Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
I need to
get this out: “The Philadelphia Story” opens on a gag of a man shoving a woman
to the ground, and the joke she got “socked” runs throughout. That shit is not
funny. Not then or now, or ever. That said, I do dearly love this deserved classic,
the writing, banter, delivery, and cast: Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Cary
Grant, Ruth Hussey, and the child actress Virginia Weildler, can you top that? Plot:
Philly society divorcee Tracy (Hepburn) is up for marriage No. 2, but her ex
(Cary Grant) hangs close because Tracy’s family loves the guy unconditionally,
and in an elaborate plot he has two gossip mag reporters (Stewart and Hussey)
in tow to record the surely doomed nuptials. See, the ex loves the bride, and as
hijinks, misunderstandings, and boozy drinks flow, soon so does Stewart’s
wordsmith. I shall not divulge more, just watch. This is comedy romance at the tallest
order, it makes you swoon for everyone on screen, with Stewart pushing charm,
Grant smoothness, and Hepburn brass and brains. Yes, many plot ideas are way
past sexist and stagnant, but this film shines. Love the journalism jokes, too. A-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment