Robert Aldrich directed this ghoulish film. Kim Novak, who resembles a long dead movie queen, is discovered by agent Milton Selzer and brought to the attention of director Peter Finch. Finch is smitten and decides to make her a star by having her portray the dead movie queen in a biopic. It's difficult to tell what this movie's point is. Is it a cautionary tale about man making the same mistake over and over? Is it a satire? Either way, it's not very good, in fact it's a mess. Aldrich interjects several odd and meaningless touches: the German accented voice that emanates from Novak from time to time (clearly the voice of another actress); cartoon blood splattering on the screen during one flashback; the switching from color to B&W. The actors scream at each other and Finch looks like he's about to burst. Rossella Falk is Finch's butch assistant and Valentina Cortese appears as Countess Bozo Bedoni, a costume designer who looks a bit like Edith Head and a bit like Valentina Cortese. They're wasted in nothing roles. Worst of all is Ernest Borgnine as a lunatic studio head named Barney Sheean. On the plus side, Aldrich gets props for slapping Sheean's initials (BS) on every piece of equipment in sight. It's a clever gag. He also scores points for casting Coral Browne as a very bitchy Hollywood gossip columnist and he somehow pulls a fairly animated performance out of the usually stiff Novak. Frank De Vol contributes an appropriately creepy music score.
Review of The Legend of Lylah Clare
