From the far reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, It's Retro Nerd Girl with a quick spoiler free film review for you.
Today I'll be reviewing the movie His Girl Friday released in 1940.
Starring:
Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy
Directed by:
Howard Hawks
Genre:
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Rating:
Not Rated
Budget:
N/A
Current IMDb Rating When Reviewed:
8
The Synopsis is:
Hildy Johnson goes to the newspaper to tell her ex-husband Walter that she is getting married and is leaving town until she is set on an elaborate scheme to save an innocent man from being hung.
We often think of gender switch movies, we think of modern movies, but they were doing even as far back as 1940. This film was adapted from the play "The Front Page" which opened at the Times Square Theater on August 14, 1929, and ran for 276 performances. It was made into a film in 1931. Howard Hawks got the idea to switch genders in the 1940 film when he had a woman read the part of one of the male characters in the screenplay.
Hildy was an ACE reporter for the Morning Post run by her ex-husband but she has grown tired of the newspaper business and desires a more conventional life for a woman in the 1940’s. In many ways Hildy is a modern woman and this really helps her character transcend time. Shes devastatingly talented as a writer, fiesty with an extremely clever sense of timing so it’s really easy to enjoy her character.
I have been a fan of Rosalind Russell who plays Hildy in pretty much the way she plays all of her characters, with a brash panache. But even though there is nothing different about the performance, this one is quite perfect for the story. It’s one of her best performances and I absolutely adore the strength she brings to Hildy.
He ex-husband Walter Burns, played wonderfully by Cary Grant, runs the paper, the Morning Post which dominates his mind. He loves his work but to the fault of doing many dishonest acts to get his way.
He’s so full of himself and getting what he wants that at some point in the film Hildy refers to him as "the Lord of the Universe". He’s a charming fast talker with wildly good looking so it's really hard to not try to see the best in him even though he is a big jerk. However, what is most entertaining seeing him scheme up ways to get Hildy to abandon her escape.
Underneath the schemes, the two of them are so well matched for each other. Where Walter is devious to ridiculous heights, Hildy is the only one to join in his excitement of it and knows how to handle him when he gets out of hand… and once more, he likes it and he feels he needs it.
You do get the sense that they really never fell out of love, but is it more of a misunderstanding and you know that the two of them truly do belong together, and that speaks a lot about Hildy. She is a lot like Walter, selfish and is completely excited by chaos. She has bought into the idea that she needs to settle down in order to be happy. You know, the grass is always greener.
At first, you might think that Hildy’s desire is quite sexist even though she was originally a male character in "The Front Page" . However, if you see the original movie, you’ll see, they barely change the character’s motivations, wherein the bromance between the two main characters are transformed into an ex-marriage. I thought that was brilliant in a subtle way and demonstrates how easily the differences between men and women are perceived.
Between Hildy and Water there is so much adorable bickering done right and they aren’t playing it as if they hate each other. There is so much wonderful witty banter shot at you at a fast, fast pace in marathon takes, which must have been incredibly difficult to shoot without mistakes.
Even though the main comedy comes from Hildy and Walter, there are many other characters who deliver some unexpected comedy. Ralph Bellamy plays Hildy’s fiance, Bruce Baldwin, with incredible nuance reacting to much of the antics of the high strung duo with quick micro expressions that really sells the innocence of his character. As well the situations that Walter manipulates for Bruce to get into are very funny without being too malicious.
What also sells the comedy in this movie are the choreographed scenes where there were reactions perfectly positioned or edited in. This really helps the film cross the barrier of being a product of its time. As well, the overlapping dialogue clocking in at an average of 240 words a minute throughout the entire film is quite chaotic and ramps up the realism entertaining each scene brilliantly.
The performances are clearly well rehearsed because as I referred to the scenes before as choreography, it flows like a wonderful dance. Everyone brings their best for their part and you feel as if you are experiencing their point of view as individuals. What also brings to the comedy is the style of acting for the era in 1940. It’s already laughable, because it’s so different from how we speak today. But in this film, this is iconic in a kind of social commentary and straight up mockery of its time and the stereotypes of men, women, politics and the news. All of this is still appropriate to discuss in today’s world.
The main plot revolves around a guy named Earl Williams who accidentally shot a police officer so he is going to be executed because the Mayor wants to voters for his next election. It’s kind of a touchy subject of race because the officer was black and voters that the Mayor seeks are black.
It’s a little heavy handed, but it is one of the swirling plot pieces that drives a lot of the action in the film. And although it is a serious subject matter, the comedy doesn’t belittle it or suddenly become immature. It stays relevant to the dynamics between the characters.
You will never get it all in one experience, so this is one film I suggest that you give repeated views and I promise you will find new and exciting details every time. They just don’t make comedies like this anymore.
My Rating:
9.1
That sums up my quick spoiler free review. This is Retro Nerd Girl signing off!
Take care movie lovers! I'm off to the next review!
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