A Face in the Crowd poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick ... see more see more... , Kay Medford , Rod Brasfield , Charles Irving , Howard I. Smith , Paul McGrath , Alexander Kirkland , Big Jeff Bess , Henry Sharp , John Bliss , Kim Chan , Faye Emerson , Betty Furness , Virginia Graham , Burl Ives , Lois Nettleton , John Cameron Swayze , Mike Wallace , Percy Waram , Walter Winchell , Marshall Neilan , Rip Torn , Sandra Wirth , Amanda Robinson , Suzanne Ballard , Bunny McCallum

Andy Griffith makes a spectacular film debut in this searing drama as Lonesome Rhodes, a philosophical country-western singer discovered in a tanktown jail by radio talent scout Patricia Neal and her ... read more read more...assistant Walter Matthau. They decide that Rhodes is worthy of a radio spot, but the unforeseen result is that the gangly, aw-shucks entertainer becomes an overnight sensation not simply on radio but, thereafter, on television. As he ascends to stardom, Rhodes attracts fans, sponsors and endorsements by the carload, and soon he is the most powerful and influential entertainer on the airwaves. Beloved by his audience, Rhodes reveals himself to his intimates as a scheming, power-hungry manipulator, with Machiavellian political aspirations. He uses everyone around him, coldly discarding anyone who might impede his climb to the top (one such victim is sexy baton-twirler Lee Remick, likewise making her film debut). Just when it seems that there's no stopping Rhodes' megalomania, his mentor and ex-lover Neal exposes this Idol of Millions as the rat that he is. She arranges to switch on the audio during the closing credits of Rhodes' TV program, allowing the whole nation to hear the grinning, waving Rhodes characterize them as "suckers" and "stupid idiots." Instantly, Rhodes' popularity rating plummets to zero. As he drunkenly wanders around his penthouse apartment, still not fully comprehending what has happened to him, Rhodes is deserted by the very associates who, hours earlier, were willing to ask "how high?" when he yelled "jump". Written by Budd Schulberg, Face in the Crowd was not a success, possibly because it hit so close to home with idol-worshipping TV fans. Its reputation has grown in the intervening years, not only because of its value as a film but because of the novelty of seeing the traditionally easygoing Andy Griffith as so vicious and manipulative a character as Lonesome Rhodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

93% liked it

4,371 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

22 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Elia Kazan

Release Date: May 28, 1957

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005

Get It:

Stats: 384 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (384)

  • flixsterman
    November 17, 2011
    flixsterman
    This one is disturbing for all the right reasons. Watching Andy Griffith play a money-grubbing, amoral, unlikeable bastard is like watching Mister Rogers play Hannibal Lector. After all, this is the same Andy that kept the streets of Mayberry safe for all those years and the sa... read moreme Andy that taught Opie how to fish and throw a curve ball. It's even more unnerving because Griffith does it so well.
  • kenstachnik
    October 2, 2010
    kenstachnik
    Holy central performance Andy Griffith! This movie is full on fantastic. Elia Kazan has brought to life a story that is years ahead of it's time. A must see.
  • mjgildea
    September 3, 2010
    mjgildea
    I never thought I'd ever use the word amazing to describe any performance by Andy Griffith but I've got to hand it to the man -- he was amazing. He played a folksy and infinitely lovable hick and a power-drunk bastard with equal magnificence. Director Elia Kazan's initial shot at... read more a burgeoning form of entertainment serves as an eons ahead of its time lightning rod that's more relevant now than ever. Kazan's direction is fantastic (especially when the spectacular Patricia Neal snaps in the sound booth) and the script is biting. The supporting cast (particularly Walter Matthau) was brilliant and I see yet another movie I want to kick myself in the ass for not seeing sooner. I loved this movie so much I want to freak out.
  • webalina
    March 14, 2010
    webalina
    WOW. Who knew he had it in him?!! Andy Griffith -- yes, THAT Andy Griffith -- gives a blistering performance in his first film role as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, a drunk, belligerent drifter "discovered" by Arkansas radio personality Patricia Neal. He starts off small as a hayseed ... read morephilosopher/musician, then gets more and more famous until he is a nationwide star and teen heartthrob with his own show. In the process, he becomes (or maybe reveals himself to be) a megalomanical bastard. He's a womanizer, a heavy drinker, loud, abusive, moneygrubbing and insensitive. But also, he is handsome and lusty, and brings Miss Prim Patricia Neal out of her sexual shell. The scene of her inviting him into her hotel room and the kiss in the hall was HOT. The scene close to the end where he is on a balcony, his life and fame falling apart around him, reminds one almost of Adolf Hitler or Mussolini, getting high on the adulation of his fans.

