His Girl Friday, Adam's Rib, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The War of the Roses

Quadruple The Battle of the Sexes!

Elemen paling penting dalam sebuah film adalah konflik. Dan tidak ada konflik yang lebih natural daripada konflik antara pria dan wanita -- sebelum Dr. John Gray menulis buku larisnya yang berjudul “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus,” penulis lagu George Gershwin dan Ira Gershwin sudah menuangkan konflik tersebut dalam lirik lagunya yang kira-2 seperti ini:

“You say either, I say eyether,
 you say neither, I say nyther;
 You like potayto, I like potahto,
 you like tomayto, I like tomahto;”

membuat The Battle of the Sexes tema yang sering diangkat menjadi film. Campuran antara satire dan komedi, ditandai dengan script yang ketat dan dialog yang tajam, empat film berikut ini dijamin membangkitkan tawa, sekaligus self-criticism, kepada penonton.

1) His Girl Friday (1940)

Mengetahui bekas istrinya, Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), akan menikah lagi dan meninggalkan kariernya sebagai reporter jagoan, Walter Burns (Cary Grant) -- yang masih mencintainya -- dengan segala cara berusaha menyabotase rencana tersebut dengan mengiming-2i dia untuk melakukan reportase terakhir tentang berita besar eksekusi Earl Williams (John Qualen).

Dengan dialog yang tajam, tetapi lucu, dan super cepat (subtitle sebaiknya di-“on”-kan!), His Girl Friday adalah screwball comedy dengan kecepatan tinggi. Karakter-2nya nampak karikaturis, namun demikian memang itulah yang diinginkan penulis cerita film ini. Di bawah arahan Howard Hawk, seluruh cast menyadari hal tersebut dan menampilkan akting yang hard, brittle, strained to the breaking point, bahkan lebih dari titik zenith tersebut -- mereka seakan-2 menunggu kamera berhenti merekam sehingga mereka bisa jatuh pingsan ke lantai karena kecapekan.

Film klasik yang tetap “menggigit” walaupun sudah lebih dari 70 tahun sejak release perdananya.

2) Adam's Rib (1949)

Seorang istri membuntuti suaminya dan menemukan dia menyeleweng dengan wanita lain. Dalam keadaan emosional sang istri menembakkan pistolnya ke arah mereka -- salah satu dari pelurunya mengenai bahu suaminya. Sang istri ditangkap dan dijatuhi tuduhan usaha pembunuhan. Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy), asisten jaksa wilayah, memperoleh tugas menjadi jaksa penuntut dalam kasus tersebut. Mendengar suaminya menjadi jaksa penuntut, Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn), seorang advokat, yang bersimpati pada sang istri, mendatangi sang istri dan menawarkan jasanya sebagai pembela. Dimulai dari ruang pengadilan, perseteruan antara Adam dan “rusuknya” ini  merembet masuk ke dalam rumah tangga mereka. Di jaman dimana keseteraan hak dan tanggung-jawab antara pria dan wanita masih belum lazim, sementara Adam bersikap prosedural dan “textbookish”, Amanda menggunakan metode unconventional untuk membangkitkan simpati juri (semuanya pria) dengan mengajak mereka membayangkan seandainya situasinya terbalik.

Dengan judul yang catchy dan bermakna ganda ini, sebagian penonton mungkin menemukan plot ini rada irritating, terutama karena berhubungan dengan tema women's lib -- ketika film keluar pada tahun 1949, tema ini terasa berlebihan; sekarang, terasa ketinggalan jaman. Tetapi faktanya, peristiwa seperti dalam plot ini memang terjadi pada jamannya, dan untuk sebagian tempat di dunia masih terjadi sampai sekarang.

Dikenang sebagai salah satu dari  film-2 Tracy-Hepburn yang paling memorable, script film ini menerima nominasi Oscar untuk Script Terbaik.

3) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Empat dasawarsa kemudian jaman berubah, emansipasi menjadi norma standard dalam masyarakat modern. Namun demikian, sebagian prejudice -- terutama reverse-prejudice -- terhadap masing-2 gender masih bertahan. Didukung pemilihan casting yang tepat, pada titik lemah inilah penulis cerita film ini berhasil dengan cerdik memperdaya penonton.

Penipu kelas kakap, Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine), melakukan operasinya di pantai wisata “Beaumont-sur-Mer” di French Riviera. Namun demikian, Lawrence mempunyai etika yang tinggi: dia tidak pernah menipu wanita baik-2; mangsanya hanya wanita yang kaya-raya, manja, dan korup -- misalnya, IMHO, wanita seperti Paris Hilton :-) Karena dia adalah pria yang berbudaya, metode penipuannya halus dan sopan. Caine memainkan perannya dengan smooth dan meyakinkan -- membuat penonton langsung bersimpati dengannya :-) Suatu hari, datang penipu kelas teri/kampungan, Freddy Benson (Steve Martin), ke tempat yang sama untuk mencari mangsa. Walaupun kelasnya berbeda, Lawrence merasa terancam dengan kehadiran Freddy. Tidak berhasil mengusir Freddy, mereka akhirnya mengadakan kontes untuk menentukan siapa yang boleh tinggal di tempat tersebut. Kontesnya adalah mengeruk $50,000 dari Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly), yang konon menurut bellboy hotel adalah pewaris perusahaan multi-nasional sabun dan pasta gigi Colgate di AS. Siapa yang duluan mengeruk $50,000, dia yang menang -- yang kalah harus pergi dari tempat tersebut. And the contest begins.

Dipenuhi dengan situation comedy dengan timing yang pas dan slapstick comedy, Caine dan Martin menampilkan chemistry yang luar biasa dinamisnya sebagai duet -- membuat penonton terpusat perhatiannya kepada mereka, sampai-2 tidak terpikir yang lainnya :-) Kocak dari awal sampai akhir, Michael Caine menerima nominasi Golden Globe untuk Aktor Terbaik - Comedy/Musical (dikalahkan oleh Tom Hanks dalam Big (1988) -- tahun yang bagus untuk film-2 drama komedi).

4) The War of the Roses (1989)

Termasuk salah satu dari screen couples yang paling memorable, Danny DeVito mengemban tanggung-jawab yang besar sebagai sutradara film ini, mempertemukan kembali untuk ketiga dan terakhir kalinya Michael Douglas dan Kathleen Turner, setelah sukses besar mereka dalam Romancing the Stone (1984) dan The Jewel of the Nile (1985). Chemistry positif/cinta antara mereka berdua dalam dua film tersebut tertransformasi dengan sangat baik menjadi chemistry negatif/benci dalam black comedy tentang perceraian ini -- membuat penonton langsung percaya dengan situasi mereka.

Oliver Rose (Douglas) dan Barbara Rose (Turner) adalah pasangan suami-istri dengan dua anak. Awalnya perkawinan mereka nampak perfect, dengan Oliver bekerja sebagai pengacara dan Barbara tinggal di rumah mengurus rumah tangga. Dengan berjalannya waktu, Oliver semakin menanjak kariernya, sedang Barbara semakin restless (tidak puas) dan mulai menyimpan resentment, bitterness (tidak suka) terhadap Oliver. Suatu hari ketika Oliver terkena serangan jantung, Barbara mula-2 terkejut dan concern, tetapi kemudian merasa relief (lega) terhadap kemungkinan Oliver jatuh mati! :-) Tetapi karena Oliver tidak jadi mati, Barbara akhirnya minta cerai, dan Oliver setuju. Perseteruan merebak ketika Barbara menuntut pembagian harta yang Oliver tidak bersedia memberikannya. Dan perseteruan meningkat terus, terus, dan terus, dan tetap tidak ada yang mau mengalah ... sampai titik darah penghabisan. Akhir yang memorable dari duet Douglas-Turner.

