{"id":42315,"date":"2019-01-30T00:43:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T07:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42315"},"modified":"2020-12-27T00:38:17","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T07:38:17","slug":"big-carnival-the-ace-in-the-hole-1951","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42315","title":{"rendered":"Big Carnival, The \/ Ace in the Hole (1951)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t make things happen &#8212; all I do is write about &#8217;em!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-42317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Poster.jpg 657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA fame-hungry journalist (Kirk Douglas) seizes an opportunity to cover a story about a man (Richard Benedict) trapped in a New Mexico mine. While Benedict&#8217;s parents (John Berkes and Frances Dominguez) pray and worry, his cynical wife (Jan Sterling) earns money from gawking visitors who&#8217;ve come to see the media spectacle created by Douglas, and a  corrupt local sheriff (Ray Teal) hoping for re-election conceals Douglas&#8217;s nefarious plans to keep Benedict buried longer than necessary.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Billy Wilder Films<\/li>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Jan Sterling Films<\/li>\n<li>Journalists<\/li>\n<li>Kirk Douglas Films<\/li>\n<li>Media Spectacle<\/li>\n<li>Mining Towns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;cynical Billy Wilder film&#8221; &#8212; which &#8220;attacks the American public&#8221; for &#8220;always [being] willing to exploit tragedy for personal gain&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;extremely well made, brilliantly acted by Douglas, and, sadly, truthful&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;many people detest this depressing picture&#8221; &#8212; and while I can&#8217;t say I fall in that camp (it&#8217;s far too well made to <em>detest<\/em>), it sure is a helluva consistent downer. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4490ace.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> refers to it as a &#8220;blanket condemnation of humanity&#8221;, adding that &#8220;Wilder&#8217;s dark viewpoint is not only unrelenting, it&#8217;s unrelentingly unrelenting&#8221;. Based on a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Floyd_Collins\">true story of a cave explorer named Floyd Collins<\/a>, the screenplay &#8212; by Wilder, Walter Newman, and Lesser Samuels &#8212; builds this real-life tragedy up to satirically outlandish proportions; literally nobody is spared, not even Douglas&#8217;s seemingly clean-cut apprentice-photographer (Robert Arthur). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-59864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Arthur.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I enjoy Jan Sterling&#8217;s sullen performance as the buried man&#8217;s no-good wife (that scene with the scarf!):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-59865\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Scarf2.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nand Charles Lang&#8217;s cinematography is outstanding &#8212; but this is one classic I&#8217;ll happily leave behind now that I&#8217;ve been reminded of its technical brilliance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kirk Douglas as Chuck Tatum (nominated as one of the Best Actors of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography2.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jan Sterling as Lorraine Minosa<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Sterling.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Charles Lang&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography3.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Big-Carnival-Cinematography.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a harsh but powerful classic. Nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#classic\">Genuine Classic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#director\">Important Director<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0043338\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4490ace.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.nytimes.com\/www.nytimes.com\/books\/98\/12\/27\/specials\/wilder-ace.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/613826\/ace-in-the-hole#articles-reviews?articleId=152031\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/3027\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=8794&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t make things happen &#8212; all I do is write about &#8217;em!&#8221; Synopsis: A fame-hungry journalist (Kirk Douglas) seizes an opportunity to cover a story about a man (Richard Benedict) trapped in a New Mexico mine. While Benedict&#8217;s parents (John Berkes and Frances Dominguez) pray and worry, his cynical wife (Jan Sterling) earns money from gawking visitors who&#8217;ve come to see the media spectacle created by Douglas, and a corrupt local sheriff (Ray Teal) hoping for re-election conceals Douglas&#8217;s&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42315\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42315"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59866,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42315\/revisions\/59866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}