Review of His Girl Friday (1940) by Dave H — 02 Aug 2014

OMG, I love this film. In my opinion, the best screwball comedy ever - certainly the fastest. There's gotta be more words per minute average in this than in any other film, right? But the rat-tat-tat overlapping dialogue never gives me a headache.

Partly because of the cynical, biting wit in that dialogue. Largely because of the two pros who deliver most of it -or lobby it back and forth like a blurry tennis ball. Cary Grant, at the peak of his talent, juggles his newspaper and his ex-wife with arrogant, immoral ease.

He's matched - and I would argue TOPPED - by Rosalind Russell as Hildy Johnson - perhaps my favourite female role in all of cinema's long history - sharp, sassy, tough, gorgeous, vulnerable, conflicted.

AND she's a great writer. Amazing. Her scenes with the newspaper hacks are as divine as those with Grant. The political and fourth estate stuff in His Girl Friday nails the greed and self-interest of 40s New York (and all era's everywhere), and occasionally even some humanity sneaks in between the machine-gun barbs.

A delirious joy.