The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Good Movie But Not Great!
This movie is entertaining and is miles better than say "His Girl Friday" but it's not all that great. I found that it was a tad too long and I had to catch myself from yawning at times although I thought the screenplay was very good as well as the acting. The jokes don't age very well and so I chose to focus on the side of the story about Tracy's eventual acceptance that her perfectionist ways are what's turning people away from her and how her character changes throughout the movie to climax in her final choice of husband. I thought Hepburn's acting was the best and most convincing of all while the chemistry among she, Stewart and Grant was very good. Overall a nice feelgood movie with an interesting storyline but certainly not a good comedy with today's audience.

This DVD though is a bit of a disappointment as the sound quality is Digital Mono although with a Dolby Pro Logic system you can simulate surround sound to a certain extent and the picture quality isn't very good. Perhaps it would be a good idea to wait for a properly restored version perhaps Blu-Ray to surface and to give this version a miss.

A Cinematic Gem!
Katharine Hepburn went from box office poison to box office magic with her magnificent performance in "The Philadelphia Story". She, along with the stellar ensemble cast, make this movie one of the all-time greats. At the center of the storyline is Tracy Lord (Hepburn), a somewhat pompous young woman, who is set to be married in a society wedding. Her intended, George Kittredge (John Howard), is a common man who has made good in the mining industry. When her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant)appears on the scene as a pawn in a blackmail scheme initiated by "Spy" magazine, he brings with him writer Macaulay Connor (Jimmy Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey, who incidently was nominated for an academy award for her performance). In exchange for getting the scoop on the Kittredge / Lord-Haven nuptials, the publisher of "Spy" has agreed not to publish the story of a supposed "fling" that Tracy's father is having with a New York dancer. Therein lies the plot of the movie. However, on a deeper level, the movie addresses an awakening of sorts as, over a two day period, Tracy Lord is referred to as "the ice goddess", receives a dressing down by her father who call her a "prig", and by her fiance who "compliments" her by tell her she is like a goddess who is to be worshipped. The most touching line in the movie is when she says, "I don't want to be worshipped...I want to be loved". So there you have it...hopefully you will be enticed to watch the movie. You won't regret it. The movie is full of laughs aside from its more serious moments, I especially enjoy the performance of Virginia Weidler as Dinah Lord, Tracy's much younger sister. Watching her sing "Liddia, O Liddia...etc" is a delight in itself. She's a real character. Katharine Hepburn refered her in her later years and was quite fond of her. Anyway, if you're a Katharine Hepburn fan and can stand not having her teamed with her beloved Spencer, this is the movie for you!

"Put me in your pocket, Mike!"
"I thought all writers drank to excess and beat their wives. You know one time I secretly wanted to be a writer."

Tracy Samantha Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is getting married, and everyone is in a frenzy. Trazy is one of the elite rich, a woman who has experienced luxury and perfection in everything. She has been married before to CK Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), another member of the upper class. Their union was wrought with fights due to their conflicting personalities, but Dexter is still a strong presence in her life. In this her second marriage, Tracy wants something totally different. She has chosen a man who began as a lower class citizen but who has worked his way up to wealth (John Howard). Their union is the talk of the town, and although Tracy wants to keep thing private, Dexter can't help but throw a wrench her way by inviting the tabloid press. Macaulay Connor (Jimmy Stewart) and Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) spend their time snooping and rubbing elbows with thier subject. Everything culminates in
a fantastic drunken night where lovers are swapped, blows are delt, and general chaos sets in. However, all is done with class right down to the verbal assaults.

This movie gets better each time I watch it. It is easy to breeze by the enchanting dialogue on the first go-round, but once the story is understood, each line reveals itself to add another level of sophistication to the film. The actors are perfect in their roles. Hepburn is appropriately regal, but later soft and vulnerable when Tracy has her epiphany. Grant is smart, sypathetic, and all around wonderful. He makes acting seem effortless. Stewart won an Oscar for his role, and it was well deserved. He embodies the jaded writer and makes the character incredibly dynamic. His drunken scene is the highlight of the film. He is both uproariously funny and disarmingly attractive in a short span of time. The little looks he shoots his costars throughout his scenes are so telling and add another level to this wonderful cast. Even Virginia Weidler turns in a fine performance as Tracy's young sister.

Also included in this special edition DVD is a documentary about Hepburn called All About Me. Although brief and not totally in-depth, it is worth seeing because it is narrated by Hepburn herself. She is endearing in it, even though she was certainly a tough woman. We also have a documentary about George Cukor and a commentary by historian Jeanine Basinger.