Stars Align, Classes Collide and Men Revolve Like Planets Around Tracy Samantha Lord
Sometimes a classic film is made that has it all: a perfect cast with great chemistry, spot on, gorgeously funny dialogue, and an individual style that can't be found in any other contemporary film. Even years later, producers hoping to capitalize off of a remake know they can't recapture the glory of the first movie, so they say "hey, if we can't beat it, let's join it up with a crooners soundtrack!" Thus it was, we can imagine, in the case of our next pair of films... Philadelphia Story (1940)
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| Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and John Howard have their hands full with Katharine Hepburn in this classic comedy. |
As wealthy society princess, Tracy Samantha Lord, prepares for her upcoming wedding to the ambitious, self-made man, George Kitteridge, a fly enters the ointment. Sidney Kidd, editor of SPY magazine, is blackmailing Tracy's ex-husband Dexter into sneaking two reporters into Tracy's wedding. If he doesn't, SPY will print a story about Seth Lord, Tracy's estranged philandering father, and his mistress. Dexter, who still loves Tracy, despite her coldness toward him, agrees to get journalist Mike Conners and his photographer Liz Imbrie access to the wedding. Mike and Liz, more than friends but less than lovers, are weary of working for the unscrupulous Kidd, but don't relish unemployment. They go to the Lord mansion to get their story and are received begrudgingly by Tracy, who knows who they really are. As the wedding day approaches, problems ensue when Tracy's father returns, Mike falls for Tracy, and Tracy falls off of her pedestal of perfection. But into whose arms will she fall, Dexter's, Mike's or George's?
Sporting a titillating trinity of lead actors in the form of Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart, along with the supporting cast of Ruth Hussey, John Howard, Roland Young, Virginia Weidler and more, the Philadelphia Story proves itself strong enough to bear the weight of the city in its title.
As the cool yet desirable Tracy Lord, Katharine Hepburn at first seems less like a society goddess and more like a militant member of the temperance movement. However, when the staunch ideals of the "before" Tracy Lord are shaken, Hepburn recovers from her misdirection, creating a spritely ingenue of imperfection with the "after" Tracy Lord.
James Stewart is downright brilliant as Mike Conners, bringing humor and unwieldy passion to the role of a cynical young reporter. It is no wonder the role brought Stewart an Acadmey Award for Best Actor (though it is astonishing that this is the only of his nominated performances to actually garner the win).
Cary Grant, in a more passive role than he usually plays, still creates a flawless performance, playing the perfect gently didactic foil (excepting perhaps Hepburn's longtime on/off-screen partner Spencer Tracy) for the quirky Hepburn.
Ruth Hussey earned an Acadmey Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Liz Imbrie, the wry, worldly-wise and yet winsome sidekick of Mike, with one hand on her camera and the other on the strings to her partner's heart.
The film is fast-paced, and yet flows as gracefully and sparkles as brilliantly as an Adrian gown (Adrian, a famous designer whose career peaked in the 30's and 40's, was the gown designer for this film).
High Society
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| Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra raise their glasses to this musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story" |
With Grace Kelly as the figurehead, and Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra belting it out behind her at the helm, does this film sail a classic to paradise or do we find ourselves stranded in becalmed waters?
Plot-wise, the differences between this movie and its predecessor are minute, and include Dexter's musical profession and the organization of the jazz festival, as well as the method of Mike Conner and Liz Imbrie's introduction to the Lord household.
Structurally, the building blocks in this remake fail to assemble as flawlessly as in the original. Grace Kelly fulfills the goddess role to perfection, and while her own comic style is less crackling in its timing than Hepburn, it is still fluid and engaging. Unfortunately, if Kelly glides, Frank Sinatra (admittedly experienced if not exactly adept at comedy) stumbles clumsily and a bit thugishly through, while Crosby shuffles his way through the film with a smooth, but phoned-in performance. Celeste Holm, though delivering an upbeat performance, fails to generate any rapport with Sinatra or, perhaps more accurately, vise versa, and the supporting cast lacks any cohesiveness.
Let's be honest: with the combined talents of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong and a surprisingly good singing debut by Grace Kelly (in the Acadamey Award nominated song True Love), the music for this film can't fail to be great. But to be even more honest, songs fit in this movie like a popcorn vender touting his wares in an opera house.
But perhaps the greatest setback for this remake is the lack of individual style and credibility found in its predecessor. With an anticlimatic tone that seems to parallel the advancing decline of the Hollywood studio dynasties (dynasties whose power and opulence lent credence to the tone of Philadelphia Story), High Society seems not to believe in itself or the height of its society. Instead, it leans back on the former glory of its recycled plot, the beauty and individuality of Grace Kelly and it's tri-star soundtrack.
Comparison and Contrast
While both Hepburn and Kelly bring their own special style of priggish snobbishness and inner light to the role of Tracy Lord, Katharine Hepburn claims the prize (and ultimately an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress) for overall best performance.
James Stewart embodies the character of Mike Connors, while Frank Sinatra (despite my respect for his abilities demonstrated in other films) can only pull off looking like a Mike Connors. Cary Grant and Bing Crosby both provide calm and sturdy shoulders (literally and figuratively) for Tracy Lord to lean on, but only Grant works to establish any connection with the character of Dexter or any chemistry with his leading lady.
Also setting High Society a few rungs lower on the ladder of cinema classics is the lack of seamlessness and believability in its cast, starkly contrasting with the performances of almost every actor in Philadelphia Story.
Philadelphia Story is a movie with all of the right elements, a wonderful, upbeat and sparkling concoction which classic movie lovers can guiltlessly enjoy.
Despite its structural flaws, High Society on the whole is a warm, colorful adaptation of a classic that will have you tapping your toe (albeit, against your will ) and laughing on more than one occasion. As Grace Kelly's final commercially received movie appearance and one and only musical, it's a movie that viewers can learn -like Tracy Lord- to love despite its imperfections.
