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The Philadelphia Story Customer Reviews (16 - 18 of 44 Reviews)
Classic Led by Sharp Repartee and Three Scintillating Leads
It has taken me a while to warm to this 1940 classic probably because the characters are not as immediately likeable as others of the period, for example, Howard Hawks' "Bringing Up Baby". In what has to be her career-defining role, Katharine Hepburn was born to play imperious Main Line socialite Tracy Lord. As Hepburn herself says, the part fits her like a glove as her angular beauty is matched by the razor sharpness of her haughty, self-absorbed character. On the eve of her second marriage, Tracy is surrounded by three men who all want her at some point in the story. With whom she ends up is no surprise, but the journey there contains all the biting wit and human insight that one could hope for in what is essentially a drawing room comedy.
As the pretentiously named C.K. Dexter Haven, Tracy's ex-husband, Cary Grant surprisingly plays the most grounded character in the story, a romantic in cynic's clothing, watching others get caught in the fear of commitment and a gauzy haze of indecision. His only moment of typical Grant physical humor is right at the outset when in the classic opening scene, he reacts to Tracy's golf club-breaking defiance with a well-judged facial push. Together, along with the uproarious "Bringing Up Baby" and the sublime "Holiday", Hepburn and Grant made a dynamic, temperamentally compatible screen couple in their youth, a combustible tug-of-war between equals versus the more subservient role she played later with Spencer Tracy. Ironically, the triangle (or more accurately, quadrangle) element of this movie allows just enough interplay between the two in what was to be sadly their final film collaboration. As the third point, a young and refreshingly cynical James Stewart portrays Macauley "Mike" Connor, a reporter covering Tracy's nuptials for the gossipy "Spy" magazine. Connor turns out to be a talented, published short story author, which Tracy finds immediately attractive. Intriguingly, it is Mike, not Dexter, who gets the most romantic scene in the movie as he bathes Tracy in the moonglow of romantic foreplay before a midnight swim.
What is so refreshing about this triangle is that it never reduces itself to some heroic duel to win the damsel. In fact, both men have understandable reservations about Tracy's high-and-mighty stance and her inability to tolerate others' weaknesses. Dexter turns out to be an alcoholic whom Tracy enabled during their marriage, and this makes for some of the most incisive dialogue in the movie. Mike is really an anti-establishment type who is appalled by what he is doing, and he also has an unspoken relationship with Liz Imbrie, his smart-mouthed photographer sidekick who of course, pines for him. In one of the more painful scenes, Tracy's father, whose apparent indiscretion provides the blackmail-driven plot which allows "Spy" to cover Tracy's wedding, tells off his daughter by calling her a "prig" and a "perennial spinster" asserting she is as cold as a bronze statue. Of course, the one man who wants to worship her is her fiancé, George Kittredge, who is socially insecure among the old rich and reveals his true intolerance when he believes that Tracy is guilty of the same type of indiscretion that ironically Tracy accused her father. As you can imagine, it all ties up beautifully, and all these complications come through with a great deal of humanity thanks to the wonderful, sometimes surprisingly edgy dialogue in Philip Barry's original play and Donald Ogden Stewart's screen adaptation. It is fair to say that the rest of the cast is fine but overshadowed by the three superb and fully embodied leads. Ruth Hussey does what she can in showing her character's vulnerability between the wisecracks as Liz, and Virginia Wiedler has a few hammy scenes as Tracy's precocious sister Dinah. A major portion of the credit for this first-class production needs to go to estimable filmmaker George Cukor, who is completely in his element here guiding his players to their peak. A true classic.
