Review of The Philadelphia Story (1940) by Dawn C — 26 May 2012

The second greatest movie pairing Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn (the greatest is Bringing up Baby, but that's undisputed!). But you even get the cute James Stewart as a bonus, playing a bitter reporter!

*Socialite, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is planning to get married in the weekend with a Mr. Kittredge (John Howard). Though her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) has made up a plan to get even with Miss Lord (they did not really divorced as friends, if you know what I mean...). So with some relationships with the gossip sheet, Spy Magazine, he blackmails Tracy to let a photographer and a reporter to live at her mansion and write everything about her apporaching wedding, a series of articles that will be called; A Philadelphia Story.

If Tracy wouldn't agree, Dexter would arrange so that a scandalous revelation about her father, would be published instead.

The reporter on Spy Magazine, Macaulay Connor (James Stewart), an aspiring author who considers himself a working class hero and detests the high society, is very discontent with his "mission", but slowly develope feelings for Tracy, as well.*.

Philadelphia Story contains less comedic scenes than Bringing Up Baby, but on the other hand, it's a much better romantic story with some tender scenes with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant and James Stewart (not all them three together, though that would have been interesting to see;).

Miss Hepburn is dominating the scene, chatty as always, with a sharp tongue, delivering lots of venomus comments, expressing her dislike for her father's and her ex-husband's presence on her wedding. Just what you would expect her to. And Cary Grant is as hilarious as ever, playing the still in love ex-husband, firing some sarcastic but always as pertinent responses to Miss Hepburn.

George Cukor is not surprisingly the director, which had twice earlier teamed Grant and Hepburn in Sylvia Scarlett (1935) and Holiday (1938), but not with as great success as Philadelphia Story proved to be.

I know that many people consider this to be a 100%. I can easily admit it's greatness, but for me personally, this is a solid 80%-movie.

Still, this is a must-see for all the cineasts out there, who have skipped this for some reason or other. It's a classic worth it's name.

Some of my favorite quotes;.

C.K. Dexter Haven: Orange juice, certainly.

Tracy Lord: Don't tell me you've forsaken your beloved whisky and whiskies.

C.K. Dexter Haven: No, no, no. I've just changed their color, that's all. I'm going for the pale pastel shades now. They're more becoming of me. How about you, Mr. Connor? You drink, don't you - alcohol, I mean?

Macaulay Connor: Oh, a little.

C.K. Dexter Haven: A little? And you a writer? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought all writers drank to excess and beat their wives. You know, at one time I think I secretly wanted to be a writer...