Holiday (1938)

 George Cukor's "Holiday"


George Cukor's 1938 film "Holiday" finds Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn reuniting after their on-screen dynamism of Howard Hawks' screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby" from the same year. When Columbia pictures first purchased the rights of the film from the Broadway production, they had in mind to re-team Grant with his "The Awful Truth" co-star Irene Dunne. However, Hepburn was selected, as she had been the understudy for the part during its Broadway run. It's a good thing Hepburn secured the role, because I believe that she shines far more brightly with this performance as a free-spirited socialite than Dunne ever could have.

The film centers on a wealthy family, in which one of the two daughters, Julia, plans to marry Johnny Case, a self-made man who has worked all his life. He manages to woo the entire family, including vivacious elder sister Linda. However, his plans to take a holiday from work after he secured enough funds. This disgruntles both his bride-to-be, along with her father. However, it peaks the interest of Linda, who advocates for him. Both Linda and Johnny believe that there is more to life than securing wealth, much to the disagreement of Julia and her father. In the end, Linda runs away with Johnny.

On paper, "Holiday" is a guaranteed smash success. However, in actuality, it failed at the box office. Many contend the reason for this failure, some even speculating that Katharine Hepburn became 'box office poison.' There are many that believe that Johnny's plan to quit working rubbed a lot of people still struggling from the aftermath of the Great Depression the wrong way, as many were still struggling to find jobs. 

Regardless of the film's commercial success, the film was hailed by critics as some of Cukor's best direction and Hepburn's finest performances. I would have to agree, as I felt the film really had a firm grip on the economic anxieties at the time. One critic, Kate Cameron, felt the screenplay implied a 'contest between a young New Dealer and an Old Reactionary." I believe this resonates, as many felt the idea of 'hoarding' funds for a future was a more Old Reactionary approach the American economic system, while Johnny and Linda's 'hard work' and 'living life' outlook pointed more to the New Dealer perspective. 

Overall, the film is still considered a classic of Old Hollywood. It is one of George Cukor's most notable films and a fine pairing between Hepburn and Grant. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on...
Read more

The Big Sleep (1946)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" After watching Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir " The Big Sleep ," I have to say that it is not one of my favorite film noirs. That being said, it was definitely the best Howard Hawks film I've seen thus far. It did not have the typical dark ending that permeates the whole film with bleak darkness, which probably made it a lesser noir for me. In fact, it felt more like a 'studio noir,' if that makes sense. I'm not going to go into the entire plot of the film, especially because the entire plot is incredibly convoluted. In fact, this was a major strike against the film at the time of its release. Many reported that they could not keep up with what was happening. I've got to say that, for myself, this was the case as well. I found myself having to rewind to figure out what exactly I missed or who was who. However, upon reflection, the convoluted plot may only add to the feverish intoxication of the film.  Because...
Read more