability to influence people, adding to his lust to appease his ego.  

Lonesome Rhodes can convince people of anything. It is the source of his seemingly limitless power. 

It will be, ultimately, the only thing than stop him. 

This is a very powerful movie. Warning, though. After seeing Andy Griffith as Lonesome Rhodes, life in Mayberry may never be the same. 

"Must kill Barney Fife! Must kill Barney Fife!
Use a gun or use a knife!Must kill Barney Fife!"