By Ruth
I should begin this review with the caveat that I don't like film reviews, and I try not to read them. If I'm interested in a film for whatever reason, I just go see it. I don't like having plot points given away, or too much revealed in general, by reviewers or trailers. But I do like to talk about movies, and Dr. X has asked us to share our opinions, so here goes. For people like me who don't want to know anything beyond a recommendation, read no further; just go stream "Holiday" from 1938 right now. For those who want to know more, I've tried to be pretty vague about the details, and just stick to why I think this is a very awesome and unique picture.
A few nights ago we watched "Holiday," starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, directed by Hollywood great George Cukor, released in 1938.
Based on the play of the same name staged in 1928, and the first film adaption from 1930, here's the set-up: Cary Grant is a young, self-made business man engaged to an heiress, who has a kooky sister, played by Hepburn. This _must_ be a breezy, screw-ball, romantic comedy, right? It certainly is, but not in the way we're used to, if we're fans of "Bringing Up Baby" or "The Philadelphia Story." These characters aren't full of just romance and fun; they also experience disappointment, and grief, as they struggle to find themselves. These are themes more familiar from "Lost Generation" fiction, such as "The Razor's Edge" or "The Sun Also Rises," to name two. This perception is underscored by the presence of Lew Ayres ("All Quiet on the Western Front," 1930) as Grant's alcoholic playboy soon-to-be brother-in-law. However, the world had changed a good deal since the writing of the play, when search for self had taken a back seat to searching for a job in the depths of the Great Depression.
In our own somewhat desperate times, Grant's character initially comes off as frivolous, and Hepburn's as mawkish, as they probably did to their contemporary audience (the film was not a hit at the box office). As the film goes on, however, their struggles become more concrete, and a new layer is added to their story, built on its post-WWl ennui--that of the rising tide of Fascism, both the kind in far away places, and the controlling, bullying forces within their own family.
But this by no means a grim night at the movies. It's extremely fun, with loads of humor and charm--Cary Grant even does a few impressive physical tricks from his days as an acrobat in vaudeville.
I highly recommend this film, 9/10 (extra points for co-starring the always enjoyable Edward Everett Horton). It is currently available streaming for a fee on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon Video, though not, unfortunately, on Netflix. It is only on DVD within collections, not as a stand-alone disc.
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