Ace in the Hole (1951)

Directed by: Billy Wilder | 111 minutes | drama | Actors: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Porter Hall, Frank Cady, Richard Benedict, Ray Teal, Lewis Martin, John Berkes, Frances Dominguez, Gene Evans, Frank Jaquet, Harry Harvey, Bob Bumpas, Geraldine Hall, Richard Gaines

Fake news may be a twenty-first century term, inextricably linked to social media; long before Facebook and Twitter, the (traditional) media managed to manipulate public opinion. One of the first known examples is the case of W. Floyd Collins, who in 1925 became trapped in a cave in the US state of Kentucky after a landslide. A local newspaper, The Courier-Journal, dug in and sent furious reporter William Burke Miller to the Sand Cave. Miller’s groundbreaking coverage turned the tragic event into a national happening and earned the journalist the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Poor Collins, however, was not rescued in time. In 1949, Kathy Fiscus, only three years old, of San Marino, California, had a similar experience. She fell into an abandoned well and while a massive rescue effort was underway, thousands of people from all over the country came to see what was happening. Kathy also did not survive the disaster. These two true tragedies were the inspiration for Billy Wilder’s 1951 film ‘Ace in the Hole’. Floyd Collins’ name is even mentioned literally in the film, as an example of a victim who gets stuck and becomes a media sensation. ‘Ace in the Hole’ is the first film that Wilder wrote, directed and produced (after the break with his loyal partner Charles Brackett). The film scored poorly at the box office and the critics were not all positive either; something Wilder was not used to. Later ‘Ace in the Hole’ was rehabilitated and the film is now known as a true Wilder classic.

Kirk Douglas stars as Charlie ‘Chuck’ Tatum, an ambitious but self-centered journalist whose career has been brought to a standstill by his own hands. He once wrote for the big, influential newspapers in cities like New York, Washington and Boston, but his heavy drinking, lies and infidelity with his employer’s wife have forced him to settle for less. Now Chuck has landed in New Mexico, forced to take a job at the bland newspaper The Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin. Although he feels too good for the job – and makes no secret of it – he will stick around for a year. He even stays away from the drink. Then, unwillingly, he is sent off with young photographer Herbie Cook (Robert Arthur) to write about the rattlesnake hunt. Along the way, however, Chuck gets a much better story: a man, Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict), has become trapped in a cave while excavating historic Native American artifacts. A rescue is launched, but Chuck – already dreaming of his own Pulitzer Prize – decides to manipulate the operation. He makes sure that the corrupt sheriff (Ray Teal) starts drilling the involved engineer (Frank Jacquet) from above, while this is not necessary at all and very time-consuming. This way he can keep publishing stories about the poor victim for days and sell his stories to the highest bidder. He also enforces that he is the only journalist who has direct access to Minosa. While disaster tourists pour in from all over the country and the village literally turns into a media circus, Leo’s wife Lorraine (Jan Sterling) refuses to accept the role of desperate wife, but does profit from the massive influx of tourists.

Although ‘Ace in the Hole’ is almost seventy years old, the theme is surprisingly current. The power of the media, the mass madness that can be sparked by a newspaper report and the irrepressible craving for sensation, human interest and drama; it is of all times. Strangely enough, Wilder’s film appealed to few people at the time. Wilder had built up an impressive reputation with classics such as ‘Double Indemnity’ (1944), ‘The Lost Weekend’ (1945) and ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950), but ‘Ace in the Hole’ was apparently too cynical and for the characters could not muster much sympathy. It is true that the characters, except for the tragic victim Leo Minosa, go through life rather unscrupulously; they are all out for their own gain. Tatum wants recognition and success, Lorraine wants freedom and money, the sheriff wants to be re-elected, the newspaper bosses want to outdo the competition and see the sales of their medium soar, and the masses want to see their thirst for sensation satisfied. And it’s all over poor Minosa’s back. Although, if you are very cynical in life, you could say that he should have kept his hands off the art treasures of the Indians with his fingers and that it is his deserved wages that he got stuck. That leaves very few characters that we can empathize with. With this film – which is labeled as film noir, but is not a traditional representation of that genre – Wilder was (as is often) way ahead of its time. Because no matter how bitter and sour it all may be, human beings are naturally self-centered. But we find it difficult and confrontational when we are held up to a mirror, because that’s what Wilder does here.

Kirk Douglas steals the show as the ruthless Chuck Tatum, who literally goes over corpses for a scoop and doesn’t shy away from bending people to his own advantage. With his powerful presence and razor-sharp one-liners, he delivers venomous stings all the time. Jan Sterling as equally tough Lorraine Minosa is not inferior to him; the dialogues between the two protagonists are delightful (‘I met a lot of hard-boiled eggs in my life, but you – you’re twenty minutes!’). Richard Benedict has a thankless role as a doomed victim, but makes the most of it, and Arthur, Teal and Porter Hall as Tatum’s editor-in-chief at The Albuquerque Sun-Times also make an excellent appearance. The stylish and occasionally high-quality camera work also contributes to the particularly pleasant viewing experience. ‘Ace in the Hole’ has been an underrated top film for years by the brilliant film author Billy Wilder, who in 1951 already made the public look critically at his own herd behavior and the growing influence of the (mass) media. A prophetic feat!