Filmya menerima nominasi Golden Globe untuk Film Terbaik - Comedy/Musical; Michael Douglas dan Kathleen Turner masing-2 menerima nominasi Golden Globe untuk Aktor dan Aktres Terbaik - Comedy/Musical.

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Inherit the Wind

Resensi Film: Inherit the Wind (8.5/10)

Tahun Keluar: 1960

Negara Asal: USA

Sutradara: Stanley Kramer

Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredrich March, Gene Kelly

Plot: Berdasarkan kasus nyata yang terjadi pada tahun 1925 di negara bagian Tennessee, dua pengacara handal berargumentasi untuk dan melawan seorang guru ilmu pengetahuan alam yang ditangkap gara-2 melanggar hukum yang melarang mengajarkan teori evolusi di semua sekolah negeri (IMDb).

"He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind; and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart."

"Siapa yang mengacau rumahnya akan menuai badai; dan orang bodoh akan menjadi pelayan orang bijak."

Judulnya diambil dari cuplikan ayat Amsal 11:29, adaptasi dari teater Broadway dengan judul yang sama, Inherit the Wind adalah cerita yang menarik perhatian dan sekaligus memprovokasi perdebatan. Ceritanya berpusat di sebuah kota kecil di bagian selatan AS, dimana masyarakatnya relijius dan mereka harus berhadapan dengan teori evolusi Darwin dan implikasinya terhadap relijiusitas mereka. Isyu yang sensitif ini ditangani dengan script yang memberi kedua belah pihak screen-time yang seimbang dan argumentasi yang sama-2 kuat dan berbobot. Penampilan Spencer Tracy dan Fredrich March sangat menjiwai dan meyakinkan. Kedua belah pihak beragumentasi secara terhormat dan dengan penuh penghayatan. Tracy tampil intelektual sebagai pengacara pembela, Henry Drummond, yang berusaha menyelamatkan teori evolusi; sedang March tampil kharismatik sebagai pengacara penuntut -- sekaligus seorang relijius, Matthew Harrison Brady, yang berusaha mempertahankan nilai-2 tradisi -- "the old time religion". Kedua aktor sangat mulus aktingnya, sekaligus sangat meyakinkan dalam menjual masing-2 sudut pandangnya. Tracy menerima nominasi Oscar untuk Aktor Terbaik, tetapi menurut penulis, justru March-lah yang lebih pantas menerima nominasi tersebut karena March-lah yang menangkap esensi dari karakternya dengan lebih baik. Seandainya bukan Tracy dan March, film ini hanya akan menjadi film bagus, bukan film klasik. Gene Kelly bermain against-the-type sebagai reporter yang sinis, E. K. Hornbeck, dengan dialog-2 yang irritating/menjengkelkan, dan Claude Akins bermain sebagai pemimpin agama, Rev. Jeremiah Brown, dengan penampilan yang rada over-the-top, tetapi kehadiran mereka diperlukan untuk memberikan sidekick terhadap karakter-2 utama. Scriptnya tajam, aktingnya menjiwai, dan soundtrack-nya "Gimme That Old Time Religion" betul-2 menghanyutkan dan menghantui. Perdebatan ide ini ternyata masih sangat relevan bahkan sampai saat ini.

Penulis merekomendasi film ini untuk mereka yang tidak takut menelurusi sisi terang dan sisi gelap dari relijiusitas manusia dan menikmati debat intelektual.

* 8.5/10

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Adam's Rib

Resensi Film: Adam's Rib (***1/2/4)

Tahun Keluar: 1949

Negara Asal: USA

Sutradara: George Cukor

Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday

Plot: Sepasang suami istri pengacara bekerja saling berlawanan dalam kasus di pengadilan dimana seorang ibu rumah tangga diadili setelah menembak suaminya yang menyeleweng (IMDb).

