The Philadelphia Story
1940 Directed by George Cukor
Synopsis
Broadway's howling year-run comedy hit of the snooty society beauty who slipped and fell - IN LOVE!
Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord throws out her playboy husband C.K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge whilst Dexter has been working for "Spy" magazine. Dexter arrives at the Lord's mansion the day before the wedding with journalist Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie, determined to spoil things.
Cast
Studio
Popular reviews
More-
**Part of the Best Picture**
Out of the 30s and into the 40s!Socialite Tracy Lords (Katherine Hepburn) gets a divorce from Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), and then goes on to get engaged to another man, and are about to have the wedding of the year. A magazine editor gets in contact with Dexter, and dispatches two journalists (Jimmy Stewart and Ruth Hussey) to get the inside scoop. Of course, hijinks ensue.
The story really isn't the important part here, as romantic comedies of this type were quite common. No, what makes The Philadelphia Story stand out from the rest is the way writer Daniel Ogden Stewart and his cast have them play out some quite formulaic events. The dialogue…
-
I just can't believe how good this movie is. It's less than two hours long and yet the main characters are all so well-drawn I feel like I've spent so much more time than that getting to know them. And what's another movie that manages to be as funny as this one and also as humane? The Apartment, maybe? Really incredible.
-
First, a confession: This is the first film I've ever seen that has either Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, or James Stewart in it.
I know, I should catch up.
With that aside, I quite enjoyed this film. At the outset I was distracted terribly by Hepburn's voice (I thought Cate Blanchett was laying it on thick in The Aviator, but it turns out she was pretty accurate), but that was soon forgotten once the sharp and witty dialogue picked up and all the players were in action (I can see why this was a hit on Broadway before becoming a film).
James Stewart plays a fantastic drunk.
-
The Philadelphia Story was a very witty and well written screwball romantic comedy. Donald Ogden Stewart's script deserves the most praise here but even with that snappy and hilarious dialogue, it could have never been conversed properly without the films main stars Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The acting by these three were spot on and supremely convincing. Stewart won his only competitive Oscar for his role here however compared to other more significant roles in his career this one does not seem worthy of it in a way. Many people think it is more of a sympathy Oscar for not giving it to him the year before when he gave his best in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
The movie The Philadelphia Story was alot of fun and delivered basically everything one could ask for from the golden age of Hollywood and classic romantic comedy genre of filmmaking. 8/10
-
Just the perfect film that repays rewatching so well. Once you get past the plot and are free to concentrate on the little things, the genuine chemistry between Hepburn and Stewart and Grant and Hussey that somehow makes the movie for me now. The way Stewart's voice changes when he is talking to Hepburn, the way you can see him reexamine himself and change himself in her presence.
And every scene between Grant and Hussey is a delight, there is one late on where it is clear what the two real romances of the movie are where he still kind of sums up her up and acknowledges that she might not be Hepburn but is a pretty special woman, the…
-
Diálogos brillantes y el trío protagonista más carismático de la historia del cine.
Recent reviews
More-
"The time to make up your mind about people is never."
Romantic comedies get a bad wrap, often for good reason as they fail to be romantic or comedic, but when a great one comes along there are few genres more enjoyable, like a great action or horror movie aiming for thrills or scares and achieving those goals without any pressure to be something more. Obviously, having thematic resonance or social commentary can elevate a great film to an even higher level and while The Philadelphia Story certainly addresses issues of class, the entertainment comes mostly from fast-paced witty dialogue and an ability to be both funny and romantic. With a cast including all-time greats Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and…
-
I don't know... this time around I didn't like it as much. Of course, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant are great together. Still... what am I missing here...??
-
Diálogos brillantes y el trío protagonista más carismático de la historia del cine.
-
My favorite actor and actress of all time brought together by one of my favorite screenplays. Win.
-
The Good: What a fantastic ensemble! -- Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, Roland Young, and Virginia Weidler all in top form. Excellent dialogue (Hussey's lines here are priceless). Playful, likable characters. Wonderful musical score by legendary composer Franz Waxman (Sunset Boulevard, Rear Window, The Bride of Frankenstein, Rebecca).
The Bad: Not a fan of the fairy tale ending.
The Bottom Line: A top-notch cast playing delightfully charming characters in a whimsical romantic comedy. You rarely see anything as good as this nowadays.
-
Funny and touching with surprising depth, The Philadelphia Story is yar alright.
-
Jimmy Stewart is fantastic in this. Cary Grant doesn't really do much except for quip randomly, and it's fun to see him do just that. Hepburn is good but doesn't really steal the show. The movie is goofy and goes in wacky places and for that I appreciated it.
-
Just the perfect film that repays rewatching so well. Once you get past the plot and are free to concentrate on the little things, the genuine chemistry between Hepburn and Stewart and Grant and Hussey that somehow makes the movie for me now. The way Stewart's voice changes when he is talking to Hepburn, the way you can see him reexamine himself and change himself in her presence.
And every scene between Grant and Hussey is a delight, there is one late on where it is clear what the two real romances of the movie are where he still kind of sums up her up and acknowledges that she might not be Hepburn but is a pretty special woman, the…
-
I was totally loving it until the final act, although that may just be because of my new-fashioned morals.