George Stevens and The Only Game in Town: A Film Critique

The Second Golden Age of Hollywood and George Stevens

The period between 1970 and 2000 marked a significant transformation in the film industry, widely regarded as the second Golden Age of Hollywood. During this period, filmmaking experienced significant growth through experimentation with new ideas. This experimentation not only facilitated the production of new kinds of movies but also resulted in changes that included the incorporation of global prestige. The era is considered Hollywood's second golden age because the old studio systems that had dominated 1930s films broke down entirely. In addition, the period was characterized by a loosening of restrictions on obscenity, sexual content, and violence (A&E Television Networks, 2018). As a result, film directors began making groundbreaking, controversial content while others retained romantic themes in their work.

One of the directors who played a critical role in ushering in this second Golden Age was George Stevens. Stevens shot an extraordinary number of set-ups in his films. While he did not shoot multiple takes of the same scene, he made his actors perform scenes from several different angles (Eyman, 2004). This approach provided him with a variety of angles and alternatives to work with during editing. By incorporating this technique into his filmmaking practice, Stevens elevated craftsmanship to near art. He thereby helped raise the standards of filmmaking as the second Golden Age took hold.

For this paper, I selected The Only Game in Town (1970), the final film directed by George Stevens. This film is regarded as a footnote to Stevens' remarkable career as a director. It stars two major actors of the time: Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty. Through this film, Stevens accurately captures the emotional agony and superficial values that characterize the world of gambling. The film is based on a script that offers a thought-provoking exploration of luck, fate, and inertia. I first heard about this movie approximately three years ago from friends, but had never watched it. I was curious to finally see it and to understand why many people consider it characterized by miscasting and boring despite its high-profile cast.

Overview of The Only Game in Town (1970)

The Only Game in Town (1970) tells the story of Fran Walker (Elizabeth Taylor), an aging Las Vegas chorine who drifts into an affair with Joe Grady (Warren Beatty). Although Taylor was only 37 years old when she played Fran Walker, she was made to appear considerably older. Walker begins her affair with Grady at a time when he is a compulsive gambler and lounge pianist. During this period, Walker is waiting for her married lover, Thomas Lockwood — a San Francisco businessman — to finalize his divorce. Lockwood had been promising to divorce for five years, and when he finally keeps his word, Walker has already fallen in love with Grady. By this point, Grady has amassed enough money to pursue his dream of relocating to New York City to start a new life (Stevens, 1970). He must decide whether to marry Walker or continue his career in Manhattan. After winning repeatedly, Grady realizes that winning no longer satisfies him and chooses to marry Walker.

Stevens tells this story using a combination of techniques in camerawork, screenplay, sound, and editing. One of the film's notable strengths is its effective camerawork combined with strong visual composition. Throughout his career, Stevens was renowned for these two elements, and in his final film he does not disappoint. His use of different camera angles across various scenes helps ensure that the movie contains visually compelling moments that convey both the romantic storyline and the emotional anguish associated with gambling.

A second strength is how the director handles sentimental themes through the integration of visuals and music. For instance, Stevens punctuates one scene with a sorrowful trumpet piece composed by Maurice Jarre, which effectively deepens the sense of mundanity that pervades the drama. Stevens' visual storytelling is also evident in how he depicts the turbulence of Las Vegas from the very opening of the film, when Walker draws back her curtains (Journeys in Classic Film, 2013). In one striking scene, the city's energy is conveyed through the blinding glare of sunlight and a vast, desert-like expanse that gives way to a glittery cityscape at night. The two leading characters further reinforce this portrayal of Las Vegas as a place defined by the mundane — their struggles with addictions to gambling and unfulfilling relationships mirror the city's empty promises. Overall, the visuals are gorgeous and serve Stevens' storytelling effectively.

While the visuals in this movie are strong, there are several aspects that undermine it. First, the film appears to suffer from miscasting, which interferes with the audience's ability to fully enjoy it. The movie reads as an experiment in which both lead actors attempt to inhabit personas they were not well suited for. Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty adopted roles that seem uncomfortable for them, contributing to an overall sense of failure, though certain scenes do pay off. For instance, Taylor is required in some scenes to balance between a screeching harpy and a sexual dynamo. She only mildly succeeds in these moments because the audience tends to disengage when her character screams. She also fails to fully explore the pathos within Walker's character. Although the real age gap between Taylor and Beatty is only four years, Taylor is made to appear significantly older — a choice that reinforces the sense of miscasting. Her extravagant wigs and soft physical presentation further undermine the credibility of the role.

What Works: Camerawork, Visuals, and Music

Second, the audio in the film is poorly handled. Stevens fails to effectively integrate the music and sound with the strong visuals. Background noise is too loud in some scenes, while the dialogue — essential for following the story — is too quiet in others. As a result, viewers must repeatedly adjust the volume. When Taylor screams in certain scenes, the effect is harsh on the ears due to the unbalanced audio mix. Third, the plot fails to develop at a convincing pace. In particular, the script moves too quickly through the relationship arc, cycling through bickering, reconciliation, and bickering again without sufficient dramatic breathing room (Pfeiffer, 2015).

The Only Game in Town (1970) featured two of the greatest film stars of the era. Nevertheless, I did not enjoy watching it and found it boring throughout much of its runtime. The plot moves too hastily in places, disrupting the smooth flow of both the romance and the gambling-addiction narrative. The actors also struggle to convincingly portray the mundane characters they are playing, as their star personas work against the roles. Even though Stevens incorporated strong visuals and skilled camerawork, the poorly integrated audio detracts from the overall experience. In the end, the film's numerous flaws outweigh its strengths, and Stevens' final directorial effort must be considered a disappointment despite the talent involved.

Based on my analysis of this film and my broader understanding of film criticism, the following criteria inform my evaluation of movie quality:

1. A movie is more likely to be good if the director uses vision and control to shape the mood of the film from beginning to end, perfectly blending all aspects of filmmaking to create a singular mood.