Review of Holiday (1938) by Tom M — 19 Dec 2010

This one's a real charmer, with a wonderful lineup of characters and a well presented tale and mood. If you'd like some feel-goodery with substance then put this one on your list.

Much of the cast plays parts that are unique and full of life, giving it depth and range past the principle big-name twosome. Ned, brother to Hepburn's character, is hilarious, full of jaded bitter snideness and drunken nihilism. He is absolutely loaded with wit and edge and his delivery takes lines to such sharp places its hard to not be distracted by the force of them. A down-to-earth college professor and his similarly unpretentious wife are also rife with humor and life-loving affirmation that it's good to play it small and enjoy little things along the way. They and Grant, and at times Hepburn, exude an overwhelming childish joy about living life with a sense of childish joy, shaking their heads at the absurdity of the rich or those who take themselves too seriously, who crush themselves under the weight of their 'important' lives. These and other characters flesh out a film that always feels full and gives you many paths to enjoyment.

Grant is incredibly charming here. Always, of course, but particularly so here. His comedic timing is always on and his physicality has always been under-appreciated. He can take an empty scene of him standing around looking at things in a room and turn it into something inspired and hugely entertaining. He's so warm and convincing in his passion to be free and find meaning and have life without burden while at the same time being a source of light and happiness to those around him that each time he enters the frame your whole mood will likely change. Hepburn is charismatic and likeable in this as well. There's less of the cold hard formidableness we see from her in other films and its a performance thats very easy to enjoy and fall for. There's no question from the moment we meet her that she's someone you're likely to empathize with.

Cukor's direction is clean and has aged well. There aren't any significant issues that date it, and if not for the youthful ages of the big stars, it'd be reasonable to feel this was made some ten to twenty years later than it actually was. The pacing keeps things lively but takes time enough to inject some emotion and character substance as well, stepping into the occasional slow scene end diverting enough attention to romance plots to make things feel calm and decently believable. The whole thing is basically a bunch of conversation, and thankfully the script is full of good stuff. Comedic lines are slightly more gutsy than most movies of the time, with some commentary and statements that are right on target and not very shy.

Definitely a classic and fully recommended if you enjoy any of the people involved or have an affinity toward older films. For anyone who's a fan of pre-60s cinema, this is basically a must-see at some point in your film watching career.