Movie Review - The Philadelphia Story (1940)

By: Ugur Akinci
Submitted: 2007-01-17 10:59:23
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A romantic comedy classic directed by George Cukor and adapted to the screen by Donald Ogden Stewart from Philip Barry's Broadway hit play.

Although Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart share top billing with Katherine Hepburn, this is clearly Hepburn's movie. The story revolves around her profound transformation from an “ice queen” to a warm human being who discovers what true love is -- which proves to be her ultimate salvation.

The movie opens with a scene of marital disaster -- that legendary scene in which Cary Grant (playing the C. K. Dexter Haven), before leaving his home for good, palms Katherine Hepburn's face and pushes her down to the floor.

But that does not happen before Hepburn (playing Tracy Lord, Dexter's wife), drives him mad by throwing out his pipe set and breaking his golf club as Dexter is trying to get into his car and leave the unhappy marriage behind. It must have been such a sacrilege to break an honorable man's pipes and wooden golf clubs back in the 40s. These days real men neither smoke smelly pipes nor own wooden golf clubs. They don't shove their wives rudely on to the floor either.

Fast forward to two years later. Tracy is about to marry her new sweetheart George Kittredge (played by John Howard) who is a very proper gentlemen crazy for the appearances. Since Tracy comes from a blue-blood upper-crust family, her marriage is exactly the stuff the tabloids thrive on. Back then, the gossip-monger photo tabloid of the day happens to be the "Spy Magazine".

Spy's unscrupulous Editor Sidney Kidd decides to send a cracker jack team of photographer Elizabeth "Liz" Imbrie (played by Ruth Hussey) and the writer from the other side of the tracks with serious literary ambitions, Macaulay “Mike” Connor (James Stewart) to cover this high-society event with as many scandalous details and photographs as possible. It is interesting to note that the “Editor Sidney Kidd” character is very similar to the one Cary Grant himself has played in another film released the same year, HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940).

However, the Editor needs a ruse to slip Liz and Macaulay into the Lord mansion in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia (hence the name of film) in the eve of Tracy's marriage. Enter Dexter, who is itching to get back even with Tracy.

Tracy's brother Junius is employed by the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. With Kidd's direction, Dexter introduces himself to Mike and Liz as the Spy Magazine's Buenos Aires Bureau Chief and a friend of Junius. That will be their cover story to slip into the Lord estate.

Questionable plot point: Dexter is actually coerced into this role by Kidd's blackmail. If Dexter refuses to cooperate, Kidd threatens to publish the full story of a potentially damaging illicit affair involving Tray's father Seth Lord (John Halliday).

So why should a divorced man care about the reputation of his ex father-in-law? Is it because Dexter has not lost faith in his eventual reunion with his ex-wife and thus tries to protect the reputation of a family that he hopes to rejoin in the near future? Could be. Otherwise the blackmail does not really make sense.

Both Tracy and her parents are surprised to see Dexter back in their house and Mike and Liz's cover are soon debunked. However, due to an unexpected development Mike is not chased right away from the Lord estate – Tracy and Mike are drawn to one another in a summer romance that does not go further than a few kisses and a midnight dip in the swimming pool. But it is enough to propel the story towards both Dexter's and George's reactions.

The Tracy-George-Mike-Dexter love quadrangle evolves within the larger context of Tracy's personal transformation. No less than three men (Dexter, her father Seth and Mike) tell her in no uncertain terms the kind of royally spoiled and controlling personality she has. The indictment, issued by different parties but delivered the same way, forces Tracy to rethink who she is and where she is heading in life. She wants to be happy but doesn't know quite how and now realizes that her “ice queen” attitude and sense of entitlement might be a part of her misery.

Cary Grant's Dexter is portrayed with much gentle humor (as usual with almost all Grant roles). But this Dexter fellow is nothing if not persistent and self-assured. He is like a farmer waiting for the golden fruit to fall into his lap when its ripe. Nothing fazes him – neither Tracy's upcoming marriage with George, nor her brief involvement with Mike. He is a character who mostly listens, observes, and reacts with a know-it-all snicker that I have not seen in any of his other movies.

When George pulls out of the marriage at the last moment, Tracy proposes to Mike. Dexter still keeps his cool as a guy who has seen the future and the future belongs to him. When Mike turns her down because he feels their brief fling (and the immense social gap between the socialite Tracy and the working stiff Mike) is not a good enough reason for marriage, Dexter is the only groom candidate left standing.

At the end of the movie, Tracy's character transformation is complete. She realizes the number of hearts she has broken in the past with her tempestuous temperament and decides what matters most in life is love and living in peace with the one who truly loves her and has never forgotten her – Dexter.

The following scene in which she makes full peace with her father Seth pretty much summarizes the gist of her transformation:

Tracy Lord: How do I look?

Seth Lord: Like a queen - like a goddess.

Tracy Lord: And do you know how I feel?

Seth Lord: How?

Tracy Lord: Like a human being.

Seth Lord: Do you know how I feel?

Tracy: How?

Seth Lord: Proud.

Given the reputation of this film as one of the classics of Hollywood history one wonders why a slightly above average romantic comedy with some smart and funny dialog is accorded such privileged status.

My answer is, yes, there are many films out there shot during the 40s that are equally funny (and equally removed from the daily concerns and background of an average middle class movie fan) but rare indeed is the one in which we see such a touching character arc. It is Katherine Hepburn's fantastic performance that speaks to us at an emotional level and makes us root for her “deliverance from herself.”

If it weren't for Hepburn, this is a 5-out-of-10 product. But Hepburn's scintillating and convincing performance lifts it to a solid 8.

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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Senior Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation. He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 corporations since 1999. He is the editor of PRIVATE TUTOR FOR SAT MATH SUCCESS web site http://www.privatetutor.us

In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).

A true movie fan since he was a child, Akinci provides FREE MOVIE PLOT IDEAS every day of the year at SCRIPT BOILER. Visit http://scriptboiler.blogspot.com today.

You are most welcomed to visit his COPYWRITING WEB SITE http://www.writer111.com for more information on his multidisciplinary background, writing career, and client testimonials.

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