Year of Release: 1942Country of Origin: USA
Director: George Stevens
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn
Plot outline: Rival reporters Sam and Tess fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship strained when Sam comes to resent Tess' hectic lifestyle (IMDb).
There are many things to recommend this battle of the sexes movie, not the least being the fact its script won best screenplay Oscar in 1943. It is the first (of nine) memorable on-screen collaborations between Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, whose appeal lies in their differences. Made in 1942, the movie's working woman theme is a progressive one; sparks fly in all directions as Hepburn's multi-lingual woman of the world Tess (she won't talk to anybody who hasn't signed a non-aggression pact) and Tracy's Sam (he calls her the Calamity Jane of the fast international set) irk and are besotted by one another before trying to work it all out. It is clear from the start that their lives and lifestyles are totally different. He thinks they are going on a date; she thinks he is going to drive her to the airport. Tess' favourite aunt Ellen Witcomb (Fay Bainter) advises her that "success is no fun unless you share it with someone" and the whirlwind marriage (scheduled between engagements) results in a wedding night to remember, in which the marital bedroom is graced by a refugee, his bodyguards, an entourage and family and friends. My favourite scene comes towards the end when Tess tries to win her way back into Sam's heart through his stomach. It is obvious that she has probably never even been in a kitchen before, let alone tried to cook, and the results are hilarious. Sam watches from the doorway as Tess (wearing a fur coat) finds imaginative ways to separate eggs, works out how to light the gas stove and tries to keep an oozing waffle under control. "You don't think I can do all the ordinary things that any idiot can do?" Tess pleads, to which Sam pragmatically states: "Because you're incapable." Tracy and the ever-elegant Hepburn are at their prime in this delectable black and white - filled with witty lines and hilarious situations - movie that gives romantic comedies a good name. (LK)
My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment