My first foray into the Howard Hawks catalogue did not disappoint. Bringing Up Baby is a classic example of a screwball romantic comedy in every sense starring two of cinemas biggest stars; Cary Grant and Katerine Hepburn. The plot is pretty thin, two polar opposites who can't stand each other are forced to interact in order for both of them to get want they want. Of course from the beginning we know that by the end of the story their going to be in love and its our luck as an audience of getting to watch that transition slowly unfold up on the screen. For a film of the 1930's the dialogue is unusually fast paced bringing to mind some of Hitchcock's early work like The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps. Hawks however here isn't interested in the genre of the thriller and thus creates a place where his actors are truly allowed to run wild and indulged in the scripts overtly comic aspects. The chemistry between Hepburn and Grant is unbeatable and after watching them its hard to imagine any other actors taking on their roles. When reviewing films of the past it usually is the comedies that seem to hold up the best over the years. Bringing Up Baby only strengthens that argument.
B+
1938
1 comment:
Romantic comedies are your thing. Try and deny it all you want, but that genre definitely holds a special place in your film lover heart.
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