The Best of Everything (1959) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 6 / 10

Caroline' (Hope Lange) is at a loose end

'Caroline' (Hope Lange) is at a loose end with her boyfriend (Brett Halsey) studying in the UK, so she takes up an opportunity to work at the esteemed 'Fabian' publishing company. She is to be secretary to one of it's editors, 'Miss Farrow' (Joan Crawford) and day one isn't exactly stellar. Her new boss turns out to be something of an harridan. Abrupt, rude and aloof: she offers 'Caroline' none of the welcome or sympathies she might have expected from a female boss. The more she looks a round her, the more she realises that most of the other ladies in the place are either content with their respective lot or just waiting until the wedding bells ring and their families duly follow. She quite swiftly befriends would-be actress 'Gregg' (Suzy Parker) and the fairly naive 'April' (Diane Baker) whilst learning the ropes of a business that has more than it's fair share of quirky characters and back-stabbing executives. 'Caroline' also finds that it's not just her professional life that is turbulent, and gradually she begins to realise that if she plays the game, uses her head and her own skills - well, there is no reason why she can't become an editor too. Never far from this increasing maelstrom of temperament and ambition, is the bottle-loving 'Mike' (Stephen Boyd) whom 'Caroline' turns to for comfort and whom is clearly fond of her - but can anything come of that? At it's best, this quite potently illustrates the prevalence of sexist attitudes and of the distinct lack of meritocracy involved in enduring the day-to-day grind and when hoping for any sort of promotion, and it is never better than the scenes between Lange and Crawford. Sadly, though, it rather hasn't the courage of it's initial convictions and strays too close, too often, to the melodramatic for me - especially as the love lives of the three women begin to subsume the more interesting and characterful rat-race elements. Still, it is good to watch a film where the leading women not only own the story but also the screen, too, and though I didn't care much for Sammy Cahn's cheesy title song, this was better than the standard drama I was expecting.

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Reviewed by DKosty123 7 / 10

Best Of Drama

If your a fan of drama, this movie is for you. Hope Lange stars as Miss Bender, a young woman on the way up out of college after the editor job held by Joan Crawford. The setting is New York Ctity.

The project is romance. The industry is office, publishing office. There are several women in this cast who are not well known but who hold their own quite nicely. This 1959 era is sort of out of date with what was coming in the 1960's.

This is the rare film that features Stephen Boyd the same year he was doing Ben Hur which won a lot of Oscars this year and Louis Jourdan as powerful men who are after the women in the cast. The best of everything which is the songs title tune, seems to be that these women, within limits, can get everything they want.

Being the 1950's, they seem to want love and marriage. Lange's character, Miss Bender, wants a career too. That is a little different for a 1959 setting. That might be the main difference in this film from most films of this period.

If you like drama, New York City in the 1950's, or are a fan of Boyd, Jourdan or Hope Lang, this movie is for you. If you like romantic drama, this is your film too. While not a big classic, at least it is a film that tells a story, though a bit outdated today. Its sets look at lot like AMC's Mad Men done years later. In fact, it is story wise.

The Best of Everything

1959

Action / Drama / Romance

The Best of Everything

1959

Action / Drama / Romance

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Caroline' (Hope Lange) is at a loose end

Best Of Drama

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