Katharine Hepburn adalah wanita yang lebih maju dari jamannya, dalam kehidupan profesionalnya, dan dalam kehidupan pribadinya. Pada jamannya, tidak ada wanita seprofesinya yang menyuarakan kesetaraan wanita selantang dirinya. Script film ini ditulis secara khusus oleh teman-2 dekat Tracy dan Hepburn, Ruth Gordon dan Garson Kanin, untuk mereka. Tidak mengherankan, castingnya sangat pas dengan karakterisasi yang ada dalam ceritanya. Film ini mempunyai dua segitiga cinta: Holliday-Ewell-Hagen dan Tracy-Hepburn-Wayne. Sayangnya, semua anggota dalam segitiga pertama terkesan tidak simpatik, single-dimensional. Beruntungnya, segitiga kedua jauh lebih menarik, dengan Hepburn secara tidak sadar menanggapi Wayne, dan penonton secara emosional mulai berpihak pada Tracy untuk menyingkirkan pemain piano tersebut. Drama komedi ini mencerminkan perjuangan wanita untuk mencapai kesetaraan, salah satunya dengan menghapus double standard dalam kasus penyelewengan seksual (kalau suami nyeleweng, salah istrinya; kalau istri nyeleweng, salah istrinya). Sebagian penonton menemukan plot ini rada irritating, terutama karena berhubungan dengan isyu women's lib -- ketika film dikeluarkan pada tahun 1949, isyunya terasa berlebihan; sekarang, terasa ketinggalan jaman. Tetapi faktanya, peristiwa seperti itu terjadi pada jamannya, dan untuk sebagian tempat di dunia ini ... masih terus terjadi sampai sekarang! Di akhir film, ditampilkan point terakhir dari script Gordon dan Kanin ini, yaitu bahwa perbedaan antara pria dan wanita sesungguhnya hanya sedikit saja.

Cerita (***1/2)

Screenplay (***1/2)

Karakter (***)

Akting (***)

Keseluruhan: ***1/2/4

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Judgment at Nuremberg

Movie Review: Judgment at Nuremberg

Year of Release: 1961
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Stanley Kramer
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift

Plot: In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judges for war crimes (IMDb).

Judgment at Nuremberg is a dramatization of a true story. The movie covers the third of thirteen Nuremberg trials wherein four high court judges were accused of participating in war crimes in support of Adolf Hitler's regime. Hitler's mad policies resulted in the deaths of some fifty million people. By 1948, Hitler was long dead, as were most of his high profile cronies. But what about the bureaucrats who carried out his policies? What about the judges who rubberstamped the decisions sending thousands of "enemies of the German state" to horrible deaths in concentration camps? Were those judges guilty of crimes against humanity, or were they "just doing their jobs"? But if the judges were guilty of being Nazi enablers, then who wasn't guilty? What about world powers who had allowed Germany to militarize, and even to occupy Austria and Czechoslovakia? What about all the German citizens, who had looked the other way as Jews and other "undesirables" were stripped of their rights, property, and lives? Aside from these imposing philosophical questions about blame and responsibility, there were practical matters to be considered. By 1948, the Soviet Union had occupied Eastern Europe, and the US badly needed the co-operation of West German to fight the Cold War. Would it be better to save Europe from Communism, than to save Germany from its former fascists? Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, using black and white film, it garnered two Oscars, Maximilian Schell as Best Actor and another for Abby Mann's screenplay. The lead character is Spencer Tracy as Chief Judge of the American Tribunal that tries the Nazi judges. The overzealous Prosecuting Attorney is played by Richard Widmark. The Defense Attorney is played by Maximilian Schell, in a riveting performance. He plays a zealous attorney who transforms the case against his client to an indictment against the whole German people. Schell's performance is really over the top and makes the movie work. Four other characters give notable performances: Werner Klemperer, as one of the defendants, Emil Hahn, gives a convincing display of the arrogance one would associate with a man who had lived above the law for too many years; Marlene Dietrich, as the wife of an executed German general who forms a relationship with Tracy during his time off and tries to convince him that all Germans did not support Hitler; Montgomery Clift, horribly ravaged in appearance and emotions thru acute alcoholism, gave a convincing portrait of a victim of the machinations of the Nazi state whose tools were the judges; Judy Garland also gave a fine performance as a German housewife who befriended a Jewish man and was therefore punished by the Nazi tribunal. This drama kept me on the edge of my seat. The film has a few lagging moments as the scene shifts outside the courtroom to show Tracy's activities after work. Otherwise, it is a stunning movie. The German music adds a nice touch, recalling the power of the Nazi regime and taking the edge off of the all too real subject matter. (BK, GC)

