I never much cared for “A Face in the Crowd.” Seemed too innately propagandistic, always showing the general public as brain-dead rubes eating up Rhodes’ nonsense, and the media elite the savvy, worldly smart-set who were capable of discernment, if not guile. But I’m invariably put off by ‘message’ movies anyway, siding with Louis B. Mayer’s attitude over Dore Schary’s, when it comes to such things. And Griffith’s lack of subtlety made the whole endeavor seem all the more ham-fisted to me.
About a year ago, I was sitting with some actors friends (including my husband) in a NY diner and the movie came up in conversation. My husband disagreed with his friends that Griffith was brilliant; he thought he was so in-your-face that it was off putting. That’s the way I always felt about it. Andy was a wonderful actor/performer so I’m sure it might have been the direction. He’s so much more subtle in his tv show.
This is my least favorite of Budd’s movies. I much prefer On the Waterfront and The Harder They Fall. Fantastic novelist as well!