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Truly Dreadful Film

Simply Perfect

Must See Movie...

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

6 counts of unwanted sexual advancements/harassment/sexism/violence against women which is completely unacceptable. I can't help but think people watching this movie at the time must have laughed, thought it was acceptable and have perpetuated the behaviour they saw on screen, or perhaps this movie was just a reflection of what was already deemed to be acceptable in society. Either way, it's never appropriate, yet it is still prominent in movies nearly 80 years later.The little sister Dinah was played well. Some lines I chuckled at, especially Hepburn's, but no belly laughs. A twist on the traditional love story, but still a pretty feeble plot line. After the first half I got very bored and was simply waiting for the film to end. Well, at least I've seen it now.

The witty characters and situations of Philip Barry's play doesn't hide the fact that everyone of these people is pretty close to certifiably nuts. Katharine Hepburn's Tracy Lord has her charms, but there's a motive behind that charm that brings on suspicion. She's on the verge of her second marriage, having already divorced the allegedly constantly drunk Cary Grant, probably tipsy all the time during their marriage because of her obviously selfish disposition. Now she's engaged to the stuffy John Howard, on the verge of a huge society bash, and Grant shows up with the idea of pointing out her mistake in choosing a replacement. Along with him are Spy magazine reporters James Stewart and Ruth Hussey who want all the dirt, although Stewart hates being put on a story that he would obviously like to see utilized as a bird cage liner.A biting commentary on the idiocy of high society and its domination of much of the press, this spoofs the lives of socialites like Barbara button (ironically one of Grant's wives), Doris Duke and Brenda Fraser, all "poor little rich girls" whose lives became daily copy for society columns and really not worth much. Barry gives it good to these ladies through leading lady Hepburn who us in denial of her image as a "goddess", claiming that she wants to be loved, not worshiped, but entirely one dimensional in her definition of what love is. Barry makes it clear that it us through the fault of society for creating these images, and the individual families for allowing them to believed. At first, Tracy leads Stewart on in that goddess image, but his direct approach with her opens her eyes to the ridiculousness of her life. So by the night before her wedding, she's got three men after her, all for different reasons.When her father arrives and eventually describes to his daughter's face her lack of a loving heart, the look on Hepburn's face is pure destruction even though she responds in denial. She's got a rather dizzy mother (Mary Nash), a directly honest, trouble making sister (an outrageously hysterical Virginia Weidler) and a fight to the death for her honor uncle (Roland Young) who takes a fancy to the sardonic Hussey. What a swell party indeed this will be, especially under the direction of George Cukor.While Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar for this, I would have preferred to see him nominated in the supporting actor category. He's brilliant in his performance, but it is not a focus in the story in spite of some terrific scenes. Grant scored in this and two other comedies ("His Girl Friday" and "My Favorite Wife") and deserved the leading nomination with Henry Fonda the deserving winner. Hepburn gave quite a different performance than her earlier RKO work, and this is a step above in sophistication her almost as brilliant work in Barry's "Holiday" remake. But overall, this is classic screwball romantic comedy at its best, pretty much flawless, and it's unfortunate that Hepburn never worked with either Grant or Stewart again.