    How he went from a wildman character like this to mild-mannered Mayberry Sheriff Andy Taylor I will never know. I remember years ago another film -- called Murder in Coweta County -- in which Griffith played an amoral character, and people were shocked -- that is, except for anyone who had ever seen this film. I'm curious though....I wonder if the impact was the same for the people who didn't have Andy Taylor to compare Lonesome Rhodes to? Maybe they were instead amazed how such a complete asshole could play a quiet noble character like Andy? The world may never know...
  • rubystevens
    January 18, 2010
    rubystevens
    this is a terrific film and i think the flixster synopsis is spot on. it's interesting to speculate where andy's film career might have gone if he hadn't become a tv icon in the 60's
  • binky013
    June 17, 2009
    binky013
    So I'm watching this with my sister last night, who's visiting from England, and I tell her it's a powerful performance by Andy Griffith. This is my Robert Osbornean intro to a movie that truly grips me. As we get into the film, she's talking about how great it is that Elia Kaz... read morean, a sellout to the Committee on Un-American Activities, she reminds me, can so beautifully capture small town America, but that Andy Griffith is wrong for the part.

    Well, I beg to differ with my one and only dear sister, but Andy Griffith, I believe, is perfect for this part.

    My sister maintains that Griffith is not sinister enough to play the part of Lonesome Rhodes. This, I think, is a carryover of the whole Mayberry syndrome. I believe that Griffith is perfectly sinister for this part, and his acting job here shows how much range he has beyond Sheriff Andy Taylor. You watch it, and you tell me. Do you agree with my sister, or do you agree with me?

    One thing we do see eye to eye on is that the script here is a gem.
  • jjnxn
    February 11, 2009
    jjnxn
    Incisive, brilliantly acted study of the corrupting influence of power and the venality of a twisted soul. Andy Griffith is mesmerizing, Patricia Neal heartbreaking and Walter Matthau gives one of his best early performances.
  • tsigur
    September 24, 2008
    tsigur
    This ain't your grandparent's Matlock. Andy Griffith is amazing as the towering, sometimes over the top Lonesome Rhodes. What I liked best about the film was it seems to be waaaaay ahead of it's time as far as seeing the power of television, media, and fame. Although the ending l... read moreeft me wanting more, it still was very powerful. And, besides, a young Matthau, very young and beautiful Remick, and Patricia Neal (damn, she's two for two) keep it interesting. I love how Kazan frames his shots and he guides the film through a couple of bumpy parts.
  • rayman0071
    September 14, 2007
    rayman0071
    The stunning debut of Andy Griffith
  • fb20312798
    April 21, 2012
    fb20312798
    This movie is absolutely terrifying. The combination of the eerily truthful prediction of the conglomeration of business, media, politics, and popular personality to manipulate the public along with Andy Griffith's manic performance (Its probably the best thing he's ever done) cr... read moreeates a film that still feels relevant, like its warning us of something we still have the capability to stop. I hesitate to praise it too much on that basis, as the film has so many other great elements (Patricia Neal, Kazan's direction) . . . its just outstanding on all fronts.

View All A Face in the Crowd Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. Hoberman
February 27, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

A Face in the Crowd has never ceased to be relevant. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

This sizzling and cynical exposure... also presents Andy Griffith as the key figure in his first screen role. Full Review

Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Andy Griffith, as a hick radio star modeled on Arthur Godfrey, delivers an astonishing, sinister performance in Elia Kazan's 1957 essay on media demagoguery. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 8, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Another fruitful collaboartion between Kazan and Budd Schulberg (On the Waterfront), a poignant film about celebrity, the mass media, and the political process. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
November 29, 2007
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's a biting 'rise and fall' satire, sending out a warning to watch out for legends created on the boob tube. Full Review

November 1, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A raw, penetrating, and terrifying portrait of humanity. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

What starts out as a seemingly liberal tract rapidly becomes a smug, cynical exercise in misanthropy. Full Review

John J. Puccio
May 15, 2005
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...an important cautionary tale for all of us not take everything we see and hear at face value. Full Review

David Bezanson
May 13, 2005
David Bezanson, Filmcritic.com

Next time you feel like you're getting fooled again by a demagogue, rent this movie and get centered Full Review

Dan Lybarger
December 31, 2004
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

Didactic but highly effective little black comedy from the folks who gave you 'On the Waterfront.' Andy Griffith is downright scary.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Being There
    Being There (100%)
  • Network
    Network (80%)
  • A Streetcar Named Desire
    A Streetcar Named Desire (0%)
  • Rebel Without a Cause
    Rebel Without a Cause (50%)

More Movies like A Face in the Crowd

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

A Face in the Cro... : Watch Free on TV

A Face in the Crowd Trivia

More A Face in the Crowd Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for A Face in the Crowd. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add A Face in the Crowd to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?