My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars

Pat and Mike

Movie Review: Pat and Mike

Year of Release: 1952
Country of Origin: USA
Director: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray

Plot outline: Romance blooms between a female athlete and her manager (IMDb).

Miss Hepburn always has been an actress whose competence with a line or with a tensile dramatic situation has been well above the margin of surprise. But this is the first time she has shown us - at least, on the motion-picture screen - that she can swing a golf club or tennis racquet as adroitly as she can sling an epigram. As a sensational all-round lady athlete who joins the ranks of the pros in the wild hope of getting away from a peculiarly demoralizing beau, she is given an opportunity to match golf strokes with Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Betty Hicks and to trade forehand drives and backhand volleys with Alice Marble, Don Budge and Gussie Moran. And while she may not come up entirely to her competitors in the way of form, she makes a good enough show of ability to give the illusion of being a first-rate pro. In the role of the tough-guy sports promoter to whom the lady flees and with whom she has a wild adventure vis-a-vis a trio of Damon Runyon thugs, Mr. Tracy, too, makes happy pretense of being a sporting type or, as he realistically puts it, "There's a nice dollar laying around for you and I to pick up." Pat and Mike is a shaky combination of, let us say, Woman of the Year and (if you can imagine without music) the theatrical Guys and Dolls. But, withal, it is a likable fable about a highly coordinated dame who moves in upon and takes over a positive, authoritative guy, with slight overtones of honor triumphing over shadiness and greed. It is smoothly directed by George Cukor and slyly, amusingly played by the whole cast, especially by its due of easy, adroit, experienced stars. Mr. Ray, as a dumb, moody fighter; Sammy White, as a shifty hanger-on; and William Ching, as the stuffed-shirt fiancé, are outstanding in support. George Mathews and Charles Buchinski (Bronson) are also fun as "the kind of types that have been known to act very hot-headed in their day and age." (They are neatly manhandled by Miss Hepburn, using judo, in one scene.) And, as for the real professional athletes and the exhibitions they give, they are credible, colorful and exciting. (NYT)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

Woman of the Year

Movie Review: Woman of the Year

Year of Release: 1942
Country 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

Marie Galante

Movie Review: Marie Galante

Year of Release: 1934
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Henry King
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Ketti Gallian

Plot outline: Unintentionally shanghaied out of her French seacoast village by a drunken captain of a tramp steamer, Marie Galante finds herself penniless and puzzled in a strange land (IMDb).

A white-faced blonde with the mysterious veiled eyes of one who holds fascinating and unbelievable secrets, Ketti Gallian is frail, lovely and very quietly over-whelming. The work in which she appears is an ambitious and interesting story of international intrigue which is better in intention than in actual achievement. Freely adapted from Jacques Deval's novel, Marie Galante tells the strange tale of a stranded French girl who becomes the innocent central figure in a whirling confusion of sabotage and counter-espionage in the Panama Canal zone. In conception and occasionally in execution the plot is an arresting melodrama, with a fresh and vivid approach to the materials of espionage. Unfortunately it suffers from several major flaws, which force the movie steadily into mediocrity after a fine beginning. Unable and unwilling to clarify the meaning and background of the gigantic plot, it leaves the audience with the dissatisfied feeling of unappeased curiosity. Finally, the movie asks its audiences to believe that a girl of presumably average intelligence can be the unwitting dupe of various rogues without once suspecting their intentions. In addition to the excellent Miss Gallian there are attractive performances by Spencer Tracy, Sig Ruman, Leslie Fenton and Arthur Byron. (NYT)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Father's Little Dividend

Movie Review: Father's Little Dividend

Year of Release: 1951
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor

Plot outline: In this sequel to Father of the Bride, newly married Kay Dunstan announces that she and her husband are going to have a baby, leaving her father having to come to grips with the fact that he will soon be a grandfather (IMDb).