The Philadelphia Story" is one of the best-known examples of a "comedy of remarriage", a genre which dealt with a divorced or separated couple getting back together again. Such films are normally associated with America in the 1930s and 1940s, where they were popular because they allowed screenwriters to flirt with daring themes without breaching the requirements of the Production Code relating to the depiction of adultery. There were, in fact, occasional examples from other countries, such as the British-made "The Divorce of Lady X", and the format has sometimes cropped up in recent 2years. ("Sweet Home Alabama", "Did You Hear about the Morgans?) The couple here are Tracy Lord, daughter of a wealthy, aristocratic Philadelphia family, and her ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven. Dexter turns up at Tracy's family home on the eve of her scheduled marriage to George Kittredge, a self-made businessman, and makes it clear that he would be interested in renewing their relationship, even though Tracy is less than pleased to see him. To add to Tracy's difficulties a third man has fallen in love with her- Macaulay "Mike" Connor, a journalist sent to cover her wedding.It quickly becomes clear whom Tracy will not marry. Poor George never stands a chance. Part of America's national mythology is "log cabin to White House", the idea that in America anyone can succeed if he has the "right stuff" and that there is therefore always something admirable about a self-made man. "The Philadelphia Story" subverts this myth with a vengeance. It is not that George is a vulgar parvenu- indeed, if he had a streak of healthy vulgarity about him he might cut a more attractive figure. He is stiff, pompous and physically unattractive; we never understand why Tracy ever got engaged to him, unless as a reaction to the handsome, charming and amiable (albeit flawed) Dexter, who comes from a similar social background to her own.As between Dexter and Mike the outcome is not so obvious. The normal rule in romantic comedies involving a love-triangle is "first name above the title gets the girl", but here both men are played by major stars, Cary Grant and James Stewart, who received equal billing. Intellectually, of course, we know how matters will end (or at least we do if we are familiar with the conventions of the "remarriage" genre), but emotionally we feel that Mike might just be in with a chance.The film was remade in 1956 as the musical "High Society". Now there was nothing wrong, in principle, with remaking it as a musical, but I have always regarded "The Philadelphia Story" as far superior to "High Society". The reason for this has nothing to do with the music- the songs are tuneful and the lyrics witty- and nothing to do with the story, which is much the same in both films. The reason for the difference lies in the acting in the main roles. I exempt from my criticism Frank Sinatra, who played Mike in the remake and wisely did not try to copy Stewart's interpretation of the role, realising that their styles of acting were completely different. Sinatra's Mike, therefore, is hard-bitten, cynical and wisecracking whereas Stewart's, an aspiring writer, is gentler and more idealistic. This film brought Stewart his only competitive acting Oscar, and a well-deserved one it was too.Between, Grant and Bing Crosby, however or between Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly, there is no comparison. Grant and Hepburn are both on top form here. Watching their battle-of-the-sexes duels you realise not only just why they found it so difficult to live together first time around but also just why both cannot live without the other. The main obstacle they need to overcome is Tracy's perfectionism. She sets high standards for himself and demands impossibly high standards of others, especially Dexter who complains that he was less Tracy's husband than "High Priest to a virgin goddess". Dexter, who is fond of a drink, has his faults, and doubtless tried Tracy's patience severely during their first marriage, but we realise that beneath it all he loves her deeply.Crosby, by contrast, is so laid-back that he is quite unable to make Dexter seem interesting; we never understand why Kelly's Tracy might have wanted to marry him in the first place. With Kelly we have the opposite problem; she is so heart-meltingly beautiful, and so soft and gentle in her manner, that we never understand why Dexter might ever have wanted to end their marriage. (In Hepburn's case her occasional flashes of temper make this quite obvious). It doesn't help that Kelly did not have a particularly good singing voice- unusually for the leading lady of a Hollywood musical, she only sings one song- or that Crosby was old enough to be Kelly's father, which lessens the chemistry between them. (The age difference between Grant and Hepburn was only three years).Two other good performances come from Ruth Hussey as Mike's attractive lady photographer Liz and the child star Virginia Weidler, who as Tracy's younger sister Dinah steals every scene she is in. Weidler had appeared in another film directed by George Cukor, "The Women", the previous year.Not all comedies of this period hold up well today. This was the third "comedy of remarriage" Grant made in 1940, the others being "My Favourite Wife" and "His Girl Friday". The first of these can today seem very dated, as well as overly sentimental. The second is a lot better, although much of its appeal lies in the way in which it combines its romantic plot with a good deal of satire aimed at the American press and political system. "The Philadelphia Story", however, is like a fine vintage wine, as good today as when it was first made. 9/10

Released in 1940, "The Philadelphia Story" is about a Main Line Philadelphia woman, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), whose marriage is imminent. At the last moment, there are certain unexpected attendees who challenge her view of life. Listed as a comedy and a romance by IMDb, it certainly is that, but the film does contain dialogue that is biting, somber and outright mean.The cast is stellar and it is difficult to imagine how any film starring Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant could not be worth watching. This film certainly is worth watching, but I disagree with those who assert that all three actors turn in their best work here. Hepburn's performances in many other films surpasses her portrayal of Tracy, e.g. "On Golden Pond" or "Stage Door." The same can be said of Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Rear Window" or "It's a Wonderful Life." For Cary Grant, see "North by Northwest", "Notorious", or "His Girl Friday" which was also released in 1940.As a love story, it has a rather complex plot--not just the usual triangle. Tracy's fiancé, George Kittredge (John Howard), is excited to wed the desirable Miss Lord, but he might be somewhat out of the loop as he keeps his distance from the bride-to-be on the last day before the nuptials. Her ex-husband, C. K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), is about as welcome as an unreachable itch, irritating Tracy at every turn and constantly inserting his verbal barbs. Another complication is the writer/reporter Macauley Connor (Jimmy Stewart), who arrives to do an inside story on the ceremonies for a tabloid.A broader view of the film reveals that its subject is Tracy's relationships with five men--the three just mentioned and her father and her Uncle Willie, who are personae non gratae due to their vices. Tracy discovers through these five that she has much to learn, despite her cool, confident countenance.Hepburn starred in the Broadway play not long after leaving Hollywood in response to the theater owners placing her on a "Box Office Poison" list. She purchased the film rights to the play, then sold them to MGM with the stipulation she could choose the producer, director and the starring actors. The success of the film must have been sweet revenge.The film has many admirers, including me. Stepping slightly off track, I will disagree with many of those admirers who assert that the musical remake named "High Society" is not in the same league. I do not think a remake should be judged solely in relation to the original, especially when genre lines are crossed. I find the musical to be equally engaging, but for different reasons (the music, the different stars, etc.). Both should be appreciated for their particular, fine attributes.