Slideshow
THE GODDESS
*Introduced by Foster Hirsch
U.S., 1958
Directed by John Cromwell
Starring Kim Stanley, Lloyd Bridges, Steven Hill
Screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky
Approx. 105 min. 35mm.
Absorbing biography of an ambitious girl seeking Hollywood fame. Author Paddy Chayefsky based his story on Marilyn Monroe; the film captures tragedy of the real-life Monroe with fine acting by Stanley and Bridges, among others. “For decades, Stanley’s performance as a neurotic movie star in THE GODDESS (a portrait based on Marilyn Monroe) was upheld as gospel at the [Actors] Studio and in acting schools under the sway of the Studio’s Method. Because of the way Paddy Chayefsky’s choppy screenplay is constructed—it is in effect a series of vignettes that trace the rise to Hollywood stardom of… a poor young woman from the South raised without a father and by a reluctant mother who discovers religion—Stanley must fill in the gaps between scenes, suggesting through subtext and inner work what has happened to her character… At her mother’s funeral Stanley emits a primal scream that outdoes James Dean’s wail of pain in … EAST OF EDEN… In many scenes she seems to impel herself into a trancelike state in which acting becomes a form of spiritual transcendence. Like those of Clift, Brando, and Dean, Stanley’s liquid voice is a rich and supple instrument, a vessel of trembling feelings; and like theirs, her eyes are alive with the imprint of her character’s suffering.” – Foster Hirsch
Reviews
“They don't make them like these anymore, not in Hollywood… This stinging, probing study of a neurotic screen star hinges on Paddy Chayevsky's brilliant scenario, John Cromwell's direction and a compact cast. In a wise drama without an ounce of fat, many powerful scenes linger”
– Howard Thompson, The New York Times
“A coarse but sensitive tale of the tragic career of a Hollywood glamour girl who has never had the comfort of being loved. And, for its performance, John Cromwell has beautifully directed an excellent cast that makes it fairly quiver with emotion. It comes off a fine dramatic film.”
– Bosley Crowther, The New York Times