I absolutely agree that
Charade is a mash-up of different genres. That was precisely my impression when I watched it the first time.
[Show spoiler]It did have some elements that could be considered fringe screwball comedy-ish, going by Wikipedia's working definition of what, exactly, that entails (and I think the parameters presented on the site are pretty accurate); the narrative certainly included some farcical situations, and there was an underlying air of courtship between Hepburn and Grant: but I thought it was more a whodunit (as men file in, one at a time, to confirm Regina's husband is, in fact, dead, the question is "who killed him?") a romance (I mean, come on, it's freaking Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. You know, eventually, they're going to hook up), and the suspense throughout the film is palpable. Does Regina have the money? Did she pay somebody to kill her husband, and then later, which one of these men has the money? Is Grant's many-named character playing Hepburn, or the other men he's supposedly working with?). It's a masterful film. Before seeing and owning it, I'd read that Charade was one of the great Hitchcock films never made by Hitchcock. I couldn't agree more. It touches on so many different notes. Stanley Donen does a masterful job.
As for
To Be or Not to Be, I'll watch it this weekend. I'm very much looking forward to it.
Oh, and
Libeled Lady is going to come highly recommended from me. I
loved it. Sadly, it's not available on Blu-ray yet, and the copy of the film that TCM ran has some very definite issues with damage; the source displays lots of little scratch marks, and the occasional circular age spot. But the film's so good, it's forgivable.
It's the second movie I've ever seen with Jean Harlow, the first being
The Public Enemy. While she had palpable presence in that film, she'd not yet developed as an actress. She was drop dead gorgeous, and she most definitely had the raw sexual energy to make men weak in the knees, even at that young age; but she seemed a bit unsure of herself. It was a smaller role, but some of her line delivery didn't flow naturally. Well, it's shocking to me just how much she'd improved within those five years leading up to
Libeled Lady. Jean Harlow absolutely
owns this film. I would go so far as saying that her entrance scene is one of the best I've ever seen. You know right away that, yes, this is indeed a screwball comedy because she's not putting up with any crap. There is no denying that Harlow's Gladys is in charge, and Spencer Tracy is in for a bumpy night. Her comedic timing is absolutely
impeccable. I caught myself rewinding my DVR back to her entrance three times before continuing on with the film. That's how much I enjoyed it. Seeing her come blowing through the paper's newsroom in her wedding gown with a full bouquet of flowers, and laying into poor Spencer Tracy is just magical.
Though I've obviously not seen every film within the genre,
Libeled Lady seems like a pretty good benchmark of just what makes for a screwball comedy. You've got William Powell's character, a writer who many believe has been out globe trotting, but in actuality, is $800 in arrears at a local hotel. And, you've got the social elite; Myrna Loy's Connie Allenbury, much like Claudet Colbert's Ellie in
It Happened One Night, comes from extreme privilege. The dialogue comes fast, and is
very sharp at times. Loy gets off some real zingers at Powell's expense. It's clearly farce, but it's a lot of fun. But, again, make no mistake; this is Harlow's film. The line from
Dirty Dancing kept popping into my head when watching her; "nobody puts Baby in a corner." As the film faded to black, and I thought of Harlow blowing into the newsroom like an Atlantic hurricane, I was reminded that the wedding gown from the film is the one she'd be buried in less than a year after
Libeled Lady was completed. It left me with a real feeling of sadness, as I thought of all the great work we never got to see from this absolute force of nature. Twenty-six years was not nearly enough for this world to have such a talent. I'm sure I'll feel much the same after finishing
To Be or Not to Be, knowing that Carol Lombard had died before the film was released. One feels for Clark Gable, knowing how close he was to both Harlow and Lombard. Gable called Harlow "sis", and he served as a pallbearer and usher at her funeral, along with Lombard, his wife. I can't imagine losing two people like that, in such tragic circumstances, in such a short time.
I checked TCM's upcoming schedules; Libeled Lady is set to next broadcast on
Sunday August 7th at 6 PM. Set your DVR.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III
If you mean you've NEVER seen To Be or Not to Be, then yes, move it to the top of your pile! It's wonderful!
Charade is a real mash-up of genres, I think. I agree it's not a straight-up screwball comedy, but I didn't want to have to put to many caveats into my original post, and I think one of the ingredients is screwball comedy. But I also agree the gender roles are a little off for the genre.
Libeled Lady doesn't appear to be available on blu ray as far as I can tell? You Can't Take it With You seems to be a good suggestion though - I've not seen it.
|
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Linear Mode