The extras in the new two-disc DVD package are excellent. The first disc has informative albeit rather enthusiastic commentary by film historian and critic Jeannine Basinger, as well as ten trailers for various Cukor classics. I am happy to report the video and audio transfer of the film itself is clean. The second disc contains "Katharine Hepburn: All About Me--A Self Portrait", a wonderful, nearly two-hour, first-person documentary made in 1992. At 85, she is a ball of energy and still quite lucid as she reflects back on her career in somewhat scripted remembrances. But her true feelings come out when she speaks lovingly about Spencer Tracy or what her responses are on myths about her. Her true personality - abrupt, ribald, and hilarious - comes across in the at-home scenes with her devoted entourage. It's a great retrospective of a full life. The second documentary is the Cukor contribution to "The Men Who Made the Movies" series produced by Richard Schickel, an overview of the master director's career though it oddly stops at 1954's "A Star Is Born". Both documentaries are chock full of memorable film clips.
Just like going to the movies in the forties, one can see a short with the acerbically amusing Robert Benchley and a cartoon on the second disc. There are also two radio broadcast versions with the three leads. The one-hour 1942 version is burdened by bad, crackling sound and an intrusive Cecil B. DeMille commenting on the plot throughout. The half-hour 1947 broadcast is the more intriguing of the two, as the actors' voices have coarsened somewhat over seven years. Hepburn, in particular, seems rather disengaged until the romantic interlude with Stewart when he humorously stutters a line in typical Stewart fashion.
See it............ NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is all I need to say:
Cary Grant Katharine Hepburn Jimmy Stewart GREAT PERFORMANCES ALL AROUND, ESPECIALLY FROM THE THREE AMAZING STARS AND RUTH HUSSET!
But I'll say more anyway.
Upper class lady Tracy Lord is about to be married to George Kittridge, general manager of Quaker State something or other (I haven't watched it for a month or so) after two years before divorcing CK Dexter Haven.
Spy Magazine big cheese Sindney Kidd sends Macauly Conner and Elizabeth Imbry to get an inside story on the wedding of Tracy Lord, and George Kittridge. They are to get inside via Tracy's ex husband Dexter, who decides to help for revenge against his ex-bride.
Hilarity ensues via needle sharp dialogue, carefully hidden gags, and terrific performances.
I haven't seen one movie by Cary Grant that I haven't liked; I have seen thrity-two. I Have only seen two Jimmy Stewart and Kate Hepburn that I didn't really enjoy a-piece, and I've seen about twenty or more of theirs.
And Cuckor's direction inspired many directors to choose alternative direction styles.
A REAL COMIC GEM!
"The Philadelphia Story" concerns itself with Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn), a spoiled socialite scheduled to remarry when her first husband, C.K. Dexterhaven (Cary Grant)shows up to pitch some rice and mayhem. Add to the mix, Mike Connor (James Stewart) a reporter who is supposed to be covering the wedding for the tabloids but winds up falling for Tracy himself.
The play on which the movie is based has an interesting backstory. At this point in her career, for various reasons, Katherine Hepburn had been branded "box office poison". Unable to find suitable work in Hollywood, Ms. Hepburn decided to do the next best thing - get playwrite, Philip Barry to write her a hit. And so he did. The Broadway production of "The Philadelphia Story" was a phenomenal success. However, when L.B. Mayer, the head of MGM, decided that he simply had to have the rights to the play he discovered that Barry didn't own them - Katherine Hepburn did. Hence, the only way to make the movie was to cast box office poison in the lead. What good fortune that he did, since the film revitalized Katherine Hepburn's image with the movie going public and launched her career through another six decades of wonderful performances.
Now, about the DVD. Warner Home Video has inherited another MGM Home Video import with "The Philadelphia Story". Having said that, this one's pretty good looking. Yes, there is fine grain, dirt, scratches and aging present throughout. There's also some rare instances of edge enhancement and shimmering details. But these are minute and do not distract one from enjoying this fantastic film. The gray scale (it's a B&W movie) is well balanced. Contrast and shadow levels are accurately defined. The soundtrack is mono as originally recorded. At times there is a slight background hiss that crops up but overall, the audio is remarkably well represented. There are no extras.
BOTTOM LINE: YES.
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