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The Philadelphia Story is the glittering 1940 film version of the Phillip Barry play in which Katharine Hepburn originated the leading role. Hepburn purchased the film rights herself so that no one else could play the lead in the film and I'm so glad she did.
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Hepburn gives, arguably, the greatest performance of her career, as Tracy Lord, a spoiled, self-absorbed heiress and grande dame of Philadelphia society who is busy planning her upcoming marriage to a stuffed shirt named George Kittredge when her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) re-enters her life. Also thrown into the mix is a reporter (James Stewart) who has been sent to the Lord mansion to do a story on the wedding and ends up succumbing to Tracy's charms.
This delicious comedy-drama is a delight from start to finish. The opening scene is a classic where the relationship between Tracy and her ex is firmly established in a brief and classically funny scene, devoid of dialogue.
Stewart won the Oscar for Best Actor for what was, in reality, the third best performance in the film. Hepburn is brilliant and was nominated for Best Actress (losing to Ginger Rogers for KITTY FOYLE) and Grant has never been better, in a performance that didn't even merit a nomination.
Donald Ogden Stewart also won an Oscar for his adapted screenplay. There is a school of thought that Stewart's Oscar for this film was more a consolation prize for losing the previous year for his far superior work in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, but I digress. The film was an instant classic upon release and is one of the few chances you'll get to see three acting legends working so beautifully together to provide the meat of this rich and stylish comedy. Remade as a musical in 1956 called HIGH SOCIETY with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra taking the roles originated by Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart, respectively.
The Philadelphia Story is the glittering 1940 film version of the Phillip Barry play in which Katharine Hepburn originated the leading role. Hepburn purchased the film rights herself so that no one else could play the lead in the film and I'm so glad she did.
Hepburn gives, arguably, the greatest performance of her career, as Tracy Lord, a spoiled, self-absorbed heiress and grande dame of Philadelphia society who is busy planning her upcoming marriage to a stuffed shirt named George Kittredge when her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) re-enters her life. Also thrown into the mix is a reporter (James Stewart) who has been sent to the Lord mansion to do a story on the wedding and ends up succumbing to Tracy's charms.
This delicious comedy-drama is a delight from start to finish. The opening scene is a classic where the relationship between Tracy and her ex is firmly established in a brief and classically funny scene, devoid of dialogue.
Stewart won the Oscar for Best Actor for what was, in reality, the third best performance in the film. Hepburn is brilliant and was nominated for Best Actress (losing to Ginger Rogers for KITTY FOYLE) and Grant has never been better, in a performance that didn't even merit a nomination.
Donald Ogden Stewart also won an Oscar for his adapted screenplay. There is a school of thought that Stewart's Oscar for this film was more a consolation prize for losing the previous year for his far superior work in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, but I digress. The film was an instant classic upon release and is one of the few chances you'll get to see three acting legends working so beautifully together to provide the meat of this rich and stylish comedy. Remade as a musical in 1956 called HIGH SOCIETY with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra taking the roles originated by Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart, respectively.