The Best of Everything

Buy This Item The Best of Everything by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $9.99  on 11-27-2008     Rona Jaffe's best-selling novel comes to life in this witty tale about the personal and professional lives of the men and women in a New York publishing firm. Heading a huge cast. JOAN CRAWFORD "gives an excellently etched performance" (Hollywood Reporter) as a tough-talking editor who can't seem to win at love. There are a few more interesting stories around the office than there are in the manuscripts at Fabian Publishers. Among the principal players: a new secretary (HOPE LANG) who quickly gets her boss's (CRAWFORD) job and romances a handsome editor (STEPHEN BOYD); a Colorado secretary (DIANE BARKER) who falls for the wrong man (ROBERT EVANS); and a would be actress (SUZY PARKER) who's jilted by a two-timing director (LUIS JOURDAN). Slick and glossy, The Best Of Everything is a panorama of office politics before women's liberation. Reader Reviews "The Best of Everything" is a classic 1959 romantic melodrama featuring the best talent: Joan Crawford, Hope Lange, Diane Baker, Suzy Parker, directed by Jean Negulesco, an Oscar-nominated title song sung by Johnny Mathis, and a beautiful score by Alfred Newman. Based on a novel by Rona Jaffe, it is the story of 5 young girls working their way up the steno pool at a publishing firm in New York City. The movie mainly focuses on these 3: Gregg (Parker) who really wants to be an actress, April (Baker) who wants to find Mr. Right, and Caroline (Lange) the main heroine, who initially is just working until her fiance comes back to marry her. Once the fiance unceremoniously dumps her, Caroline becomes a little bitter and decides to climb her way up to the top and replace her boss, the bitchy Amanda Farrow (Joan Crawford). Most of the men in this movie are heels; Louis Jordan plays a theatrical director who Gregg falls in love with, and Robert Evans is a rich playboy who only wants to fool around with April, not marry her. Brian Aherne is the lecherous yet somehow likeable boss of the firm who can't keep his hands off the ladies. Stephen Boyd plays a handsome office drunk who somewhat secretly carries the torch for Caroline. Although the story is a little over the top and of course somewhat predictable, and many will find offense with its less-than positive view on the female role in society, but one must remember that this is a snapshot of the period in which this movie was made. And what a snapshot! The acting is top notch; Crawford gives the character of Amanda Farrow much depth; although we see her bitchy office personna, we also hear her behind-closed-doors phone call to the married man that she loves deeply but is unable to spend time with because she will always be second-rate to him. Crawford is able to generate a level of sympathy for a character that easily could have been 100% rotten. Hope Lange is just glowing in this movie; she is the core of the trio; the one girl who we know in the end will make the best decisions and stick to her moral code. Diane Baker convincingly plays a naive girl who just wants to fall in love, and it is easy to believe her wide-eyed innocence. Suzy Parker is just gorgeous with her mane of red hair cascading all over the place. The widescreen picture and sound are excellent; the colors jump off the screen. This disc features a commentary track that alternates between author Rona Jaffe and film historian Sylvia Stoddard. Each one gives excellent details on the production. Jaffe is able to contrast the book and the movie, and Stoddard gives excellent tidbits about Crawford, deleted scenes, production design, and much more. There is also the theatrical trailer, newsreel footage "Fox Movietone News: The Best of Everything Premiere," as well as trailers for a number of other 20th Century Fox Classics ("All About Eve," "An Affair to Remember," "The Grapes of Wrath," "How Green was my Valley," "How to Steal a Million," "Laura"). Highly recommended as a vintage classic!

The Best of Everything Available from Amazon Price: $9.99 Updated on 11-27-2008.

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