Quite a loverly film, really. While musicals aren’t usually my cup of tea, this one is actually rather charming. Audrey Hepburn is adorable as a piece of street-trash turned into a dignified lady and Rex Harrison is perfect as a repugnant, self-serving professor of phonetics. Harrison’s character takes Hepburn under his wing on a bet from a colleague. He feels that he can make a proper citizen out of anyone, and Hepburn gives him a real run for his money.
As an American, some of the language and humor goes straight over my head simply because I don’t know what certain things mean in British English. Other than an excusable language barrier, the only fault I have is with how neatly everything wraps up. Sure, it works fine in theatre but not so well in film. Perhaps that’s the blow suffered by all film adaptations for musicals, but not really. I’ve seen some tremendous film adaptations that are worthy of a four star or higher rating (West Side Story). There’s just something too perfect about the ending which disagrees with my nature.
As I’ve been mentioning in some other reviews for older films, My Fair Lady runs a tad long with some slow pacing at times, but the sum of all its parts is something quite splendid. The music is delightful and memorable, while the writing is rather witty and smart. It’s got just the right combination of style and substance to make it worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of musical theatre. Loverly, quite loverly.
I don’t find Katherine Hepburn attractive, so it’s hard to watch her in films where she is a romantic lead. This is an early romantic comedy, a genre which was quite popular in the early days of film. Light-hearted, goofy tales that would leave an audience perked up a bit was essential during the 30s, as America struggled to get through the Great Depression. While I can acknowledge the wit and humor in The Philadelphia Story, I thought it was on the boring side.
Again, as happens when watching old films, there was a nagging sense that I had seen this sort of thing before. With her wedding day fast approaching, Hepburn is bombarded by other would-be suitors, including her ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a magazine reporter (Jimmy Stewart). Hilarity is supposed to ensue when she starts wondering whether she wants to marry who she’s supposed to and all sorts of wrong perceptions lead us to her ultimate decision.
Perhaps the film is dated, and perhaps it’s just because I’ve seen too much that is similar (in terms of the comedy, not so much the plot). Whatever it is, it kept me from caring too much about The Philadelphia Story. A good “classic” comedy, but not my cup of tea.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
