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Harvey Details

1950 DVD Certificate U.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 6524 members

Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) is a good-natured, slightly sloshed man whose faithful companion Harvey is a 6-foot-3-inch rabbit that only he can see. When his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) tries to have him committed, she's taken in instead--and it's up to Elwood and Harvey to straighten out the mess. Based on Mary Chase's .. Read more

Starring James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Victoria Horne, Peggy Dow
Director Henry Koster
Genres Comedy

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Harvey

Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) is a good-natured, slightly sloshed man whose faithful companion Harvey is a 6-foot-3-inch rabbit that only he can see. When his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) tries to have him committed, she's taken in instead--and it's up to Elwood and Harvey to straighten out the mess. Based on Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, HARVEY's sweetness and humanity--as well as Stewart's trademark amiability--has made it one of the most beloved films of all time.

Starring James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Victoria Horne, Peggy Dow, Cecil Kellaway, Charles Drake, Jesse White, Wallace Ford, Nana Bryant
Director Henry Koster
Studio UCA
Run time DVD: 1 hr 47 mins
Certificate DVD Certificate U.gif
Genres Comedy
Language English
Released DVD: 18 Aug 2003
Production year: 1950
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of Harvey

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  • 5 stars out of 5

    James Stewart gives a knockout performance in a classic comic fantasy about tipsy Elwood P Dowd and his unusual friendship with Harvey, an invisible six-foot-tall white rabbit. This is superb whimsy about the fine line between sanity and insanity, and Henry Koster directs this loving tribute to eccentricity and bar-room philosophy with a deft touch. Alongside the satiric misunderstandings, character mix-ups and revitalised clichés come poignant comments about humanity's lack of communication, which touch both the funny bone and the heart. It's guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face for ages afterwards.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006
  • 3 stars out of 4

    An amiably batty play with splendid lines is here transferred virtually intact to the screen and survives superbly thanks to understanding by all concerned, though the star is as yet too young for a role which he later made his own.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of Harvey

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  • 43 out of 46 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Simply brilliant

    I wasn't sure what to expect, when I rented Harvey. I'd seen it in a local shop, but hadn't wanted to buy it without seeing it first! I was attracted by the fact that some aspects of it almost seemed to resemble Donnie Darko (which is fantastic).

    Well, now I've seen it, I can say that it's nothing at all like Donnie Darko, other than the fact that the main characters have large imaginary (or are they?) friends who are rabbits. Harvey is a charming film from start to finish, with James Stewart doing an outstanding job in the leading role.

    Harvey tells the story of Elwood P Dowd who has an invisible friend - Harvey - a 6 ft tall rabbit. When his antics begin to get to his sister, Veta, she decides it's time to have Elwood committed. The consequences of this are funny, moving and though-provoking. Elwood is possibly one of the nicest people you'll ever have the pleasure to meet, and the rest of the characters are brilliantly played.

    This film also looks great, considering it was made in 1950 - the picture is crisp and clear and nice to look at.

    If you're expecting an intense, disjointed, psychological film like Donnie Darko, Harvey's not it. Harvey's fun, lighthearted, and just... really really nice. Give it a go, I think you'll like it.

      • James Frost from Hereford, England
      • Posted 23 Mar 2004 12:59

  • Most recent members' review of Harvey

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Instant favourite

    I'll probably buy this somepoint in the future and add it to my DVD collection. This is a lovely story of a small town loony who at the same time his is most pleasant person you could hope to meet.

      • brokenking from Bristol
      • Posted 19 Sep 2008 09:55

  • News and features

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    The Orphanage

    Lars and the Real Girl

    • 10 Mar 2008

    It's not unusual for children to have imaginary friends. Parents usually take an indulgent - if uneasy - view of such a fantasy, confident that it will soon pass. The Orphanage and The Spiderwick Chronicles both play on just such an understanding, but in each case the imaginary has more teeth than you would expect. When it's an adult labouring under this delusion it's more disturbing - unless you're Jimmy Stewart and your pal is a six foot white rabbit answering to the name of "Harvey". Lars (R Read more

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Rating breakdown

6,524 Member ratings
  • 100
1,388
  • 90
917
  • 80
1,269
  • 70
1,024
  • 60
778
  • 50
444
  • 40
244
  • 30
196
  • 20
178
  • 10
86

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    • Harvey

    • Harvey
      Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) is a good-natured, slightly sloshed man whose faithful companion Harvey is a 6-foot-3-inch rabbit that only he can see. When his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) tries to have him committed, she's taken in instead--and it's up to Elwood and Harvey to straighten out the ...