Reviews of His Girl Friday 1940
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I think I'm just becoming a sucker for any combination of Cary Grant, screwball comedies, strong female leads and witty and fast-paced dialogue. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. They don't breed film stars like this anymore. And it's a shame because this was fantastic from start to finish. I think I'm somehow more impressed because I expected this to play out similarly to 'The Awful Truth', which I really enjoyed, but it surprised me with the added depth and drama it had to it through the murder sub-plot, which supplemented the main story so well.
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I'm not the sort of person to base my rating of a movie on the time period in which it was made or the like. His Girl Friday is pretty good but I think a single viewing is enough for one lifetime, which is exactly my description of this rating.
Quick synopsis: Rosalind Russell has to pick between two guys, Cary Grant's newspaper agency has the mob in its pocket somehow, political scandal fortuitously breaks and distracts from the rest,…
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This picture is lousy with rapid-fire repartee, but I was expecting that, see? What surprised me is its vicious take on yellow journalism and political corruption. And it gets across its message without breaking its fast-paced comedic tone. There's no preachiness to be found here-- just untruth, injustice and the American way.
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Film #17 of the June Challenge
It is a sad day for any fan of cinema when they approach a classic, and after the affair is all over, they do not have the same unrequited passion for it that others do.
There is nothing wrong with His Girl Friday. In fact, it is most definitely a great film, the kind of film I should love. Grant and Russell are effortless in their roles and are best equipped to hand the…
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Walter Burns (Cary Grant, who was a very busy man in 1940) is a hard-boiled newspaper man who learns his ex-wife and former ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) intends to get married to Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and leave the business forever. Never one to lose a good reporter (or a good woman) Walter schemes to keep Hildy around by continuously getting Bruce arrested on trumped up charges and embroiling her in an unfolding story about the execution of…
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I admire the quick delivery of the clever dialogue from a distance, because it still feels bound to the stage.
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Although he claimed to not be a feminist, director Howard Hawks' portrayal of strong, intelligent, and independent female characters is an important aspect of many of his films. Whether its Katherine Hepburn in Bringing up Baby, or Angie Dickinson in Rio Bravo, the "Hawksian Woman" is a fun and memorable character, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday is no exception.
Adapted from the Broadway play The Front Page, His Girl Friday starts with ace reporter Hildy Johnson(Russell) going to… -
Thought this was a great film.The dialogue between the two is fast and in a great style.Cary Grant is phenomenal here,his best performance for me.,and Rosalind Russell gives as good as she gets as his sassy other half..please watch.
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From my (so far) limited exposure to Golden Age Hollywood, I seem to have gathered that the metric to judge these movies is by how creatively and colourfully they can pour out the expository dialogue. In this respect, HIS GIRL FRIDAY is a major success with an act-long exposition dump delivered with lighting speed and accuracy of comedic timing and delivery. Cheeky quips and some more slapstick physical gags are thrown in to really give the comedy life.
Although, it…
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