Ace in the Hole (1951 film)
| Ace in the Hole | |
|---|---|
| File:Ace.JPG Ace in the Hole | |
| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Written by | Walter Newman Lesser Samuels Billy Wilder |
| Produced by | Billy Wilder |
| Starring | Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur |
| Cinematography | Charles B. Lang Jr. |
| Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | July 29, 1951 (U.S. release) |
Running time | 111 min. |
| Language | English |
Ace in the Hole is a 1951 black-and-white film starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Billy Wilder. Paramount Pictures release.
Wilder examines the seedy relationship between the media and the news it reports in this film noir. Originally released theatrically as Ace in the Hole; The Big Carnival is the title used for the films re-release and most early television airings. The "carnival" in the title refers to the media circus surrounding the events in the movie. There is also an actual carnival set up near the mine for onlookers who have come to watch the rescue attempt.
Plot
Kirk Douglas portrays Charles 'Chuck' Tatum the cynical, down-on-his-luck reporter for a small New Mexico paper. While on assignment covering a rattlesnake hunt Tatum finds out about a man, played by Richard Benedict, who has become trapped in a cave collapse. Tatum sees his chance to make it big again, and manages to delay the rescue in order to benefit from the fame his exclusive reporting is bringing. The victim's wife Jan Sterling also has eyes for Tatum. As this goes on, people flock to the mine to witness the rescue. By the time the movie is over, the rescue site has literally become a carnival, with rides and entertainment.
Critical reaction
Reviews of the film today are mixed but mostly favorable. J. Hoberman of the Village Voice stated that the film isn't the greatest movie effort: "Ace in the Hole is by no means a great—or even a particularly good—movie, but its sustained nastiness shows a stunning disregard for box-office niceties" while Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez says of the film "Not unlike Fritz Lang's equally misanthropic Scarlet Street, Ace in the Hole plays the squashing of one man's human spirit for societal-weary gravitas."
Awards and nominations
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Story and Screenplay.
Real-life events
Ace in the Hole is loosely based on events surrounding the 1925 entrapment and death of W. Floyd Collins in Sand Cave, Kentucky. A Louisville newspaper, the Courier-Journal, jumped on the story of the imperiled Collins by dispatching a reporter named William Burke "Skeets" Miller to the scene. Miller's enterprising coverage turned the tragic episode into a national event and earned Miller a Pulitzer Prize. Call Northside 777 is another film noir based on a series of Pulitzer Prize winning stories - though the press is portrayed in a more positive light.
Cast
- Kirk Douglas as Charles 'Chuck' Tatum
- Jan Sterling as Lorraine Minosa
- Robert Arthur as Herbie Cook
- Porter Hall as Jacob Q. Boot
- Frank Cady as Mr. Federber
- Richard Benedict as Leo Minosa