Review of Bringing Up Baby (1938) by Sam R — 05 Mar 2010

Grade: B+.

"Don't You Find it a little chilly without a gun?".

Thats just one of the films many classic one liners,and while its all fairly airy and light comedy, it also works. Bringing Up Baby, the 1938 screwball comedy is one of the most obviously contrived films i've seen, but the film isn't trying to hide it; in fact, to be that way is almost a prerequisite of the genre. Its easy to see when watching a film like this where they got the idea's for t.v shows like "threes company two".

The number of happenstance and wilfull ignorance displayed in this film is, well, a lot. But even through the most implausable of situations, the film manages to be constantly amusing, and often made me laugh.

The film centres around a Paleantologist named David(Cary Grant), and his impromptu relationship with a socialite niece of a rich old lady, Susan (Kate Hepburn). In spite of some of the films flaws, it is the chemistry between these two great actors, and their obvious pleasure in playing on screen, that makes the film a breeze to watch.

Susan, an insuffeable annoyance, completely oblivious to the feelings of others, is the eventual love intrest to the engaged David. David is to be married on this same day, but Susan is falling in love, and is trying to hold him for herself, even if it means David ends up hating her.

We in the audience know that Susan is not a character to be taken seriously, but often, the hilarity is evoked in the film exactly because the people inhabiting the film take her too seriously. The wilful stupidity of the characters is also what allows the plot to travel down such ludicrous and un-realistic roads.

The film is set up as basically a series of obstacles, usually created by Hepburn's character, which David is dragged into. Eventually, he comes to soften to her, which he must in this kind of film, and her wackiness eventually wins his heart.

The film tramples over certain moral issues, but the film is too concerned with its own wackiness and in being funny, that it doesn't stop to take a closer look at them; again, not really a fault of the film, as its not meant to go down those roads, and doesn't bother to break convention.

Cary and Hepburn reunited a couple years later for the superior "The Philadelphia Story". It's almost as though the Hepburn character ended in Bringing Up Baby, and retured for this "The Philadelphia Story" film, only to go through a mid-life crisis in the latter film.

Also playing a big part in the film are a Leopard, actually two leopards, and a dog. A hilarious part of the plot involves David's search for a missing rare dinosaur bone stolen by the dog, and another part that involves the mistaken identity of the pair of leopards, one of which is tame, and the other, vicious as hell.

A fine film. and ill end it with another funny quote:

Susan: "You should've listened & run like I told you!".

David: "When a man is wrestling a Leopard in a pond, he is in no position to run!".