Year of Release: 1941Country of Origin: USA
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda
Plot outline: Returning from a year up the Amazon studying snakes, the rich but unsophisticated Charles Pike meets con-artist Jean Harrington on a ship (IMDb).
This classic romantic comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda is a scintillating battle of the sexes, as writer and director Preston Sturges shows us the terrors of sexual passion and the unattainability of the romantic ideal. Barbara Stanwyck gives one of her best performances. The scene - an unbroken shot that lasts three minutes and 51 seconds - where Stanwyck toys with Fonda's hair as he reclines, uncomfortably, on the floor beside her is incredibly seductive. Henry Fonda, without looking like a loser - he trips over four times, get spilled over by food trays twice and nibbled by a horse once, plays his role absolutely straight. No tongue in cheek, no winks at the audience. He plays it straight and sincere. The dialogue is sharp and witty ("Don't be vulgar, Jean. Let us be crooked, but never common."). And all other characters are equally as scintillating as the lead stars. After almost seven decades the story still rings true and the movie remains thoroughly enjoyable.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
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