Ace in the Hole (1951 film)

Ace in the Hole
Ace in the Hole
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Billy Wilder
Written by	Walter Newman; Lesser Samuels; Billy Wilder
Story by	Victor Desny (uncredited)
Produced by	Billy Wilder
Starring	Kirk Douglas; Jan Sterling; Robert Arthur; Porter Hall
Cinematography	Charles Lang
Edited by	Arthur P. Schmidt
Music by	Hugo Friedhofer
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	June 14, 1951;
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.8 million
Box office	$1.3 million (rentals)

Ace in the Hole, also known as The Big Carnival, is a 1951 American drama film directed by Billy Wilder. The film stars Kirk Douglas as a cynical, disgraced reporter who stops at nothing to try to regain a job on a major newspaper. The film co-stars Jan Sterling and features Robert Arthur and Porter Hall.^[2]

It marked a series of firsts for auteur Billy Wilder: it was the first time he was involved in a project as a writer, producer, and director; his first film following his breakup with long-time writing partner Charles Brackett, with whom he had collaborated on The Lost Weekend and Sunset Boulevard, among others; and his first film to be a critical and commercial failure.^[3]

The story is a biting examination of the seedy relationship between the press, the news it reports and the manner in which it reports it. The film also shows how a gullible public can be manipulated by the press. Without consulting Wilder, Paramount Pictures executive Y. Frank Freeman changed the title to The Big Carnival just prior to its release.^[4] Early television broadcasts retained that title, but when aired by Turner Classic Movies – and when released on DVD by The Criterion Collection in July 2007 – it reverted to Ace in the Hole.

In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[5]

The film is sometimes referred to as a film noir,^[6] though some critics dispute this.^[7]

^ Staff (January 2, 1952) "The Top Box Office Hits of 1951", Variety
^ Silver, Alain (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopedia. Overlook Duckworth. p. 24. ISBN 978-0715638804.
^ Sikov 1998, p. 325-38.
^ "Notes" TCM.com
^ Staff (December 13, 2017). "2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress National Film Registry. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference slate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference muller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Staff (January 2, 1952) "The Top Box Office Hits of 1951", Variety

[2] Silver, Alain (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopedia. Overlook Duckworth. p. 24. ISBN 978-0715638804.

[FOOTNOTESikov1998325-38-3] Sikov 1998, p. 325-38.

[tcmnotes-4] "Notes" TCM.com

[5] Staff (December 13, 2017). "2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress National Film Registry. Retrieved December 13, 2017.

[slate-6] Cite error: The named reference slate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[muller-7] Cite error: The named reference muller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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