Adam's Rib Details

This witty and sophisticated “battle of the sexes” comedy is a peerless joy. Tailor-made for Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, it gave the roles of a lifetime to an enduring partnership that first flourished on screen in the 1942 comedy Woman of the Year. They face each other as married lawyers on opposing sides in court, as Hepburn defends and Tracy prosecutes Judy Holliday. Holliday almost puts the star couple in the shade as the dizzy blonde accused of a shooting involving her philandering husband, Tom Ewell. The delightful Oscar-nominated screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin brings out the best in the talented stars, and the subtle direction of George Cukor shows him to be a master of his craft — watch how he handles the long takes, letting the performances take the flow, especially in the scene where Hepburn visits Holliday in jail. The sexual politics are still topical today, as relevant now as they were prescient then, and the movie stands as a glorious tribute to all involved. A year later Holliday won the best actress Oscar for Born Yesterday, reprising the role that had made her a star on Broadway.