Madison Avenue

The mark of 6 out of ten refers to the quality of the DVD and not the actual film. The quality of the print of this Fox MOD DVD for this interesting film is not bad but has unfortunately "been modified to fit your screen". Too bad Fox took the cheap and easy way out. That being said,if you put your screen to zoom it does not seem as badly stretched as with most other films. When you watch the opening credits, without the zoom on, you can see that their is indeed a problem. As this will probably be the best we can expect for any type of authorized DVD release, it is still worth a purchase. It is just too bad that this black and white cinemascope film could not have been presented in all it's natural glory.

As far as I know this 1962 drama is unavailable on video but thanks to the Fox Movie Channel it is back in circulation. The always dependable Dana Andrews plays a big time "build-up man" who appears to be at the pinnacle of his ad man career when his boss double crosses him and he is forced to seek revenge by going to a rival agency. The story involves almost an excessive amount of crosses and double crosses but those who have spent time in corporate America should find these antics interesting if not thoroughly engrossing.

Visually, the film has the look of contemporary Billy Wilder widescreen B&W classics like "The Apartment" and "One, Two, Three" and while it is not in that pedigree it nevertheless keeps things brimming along for its running time. Many have suggested that its sexual politics (using sex to get what you want) are out of date. My view is that while some of the overt strategies of 1962 have evolved the basic premise still prevails.

I am not going to disagree with anything the other reviewers have said, however, if I had read these reviews first I may not have watched this movie. And this movie is worth watching. Not because there is anything special here, but merely because it is interesting and moves along at a pleasant pace. Dana Andrews is typical Dana Andrews and he is always a solid actor. Most of his movies are well-made. Jeanne Crain, although about 37 is a doll as always and therefore always worth seeing. This may not be the type of movie to schedule your evening around or set the recorder for, but it is a satisfying movie for an afternoon when you need something to entertain you.

Dana Andrews plays a rather amoral advertising man who is more of a promoter than anything else. Oddly, much of what he does throughout the film is done as a bet with another advertising man. To prove a point (a very VAGUE one), Dana goes to work for a very small advertising agency run by Eleanor Parker. Through all of his efforts, the small agency becomes a contender by lifting the very eccentric (i.e., possibly crazy) owner of a small dairy to national prominence. All the time, he tries to romance boss Parker as well as Jeanne Crain who he strings along very cruelly.

The film appears to be an indictment against the advertising world, though the way the film goes in the last 10 or 15 minutes rather muddles this point. Despite spending HUGE amounts of energy to best the man he is betting against AND despite being on the cusp of fame and fortune, Andrews' character then behaves so uncharacteristically and irrationally that I felt the plot really needed a re-write. It just wasn't convincing and I went from liking the movie initially to just wanting it all to end.

All in all, some very good actors were given a rather limp script. The overall efforts are watchable, but only just.

Based on a novel titled "The Build Up Boys," this lavishly produced widescreen movie was an unknown quantity for me until I discovered it on the Fox Movie Channel. The opening montage of colossal skyscrapers and city denizens rushing to work is very promising. Perhaps that is why what transpires next is so stupefyingly dull. Nothing really works here. David White, Larry on "Bewitched", utters a scary bit of dialogue: "Milk is actually a solid and should be sipped and chewed." Confused? So am I. There is more of that snappy banter between the sexes. It doesn't work here, either. Unfortunately, there is also a good deal of uncomfortable leering and lecherous behavior going on in a professional environment. The type of behavior which would get you fired or slapped with a lawsuit ASAP. Dana Andrews has always been a favorite actor of mine. But I longed to see his real-life brother, Steve Forest, show up with his "S.W.A.T." buddies just to stir things up a little. Jean Crain, another favorite of mine, plays a gossip columnist and "rock hound!" Go figure that one out. The opening musical theme has a simple piano melody over a lush background orchestration. I liked it.

I really wanted to like this sophisticated flick so I viewed it again. Same response. Maybe I will watch it a third time. I don't give up easily.