Overview
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Release Date:
29 June 1951 (USA)
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Plot:
A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to re-jump start his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 2 wins
&
2 nominations
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Crew verified as complete
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Big Carnival (USA) (new title)
The Human Interest Story (USA) (working title)
Reporter des Satans (Austria) (Switzerland: German title) (West Germany) [de]Le gouffre aux chimères (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]A Montanha dos Sete Abutres (Brazil) [pt]As atutowy (Poland) [pl]As w potrzasku (Poland) [pl]Bittere lauweren (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]Cadenas de roca (Argentina) [es]El gran carnaval (Spain) [es]Forside-sensation! (Denmark) [da]Ha-Carnival Ha-Gadol (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]Inför tusen ögon (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]L'asso nella manica (Italy) [it]Sensationen för dagen (Sweden) [sv]To teleftaio atou (Greece) [el]Tuhansien silmien edessä (Finland) [fi]Wielki karnawal (Poland) [pl]
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Runtime:
111 min
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
When the film was released, it got bad reviews and lost money. The studio, without
Billy Wilder's permission, changed the title to "The Big Carnival" to increase the box office take of the film. It didn't work. On top of that,
Billy Wilder's next picture
Stalag 17 (1953) was a hit and
Billy Wilder expected a share of the
Stalag 17 (1953)'s profits. Paramount accountants told him that since this picture lost money, the money it lost would be subtracted from the profits of
Stalag 17 (1953).
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Tatum and Boot are talking in the Minosa's back room, the amount of alcohol Tatum pours in his glass changes.
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Soundtrack:
We're Coming, Leo
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FAQ
How does the movie end?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "Ace in theHole" based on a novel?
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A powerful toasting of the media of the day. Imagine what this would have been like in the age of television. Kirk Douglas plays a self-centered heel, and does so very well. I also liked Jan Sterling as Lorraine. It's true that there is no really sympathetic character in this film, except maybe Leo, the man trapped in the cave. Someone wrote that he too, wasn't a sympathetic character, because he was trapped while collecting Indian artifacts for sale, but I don't think that would have bothered anyone in 1951. The tone of the film throughout was one of total cynicism, that seems a bit out of place for the times. Maybe that's why this movie was not a commercial success. It fits much better now, though, since everyone has seen the media behaving in such disgraceful fashion. However, that may rob it of some of its (probably intended) shock value. Grade: A