The Barefoot Contessa

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

  • 100% of critics liked it
    (8 reviews)

  • 70% of users liked it
    (4,539 ratings)

The Barefoot Contessa begins at the funeral of Ava Gardner, a former Spanish peasant, cabaret dancer and movie star, who at the time of her death was a full-fledged contessa. Her life story unfolds in flashback recollections from her mourners. Film director Humphrey Bogart recalls how his career was… More

In Theaters
Jan 1, 1954 Wide

Critic Reviews

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    An imperfect film, but its excesses are as suggestive as its subtleties.

  • Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

    Mankiewicz's bitter-sweet satire of Hollywood is extremely well acted by Bogart (witty), Avan Gardner (gorgeous), and Edmond O'Brien, who won the Supporting Oscar.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Brilliantly witty but trashy showbiz melodrama.

  • Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

    Bogart, Gardner sizzle

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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

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

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Jim H


    An actress, who befriends a washed up Hollywood director, struggles to maintain her integrity in the spurious business of movie-making. Joseph L. Mankiewicz is a master story-teller. Yes, in this film, he takes the easy way out of exposition by using voice over, but the characters so… More

  • jay n


    Great cast and good story but it misses somewhat and is rather plodding. Good try though.

  • George M


    Not as a good attempt at mythologizing (and demythologizing) a star through multiple perspectives as in All About Eve. The structure of the film is the same and shows how much forward of his time Mankiewicz was in breaking classical narrative within the compounds of Hollywood (still… More

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