Post by Mrs Vindecco on Jan 9, 2013 11:57:41 GMT
This week BBC2 have been showing two classic movies in the early mornings, most have been Fred and Ginger classics but today they showed Kitty Foyle, which is one I have never watched before. In fact it's the first time I have seen Ginger Rogers in a dramatic plot. Now I have to admit I knew the basic plot because I caught the Lux Radio Theater adaption when I pulled an all nighter a few weeks ago, but I thought I would give the actual film a chance... even though I had my doubts.
Ginger Rogers is capable enough in the role, she won the best Actress Academy Award for 1940. Though some latter commentators have resented her victory, believing that Rosalind Russell gave a superior performance in His Girl Friday.
I'm personally not sure about Rogers or the "white collar" Kitty. I don't warm to either. She is sort of doing what Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck do, but they did it better.
I'm not sure if it has truly stood the test the time in comparison with other films of this genre. It is too slow to be a true melodrama. Perhaps it is trying to contain a degree of reality, something the then average girl in the audience could relate to, but it is entirely too soapy and Rogers is too glamorous for this work. Classic Romantic Hollywood don't do gritty drama, and this is what I think is what the film was aiming for at some point during it's conception. It's also possibly one of the few films where I found it incredibly obvious that they were following the Hays Code. Obviously all Hollywood films did at this time, but usually I can watch a film and not think or care about the code, in fact there is an argument to say that the code was a challenge to many writers and directors who tried to work their way around it and by using creativity or sparkling dialogue, they could still get the point across without breaking any rules. However this film doesn't really do it and keeps hammering home that Kitty is a "good girl" and only falls pregnant when she is married for five minutes, when Winn and Kitty are up all night, they only want to dance... I just found it irritating and obvious.
While I found I didn't care too much what happened to pouting Kitty and would happily kick the TV if I heard the phase "Judas Priest" one more time, it was better than watching the usual rubbish on TV, just don't think I would have gone out of my way to watch it and probably wouldn't bother again.
Ginger Rogers is capable enough in the role, she won the best Actress Academy Award for 1940. Though some latter commentators have resented her victory, believing that Rosalind Russell gave a superior performance in His Girl Friday.
I'm personally not sure about Rogers or the "white collar" Kitty. I don't warm to either. She is sort of doing what Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck do, but they did it better.
I'm not sure if it has truly stood the test the time in comparison with other films of this genre. It is too slow to be a true melodrama. Perhaps it is trying to contain a degree of reality, something the then average girl in the audience could relate to, but it is entirely too soapy and Rogers is too glamorous for this work. Classic Romantic Hollywood don't do gritty drama, and this is what I think is what the film was aiming for at some point during it's conception. It's also possibly one of the few films where I found it incredibly obvious that they were following the Hays Code. Obviously all Hollywood films did at this time, but usually I can watch a film and not think or care about the code, in fact there is an argument to say that the code was a challenge to many writers and directors who tried to work their way around it and by using creativity or sparkling dialogue, they could still get the point across without breaking any rules. However this film doesn't really do it and keeps hammering home that Kitty is a "good girl" and only falls pregnant when she is married for five minutes, when Winn and Kitty are up all night, they only want to dance... I just found it irritating and obvious.
While I found I didn't care too much what happened to pouting Kitty and would happily kick the TV if I heard the phase "Judas Priest" one more time, it was better than watching the usual rubbish on TV, just don't think I would have gone out of my way to watch it and probably wouldn't bother again.