Father's Little Dividend tells of the trials of the bride's father when his darling daughter whelps her first child. Sounds slightly obvious, does it? Well, if becoming a granddad is that, then it is. But the way it is played by all the principals from the original cast, headed by Spencer Tracy, make for great diversion on the screen. Under the sure-touch direction of Vincente Minnelli, Tracy is sitting down again to remember, in a mood of mild sarcasm, some of the things that have happened to him since last we saw him as the papa amid the debris of his daughter's wedding feast. And among the things that he remembers are the night that his daughter informed him, his wife and her husband's parents that she was going to have a baby; the bristling contention among the in-laws as to a name for and monopoly of the child (all of this far in advance of the date on which it is to be born); the night that his daughter "left" her husband and came home dismally "to live" - and, of course, the alarms and excursions attendant upon the birth. All the way through the picture Tracy does a wonderful job of displaying the agonized reactions of a father and a badly baffled man. And the same goes entirely for Joan Bennett as the charmingly eccentric wife, for Elizabeth Taylor as the expectant mother and for Billie Burke and Moroni Olsen as the other in-laws. Don Taylor does even better as the tormented husband of the girl, and in him one sees the definite glimmers of another distracted father twenty years hence. (NYT)

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars

Captains Courageous

Movie Review: Captains Courageous

Year of Release: 1937
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas

Plot outline: Harvey Cheyne is a spoiled brat used to having his own way. When a prank goes wrong onboard an ocean liner Harvey ends up overboard and nearly drowns (IMDb).

In this adventure saga based on the novel of the same title by Rudyard Kipling, a boy learns life-changing lessons about the importance of friendship and the dignity of labor. Young Harvey Cheyne (Freddie Bartholomew) is the working definition of a spoiled brat; the only child of a wealthy widowed businessman, Harvey has everything he needs, but never stops asking for more, convinced he can get anything if he yells, pouts, or throws the right tantrum. Spencer Tracy earned an Academy Award for his heart-warming performance as Manuel, a Portuguese old salt, who drags him on board a Gloucester fishing boat where he is a deck hand and doryman. Over the next few weeks, Harvey grows from a self-centered pantywaist into a young man who appreciates the value of a hard day's work, and in Manuel he finds the strength, guidance, and good sense that he never got from his father. The good direction, clear script, and stellar performance from the whole cast bring vividly to life every page of Kipling's novel. This classic, coming-of-age children's movie acquired four Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Screenplay, with Spencer Tracy taking home his very first Best Actor.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

Father of the Bride

Movie Review: Father of the Bride

Year of Release: 1950
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor

Plot outline: A father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married, and the financial and organizational pain of arranging her wedding (IMDb).

Adapted from Edward Streeter's novel, this movie is a sweet, universal and timeless story of a father's agony dealing with emotional pain of giving away his daughter and financial pain of arranging the wedding. Spencer Tracy perfectly plays the father of the bride with just the right amount of frustration, bemusement and adoration for his only daughter. He dominates the screen from beginning to end. He superbly holds together the clever script and the marvelous supporting cast. He was indeed at the top of his career. Joan Bennett delightfully plays the mother of the bride with patience and understanding to deal with both her husband and daughter who lose their minds to pre-wedding jitters. Elizabeth Taylor, though rather blank most of the time, commands attention with her youth and beauty. She is drop-dead gorgeous and no one can take the eyes off of her. Although Tracy is the main show, it is Taylor who makes this movie a box-office success. The movie contains not only comedy, but also moments of poignancy, especially in the scenes where Tracy and Bennett are in: e.g. 1) When he realises that his wife never got a church wedding she wanted, he gives in and splashes out for his daughter. 2) When they dance together in the post-party mess of their once-pristine house. This puts the movie above the ordinary and is exactly what is missing in the 1991 remake (Steve Martin does a great job in the 1991 remake, but it is difficult to top Tracy's performance here). This movie received three Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Vincente Minnelli deserves all the credit in directing this sweet comedy.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

