The Goddess torrent

Memorable mainly for its performance by Kim Stanley, "The Goddess" is a flawed account of a plain-Jane's rise to Hollywood stardom. Obviously inspired by Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe (and perhaps Ava Gardner), the Oscar-nominated but clichéd and overly serious script by Paddy Chayefsky follows the familiar arc of elation followed by misery. The film's successes are mainly those of Miss Stanley, who fairs none too well in the early scenes as a teenager (she was in her 30s when they were filmed) but unleashes all her dramatic strength later on, and director John Cromwell. The failures are those of Chayefsky who is reported to have insisted, without any experience, on editing the film himself, giving the somber pace of a funeral procession. Regrettably, Stanley's work was seldom captured on film (Bryan Forbes' "Séance on a Wet Afternoon," possibly her best picture and an Oscar-nominated performance, is very hard to find on DVD). Famed for her lead role in William Inge's "Bus Stop" (which Monroe played on film), she also quit stage work in the late 1960s. Rare screen appearances ended with a small role in "The Right Stuff" in 1983. Acute alcoholism and personal problems engulfed her, and her later years, until her death in 2001, were lived quietly out of the public eye. Miss Stanley was sometime called the female Brando; this film shows you why. In mp4 format.