The Philadelphia Story
Ohjaus:
George CukorKäsikirjoitus:
Donald Ogden StewartKuvaus:
Joseph RuttenbergSävellys:
Franz WaxmanNäyttelijät:
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, John Howard, Roland Young, John Halliday, Mary Nash, Virginia Weidler, Henry Daniell (lisää)Suoratoistopalvelut (2)
Juonikuvaukset(1)
The wealth and position of the socially prominent Lord family of Philadelphia has made Tracy, the eldest daughter, into an imperious and haughty shrew. Tracy's attitude causes a marital rift with her childhood sweetheart, sportsman and recovering alcoholic C. K. Dexter Haven, leading to a divorce. Two years later, Tracy is poised to wed the pompous and politically ambitious self-made man George Kittridge when Dexter returns from an extended absence accompanied by scandal sheet reporters Macaulay "Mike" Connor and Elizabeth Imbrey. Because Sidney Kidd, the powerful publisher of the scandal magazine Spy , has embarassing information on Tracy's father Seth's affair with a dancer, Dexter agrees to allow Mike and Liz access to Tracy's wedding in exchange for not printing the story on Seth. Although Dexter introduces Mike and Liz as old friends of Tracy's brother Junius, who is living in South America, Tracy realizes that Mike and Liz are reporters. She allows them to stay, however, and puts on an exaggerated performance of a society girl for them when Dexter tells her about Kidd. Tracy is angry at Dexter for coming back after two years, but her mother Margaret and sister Dinah are delighted at his presence, complicating Tracy's attempts to have a dignified wedding. Because Tracy is angry at her father for his affair and doesn't expect him at the wedding, she pretends that her uncle Willie is her father, hoping to make Mike and Liz think that everyone is happy. Though she at first has nothing but contempt for Mike, she gradually comes to admire him when she finds a book of poetry he has written at the local public library. Mike, too, comes to admire Tracy, whom he realizes is more than just a superficial society girl. Liz, who thinks that Tracy and Dexter are still in love, begins to get jealous when she realizes that Mike is starting to fall for Tracy. When Seth unexpectedly returns home and Margaret is happy to see him, Tracy chastises them. Seth then lectures her about her heartlessness, as does Dexter, who gives her a model of the yacht they used for their honeymoon, The True Love , as a wedding present. Confused and hurt over things that Seth and Dexter have said to her, Tracy becomes very drunk at her engagement party and starts kissing Mike after a middle-of-the-night swim at home. The next morning, a very hung over Tracy doesn't seem to remember what happened the night before, but as Dinah and the others start to remind her, she becomes even more confused. When Dexter and Kittridge arrive and Kittridge's pompous reaction to Tracy's seeming indiscretion the night before is revealed, Tracy realizes that she doesn't love him, and Kittridge leaves. The guests have gathered for the wedding, however, and the entire family is waiting for Tracy to do something. As the orchestra plays the strings of the wedding march, Dexter advises Tracy on what to say to the guests and, as he feeds her the lines, she tells them that they were cheated out of seeing her marry Dexter the first time, but they will be able to see her marry him this time. Now realizing that Dexter is proposing, Tracy happily accompanies him down the aisle. Harmony seems to be restored in the Lord household until a flashbulb pops and the bride and groom are surprised by a photographer and Kidd places their picture in the next issue of Spy. (jakelijan virallinen teksti)
(lisää)Arvostelut (3)
A delightful and VERY brisk comedy, which was supposed to cement Katharine Hepburn's position as a budding film superstar. She's imminent here, but I was more entertained by the irresistible goofball James Stewart, his cute diction and body language, as if he's always wanting to apologize for what he's actually doing, and when he's hitting on Hepburn, you want to pat him on the head like a big brother :) The only problem I had (and not only here) was with Cary Grant and his single acting stance. I never considered him much of an actor, but he always worked reliably as a magnet for women, so his limited register must not have bothered him.
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The Philadelphia Story lies halfway between a madcap screwball comedy and a sophisticatedly humorous romance with a thrilling pace. Thanks to the film’s dynamic direction (numerous point-of-view and detail shots, precise choreography of the actors and alternation of settings in accordance with the transformation of the characters and the relationships between them), the beautiful and rich, but far from perfect people practically never slow down for two hours. As a capable and confident woman (whom Cukor liked to give extra space), Katharine Hepburn perfectly complements both of her partners, who were also Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time. Before the film’s premiere, however, Hepburn was considered to be an element that rather repelled viewers with her presence (which was due in part to the bland roles assigned to her). Salvation came to her in the form of a stage play written especially for her by Phillip Barry. Therefore, the loosely autobiographical role of a spoiled heiress who has to learn tolerance and respect for other people can be understood as a reaction to the impression of coldness and inaccessibility that she made on viewers (in other words, she did not try to please them, unlike other actresses). She ensured that the play would be transferred to film as faithfully as possible by buying the rights to it (with financial assistance from Howard Hughes) and choosing the cast and crew herself. In addition to Cukor, Grant and Stewart, the all-star team also included legendary production designer Cedric Gibbons, who received the same number of Oscars in his lifetime as Ben-Hur and Titanic. The success of the original Broadway play and the superbly written and acted film based on it greatly helped Hepburn’s career and The Philadelphia Story became a timeless classic thanks to the fact that, among other things and contrary to the conventions of today, it is a romantic comedy that is funny due to what we see and not only because of what we hear. 85%
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An amazing movie where two of the greatest actors of their time come together, along with one of the most incredible actresses in the entire history. Grant and Stewart are simply amazing, and the way Jimmy Stewart sometimes speaks, with such cadence, is captivating. Cary Grant is more relaxed this time, but that doesn't matter at all because they complement each other just as wonderfully as Katharine Hepburn complements them. An excellent ride that can always make a person smile.
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