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Review
A movie truly ahead of its time, Ace in the Hole (also known as The Big Carnival) turned out to be too bitter and cynical for moviegoers in 1951. An unrelenting portrait of media sensationalism and the human obsession with tragedy that propels it, the film is based on a true story that also spawned Robert Penn Warren's novel The Cave. Director, screenwriter, and producer Billy Wilder suffered perhaps the biggest commercial and critical failure of his career with Ace, losing much of his standing at Paramount, even though the movie was released between two of his most enduring and popular triumphs, Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Stalag 17 (1953). Ace was perhaps not up to the standard of those works, but it clearly stands as one of Wilder's many fine achievements. It's hardly surprising that this film failed to find a mainstream audience, despite the added attraction of emerging star Kirk Douglas in the lead. American culture wouldn't be ready for such a large dose of pessimism until the 1970s; even then, a film such as 1976's Network, which clearly paralleled the tone of Wilder's effort, was dismissed by many viewers as too hysterical. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

On the DVD
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
Audio commentary by film scholar Neil Sinyard
Theatrical trailer
Portrait of a "60% Perfect Man": Bill Wilder, a 1980 documentary featuring in-depth interviews with Wilder by film critic Michel Ciment
A 1984 interview with Kirk Douglas
Excerpts from a 1986 appearance by Wilder at the American Film Institute
Excerpts from an audio interview with coscreenwriter Walter Newman
New video afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee
Stills gallery
New essays by film critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin

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2 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews   4 of 5 people found the following review helpful: One of Billy Wilder's Masterpieces, May 3 2007 By  R. Sohi - See all my reviews    This 1951 film seems as relevant today as it ever did. Kirk Douglas is perfectly cast as an unethical newspaper reporter who, through his influence over the town's sheriff, keeps a dying man trapped in a mine for several days longer than necessary in order to milk the story for all it's worth - a strategy he hopes will help him claw his way back to the top of the journalistic world. Billy Wilder's incredibly vitriolic film tells many truths about how reality is manipulated by the media to serve personal and political ends without regard to the suffering caused by this agenda. His film spares nobody in its critique: those who perpetuate the lies, those who directly benefit from them, even those who uncritically consume the stories are all complicit in the wrongdoing. Wilder made many great films, most of which are far better known than this one, but "Ace in the Hole" is up there with the best of them. Criterion's upcoming release of this great film is definitely cause for celebration. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Great Package, Aug 13 2008 By  Walter Kovacs "Rorschach" (Belleville, ON Canada) - See all my reviews I like to think of "Ace in the Hole" as a spiritual predecessor to one of my favourite films, "Network". Both films hammered the media for its sensationalism, callousness, and bottom line. Whereas "Network" took aim at television, "Ace in the Hole" ripped apart the newspaper. Kirk Douglas stars as as the opportunistic Chuck Tatum. Smeared by his offensive behaviour at the big city dailies, he begs for a job at a low circulation paper so he can find a captivating story and climb back to the top. What he does would be considered despicable back in the 1950's. Don't be fooled by the film's release date or setting. It has both a definite satiric and noirish bent. The Criterion 2-disc set is worth the money for the film alone but the extras should be of interest to Wilder fans. Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers:  › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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