it saddens me to know that not many people will be able to witness the talent and beauty Faye brings to this tortured character!!! When was this released? 1970, when she was at her height, I am not from this time period, so I was wondering if anyone remembered what the critical reception of the film was? Why wasn't it a success? I was moved incredibly. and there must be some way to buy the movie without just watching it on you tube!!! Stunning Faye. i made so many screen shots!!!

This movie is for anyone that is interested in photography. The still shots themselves are amazing; the cinematography is incredible too. It is simple but raw etc. Faye is just so beautiful in this film and her story of madness is brilliant.

'Puzzle of a downfall child' has some stunning scenes in it, and Faye Dunaway is a pleasure to watch, but somehow the story didn't get to me as much as I'd hoped for. The story here is more like a selection of incidents in the life of a model, who has serious 'man' issues.

Her longtime friend, who has also been her photographer and (very briefly) lover, is trying to help her dig through her past, in order to sort some things out. In the end, it seems she is still as confused and insecure as ever, asking him if she was any good in bed, that one time she had apparently forgotten all about.

The supposed urgency of it all eluded me a lot of the time. But I enjoyed the apt hand of director Jerry Schatzberg and the wonderful acting on Faye Dunaway's part quite a bit - not that the rest of the cast didn't do a good job, though.

Some bits reminded me of the series 'Mad men', by the way, if that may be a recommendation.

7 out of 10.

Appropriately nuanced film set the standards for many films to follow in style and narrative as fashion photographer (Primus) documents the life of his former client, and one time affair (Dunaway), chronicling her turbulent career as a model. Story is subtle and endearing as it beholds elements of humor and eccentricity throughout, all the while the sharp and talented cast bring to life a myriad of colorful characters along the way.

Jarring and fractured flashbacks expose the hard truth young model Lou Andreas Sand encounters during life in the fast lane of show business. Dunaway is at her most finest here, proving a most vulnerable recipient of players, gamblers, and sharks all around. She is an internal vortex constricted only by the outward manner of control and clarity she has come to grasp. Viveca Lindfors and Roy Scheider offer an equal measure of force and poise in their quirky offbeat roles of employers and players amid the passionate industry. Newcomer Barry Primus ushers in redemption for our tragic beauty.

The most amazing aspect of the film is the fact that Universal Pictures took on this project as what many would see as a mainstream release back in 1970s cinema. Director Schatzberg encompasses a wondrous amount of style and narrative which, as mentioned, leaves us in a whirlwind of themes and arcs, almost lost in the daze, yet never incomprehensible to the story and it's direction.

The entire immaculate package is a precious little gem of a film that delivers much more than promised, and the fact that it stands even more firm 47 years after the fact, (and years of obscurity) is enough to show this film is only beginning to breathe life into audiences. And it's time is only beginning.