Frank and Ava(2018)

Plot Summary

• In 1949, a downcast Frank, the former king of swoon who once enchanted millions of "bobby soxers", finds his career on the wane because of a faltering voice, a failing marriage, and a tarnished off screen reputation. He falls in love with rising star, Ava Gardner, by consensus, the most beautiful woman in Hollywood and the romance was instantly incandescent! Despite this they were hapless as a couple; often pursued by reporters such as Hedda Hopper who played them off against each other in the tabloids; casting Frank as an adulterer and Ava as a home wrecker while Frank's wife, Nancy, initially refused to grant him a divorce. Once married in 1951 the tabloids then paraded their sorted affairs whenever their careers separated them. (Often it was Ava who went off to Europe or Africa to make a movie, leaving Frank behind). In the meantime, Frank, career hanging by a thread, is desperately trying to land the acting job that he believes will turn his fortunes, the role of Private Angelo Maggio in upcoming Columbia Pictures film, From Here to Eternity. Although Frank pulls all stops to land the "Maggio" role while trying to keep tight reigns on Ava it becomes apparent that these are both long-shots. Frank is not highly regarded as an actor, having starred in recent "flops" and the couple appear doomed as both are hard drinking, profane, independent mirror images of each other who readily blur the lines of monogamy. Their fights are wild and savage, as they exchange insults and even blows with Ava often walking off leaving a desperate Sinatra alone to repeated suicide attempts upon on hearing of each of Ava's various paramours. Eventually they separate, with Ava remaining in Spain where she filmed The Barefoot Contessa and took up with famous matador, Luis Miguel Dominion. Eventually, whether through the persuasion of Ava, the mob, or his persistence, Frank does land the Maggio role and From Here to Eternity becomes an ultimate success and extricates Frank from obscurity with his Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor, capping one of the greatest comebacks in Hollywood history. The podium, however, is bittersweet as it is a Pyrrhic victory as the broken-heart Frank celebrates alone. "Frank and Ava" also features interviews with various "witnesses", including Academy Award winner, Shirley Jones to give docudrama accounts of the events portrayed in the film.

Storyline

• The steel line of sex and tension is palpable throughout this harrowing and heart-stirring Hollywood romance between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. It's 1949 and Sinatra, the former king of swoon who once enchanted millions of "bobby soxers", is at the downturn of his career as the once golden "Voice" is now compromised by a hemorrhage to his vocal cords while his reputation is lambasted by the press who parade his alleged Mafia connections, liberal sympathies, and extramarital affairs. In the midst of his despair, he falls hard and fast for Gardner, MGM's sultry starlet with whom he shares proclivities for passion, whiskey, obstinacy, and sexual infidelities. Equal to his desire to maintain the interest of the mercurial Gardner, is his almost sacred infatuation aimed at attaining the role of Private Angelo Maggio in Columbia Picture's From Here to Eternity, the sole ray of hope in salvaging his career. An acknowledged long shot due to his questionable acting chops and heretofore box office bombs, Sinatra actively campaigns for the role while divorcing his wife, Nancy, and entering a sexually charged, but suspicion-filled marriage with Gardner that is marked by infidelities, Ava's abortions and Frank's suicide attempts as their hapless romance is parodied by the press who play them off each other. Acclaimed director, Michael Oblowitz, impeccably stylized the film, using locations in Rome, Italy, Hollywood, CA and Sinatra's Palm Springs home to bring Frank and Ava to life. In addition to introducing Rico Simonini and Emily Elicia Low in the title roles, the film also features Eric Roberts, Lukas Haas, Richard Portnow, Domenick Lombardozzi, Neil Sandilands, Jonathan Silverman, Terry Moore and the legendary Harry Dean Stanton; in his last feature film appearance. — Rico Simonini