Studies of ambition: All About Eve, The Bad and the Beautiful
By Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 16, 2024 | In Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast
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Thomas and James discuss two classic Hollywood films dealing with the moral problems of overweening ambition—specifically in the context of show business. All About Eve (1950), which won six Oscars and features razor-sharp dialogue and an unforgettable performance by Bette Davis, is set in the world of the theater, while The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) is a (perhaps more honest) self-examination of Hollywood itself. The latter contains the more perceptive observations of artistic genius and its operations, which tend to subordinate everything to the work to be done. More broadly, it’s a study of leadership, in both its positive and its more self-serving forms.
Music is The Duskwhales, “Take It Back”, used with permission. https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com
Criteria is hosted by Thomas V. Mirus and James T. Majewski.
Thomas is Director of Podcasts for CatholicCulture.org and hosts the Catholic Culture Podcast. See full bio.
James is the Director of Customer Relations for CatholicCulture.org as well as the host and narrator for Catholic Culture Audiobooks. See full bio.
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