San Francisco

Movie Review: San Francisco

Year of Release: 1936
Country of Origin: USA
Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Cast: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy

Plot outline: Leading up to the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a Barbary Coast saloonkeeper and a Nob Hill impresario are rivals for the affections of a beautiful singer, both personally and professionally (IMDb).

Sixty years before James Cameron set a love story against the backdrop of the Titanic disaster, W. S. Van Dyke tackled the same challenge with the same results, if not better. San Francisco has a great deal of interesting story, real and fascinating characters, excellent performances, beautiful cinematography, meticulous and authentic sets and superb special effects (yes, special effects!). Blackie Norton (Clark Gable's best role of his career) is a marvelous example of the duality of human nature, a bad guy who does good deeds in secret - just like a good guy who does bad deeds in secret; Father Mullin (Spencer Tracy's first Oscar nominated performance) is a minor yet important supporting role, Blackie's best friend and conscience of the movie, giving good male bonding chemistry between Blackie and him; while Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) is a magnificent opera singer, a preacher's daughter tormented between two lovers. Please don't overlook her part ... her singing was incredible! Many times I was stunned by her voice, it accentuates the movie at several key moments. You get so wrapped up in the story that you even forget that there's an earthquake coming ... until it hits, and right in the middle of the human drama. The special effects are very well done, considering the time the movie was made, with crashing walls, tumbling buildings, cracking ground and the inevitable fire. Meticulous and authentic. But the story takes precedence over the special effects and when the special effects do come, they are in service to the story. Unfortunately, the ending is rather theatrical, but I can forgive that.

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Movie Review: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Year of Release: 1931
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Cast: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart

Plot outline: Dr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that changes him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde (IMDb).



Year of Release: 1941
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Victor Fleming
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner

Plot outline: Dr. Jekyll allows his dark side to run wild when he drinks a potion that turns him into the evil Mr. Hyde (IMDb).



I don't know how many times this story has been made into films, at least more than a dozen times. The original story "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is created by well-known Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894); his other famous work includes: "Kidnapped" and "Treasure Island". The book is by far more complete and thorough than the films. The story sets in London in Victorian era (the time when Industrial Revolution reached its height) about a young respectable doctor named Dr. Henry Jekyll who believes the duality of man's nature: a constant struggle between good and evil. In order to prove his theory, he carries out research and develops a formula that can separate and isolate each of the qualities. He tests the formula on himself and he successfuly releases his evil side that transforms him into a wicked monster ... Mr. Edward Hyde. He then lives a double life as Dr. Jekyll who's a paragon of virtue and Mr. Hyde who's nothing but a murderous monster. Soon his evil side takes over his control of his whole self ... he then stays more and more often as Mr. Hyde. This Robert Louis Stevenson's classic was published at the same era as Sigmund Freud's theories of unconscious mind.

Among all the films about this story, there are two that I consider the best. Number 1 is "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" which was released in 1931. The screenplay is superb (it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing) and the acting of Fredric March as Dr. Jekyll is as outstanding as his as Mr. Hyde (he won Best Actor in a Leading Role). Number 2 is the remake with the same title which was released in 1941. Spencer Tracy acts superbly as Dr. Jekyll, but he's not considered frightening enough as Mr. Hyde; while Ingrid Bergman plays wonderfully against type. However, the cinematography is superior than its predecessor ... it's always eerily beautiful to see the streets of London at foggy gothic nights in black and white (it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography).

My judgement:
***1/2 out of 4 stars for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1931).
*** out of 4 stars for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941).