Oh Lord, What a Comedy! (The Philadelphia Story (DVD))

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	The Philadelphia Story (DVD)
Date:	17/05/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant Script, Marvelous Acting, Didn't age badly

Disadvantages: Black & White?

The famous Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is about to get remarried. But no amount of money can help her keep the problems away. First, the tabloid reporter Macaulay "Mike" Connor (James Stewart) is camping out at her mansion for the event. Then Tracy's ex-husband, C. K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), shows up as well - with dubious intentions. Between the three of them and Tracy's eccentric family, Conner's female photographer Liz (Ruth Hussey) and no small amount of expensive champagne, you just know this isn't going to be your typical fairy tale wedding! This is the story of the classic George Cuckor film "The Philadelphia Story".

This movie is about as close to perfection as any romantic comedy ever made, and thank heavens no one has had the gall or audacity to try to remake it. Well, in truth it already was remade, but as a musical called "High Society". Thankfully, this musical mostly used the same script, but even with some marvelous songs by Cole Porter, it never was any match for the original, and with all due respect - Grace Kelly was no Katharine Hepburn, and Bing Crosby was far too old to play Cary Grant's role. Of course, all that is beside the point.

The point is, if rom-coms today looked more carefully at movies like these, we'd probably have far less disasters than we've been seeing lately. As with all classic rom-coms, this uses the basic premise "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl". This one however has some twists. The movie opens with one of cinema's most famous scenes, where we see Dexter leaving his wife Tracy. The action shows a haughty Tracy tossing the furious Dexter's golf clubs onto the pavement, and breaking one over her knee (back then, they were made of wood, so this does make sense). Dexter becomes even more enraged, and turns back, hand in a fist about to wallop her, but then stops himself, putting his whole open hand over her face and pushes her down, straight back into the doorway. We are then fast-forwarded two years, to just prior to Tracy's wedding to George Kittridge. But Dexter has decided to bring a reporter and photographer from "Spy" magazine to the festivities, and that's a setup for all hell breaking loose.

While this may not seem terribly unique, what sets this comedy in a class far above those we see today is the script. Sharp jabs and throwaway lines sparkle throughout this movie like a starlet's sequined dress. On this level, the script is almost a satire of the lives of the rich and famous of the time. It isn't terribly surprising to notice that things haven't changed all that much. Wealthy heiresses are still spoiled and feel they can pull off any stunt they like, never thinking about anyone but themselves. They marry and divorce on a whim and then become annoyed when the press chronicles their stupid actions. Of course, this is a stereotype, but what good comedy doesn't rely on those to get their point across?

And what point would that be? Certainly, finding true love is usually the whole point of any rom-com, but there is more than this here. This movie goes just a bit deeper than most rom-coms of today by allowing us to delve below the surface of Tracy's façade, and find out what's really beneath that cold, statuesque exterior. Certainly, there is enough fodder for any comedy with just an ex-husband showing up at his ex-wife's wedding. Twist into the reporter being starry eyed at all the Lord's wealth as well as no small bit about Tracy. Then spice it up with his photographer having a crush on him, along with problems between Tracy's parents that causes Tracy's Uncle to pose as her father so when her father shows up he has to pretend he's the uncle - among other things - and you have a roller-coaster ride on your hands.

Of course, most good comedies have no small amount of slapstick, and this is no exception. For instance, there's the scene when a drunken Jimmy Stewart tries to climb the trellis to Hepburn's balcony, Shakespeare-style. Or you have Tracy's sister doing a bawdy rendition of "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" on the piano. But those physical bits are the punctuation in the script, and not the body of the fun. No, this film depends mostly on the banter and conversations for its humour. What's more, the film asks some serious questions, as well. For instance, Tracy wonders what makes someone love someone else, and why would someone want to marry her. That leads to her to wonder if the type of adoration her fiancé says he has for her would make for a good marriage. Then to round it all off, there's the satire on the lives of the "rich and famous". Even so, the more serious parts of the script only allow you to enjoy the film even more. Watch it once and you'll find it funny. Watch it a second time to catch the balance between the humour, satire and more of brilliance of the script. After that, you'll be just as hooked as I am, and want to watch it often!

Of course, with this cast, you can be assured that the acting is superb. Hepburn is at her most beautiful and talented, with a supporting cast that is ultimately complimentary and equally as strong. George Cukor never was more creative and exacting as he was in the direction of this film. The timing is perfect, and everyone knows when they're supposed to be the center of attention and when to be in the background. Furthermore, even though this film is in black & white, there's still a feeling of colour throughout the film, and the settings all feel luxurious, even though I'm sure that most of it was filmed on the studio's back-lot.

In short, "The Philadelphia Story" is a truly fun, well-rounded comedy with great acting, an amazing script which was all perfectly directed. What's most amazing is that this film includes elements that are still mostly relevant today, even though it is almost 70 years old. That's the test of a true classic, and that's what makes it one of my all-time favourite films. I'd give it ten stars out of five, if I could and I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Thanks for reading!

Davida Chazan © May 2009

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Technical Stuff:

You can buy this new from Amazon for £5.98 or through their marketplace from £4.98.
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Summary: My favourite film with my favourite actress