A Face in the Crowd (Newtown; Warner) is the sort of cure that almost makes the disease desirable, even when the disease is as painful as the commercial phoniness that currently afflicts some parts of U.S. culture. The doctor in this case is Elia Kazan, a well-known specialist in social disorders who made On the Waterfront and Baby Doll and has directed three of Tennessee Williams' plays. Unhappily Kazan does not seem to know the first thing about a satiric operation. As Lady Mary Wortley Montagu explained the technique: "Satire should, like a...
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