The Philadelphia Story reviews (1940)

The Philadelphia Story

1940

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

from 6011 members

We open on Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) as he's being tossed out of his palatial home by his wife, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Adding insult to injury, Tracy breaks one of C.K.'s precious golf clubs. He gallantly responds by knocking her down on her million-dollar keester. A couple of years after the breakup, Tracy is about to marry George Kittridge (John Howard), a wealthy stuffed shirt whose principal recommendation is that he's not a Philadelphia mainliner, as C.K. was. Still holding a torch for Tracy, C.K. is galvanized into action when he learns that Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell), the publisher of Spy Magazine, plans to publish an exposé concerning Tracy's philandering father (John Halliday). To keep Kidd from spilling the beans, C.K. agrees to smuggle Spy reporter Macauley Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) into the exclusive Lord-Kittridge wedding ceremony. How could C.K. have foreseen that Connor would fall in love with Tracy, thereby nearly lousing up the nuptials? As it turns out, of course, it is C.K. himself who pulls the louse-up, reclaiming Tracy as his bride. A consistently bright, bubbly, witty delight, The Philadelphia Story could just as well have been titled The Revenge of Katharine Hepburn. Having been written off as box-office poison in 1938, Hepburn returned to Broadway in a vehicle tailor-made for her talents by playwright Philip Barry. That property, of course, was The Philadelphia Story; and when MGM bought the rights to this sure-fire box-office success, it had to take Hepburn along with the package -- and also her veto as to who her producer, director, and co-stars would be. Her strategy paid off: after the film's release, Hepburn was back on top of the Hollywood heap. While she didn't win the Oscar that many thought she richly deserved, the little gold statuette was bestowed upon her co-star Stewart, perhaps as compensation for his non-win for 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Donald Ogden Stewart (no relation to Jimmy) also copped an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Philadelphia Story was remade in 1956 with a Cole Porter musical score as High Society.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Philadelphia Story details

Format:	U DVD
Starring:	James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Ruth Hussey, John Howard
Director:	George Cukor
Genres:	Comedy - Romantic, Romance
Studio:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Collections:	American Film Institute's top 100, Classics Catch-up

DVD 1 disc & 1 bonus disc

Name	Discs
The Philadelphia Story	U Feature
The Philadelphia Story - Bonus Features	U Bonus

DVD Information

Run time:	1 hour 47 minutes
Rental release:	20 Jun 2005
Main languages:	English

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Most helpful review The Philadelphia Story

Classic and charming

By Joshua from Oxford, England , 12 May 2005

[Highly rated reviewer]

It's rare for me to find one of the 'old classics' all that enthralling. Yet some manage to pull me in and keep me intrigued, or even get me to laugh, which is somewhat surprising given the change in what constitutes funny from 1940 to now. The story here is predictable, but amusing, and actually, I found it easy to WANT what I thought would happen to happen. It didn't matter that there seemed to be fewer than a dozen sets, if that many - a hallmark of cinema from the days when theatre was still king, and nearly completely unknown to today's globetrotting moviemakers. The actors talk, I listen, and wonder what they'll say next, who's going to walk in, see what, do what. It's simply adorable. Jimmy Stewart is always watchable, but rarely moreso than here. Cary Grant pulls off comedy, if you can believe it. And Kathrine Hepburn, who usually makes me switch the station, well, doesn't make me switch the station, and maybe, just for a moment, charms me. A helpful tip: watch this with someone you're wooing. Should have the same effect as Breakfast At Tiffanys.
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A beautiful and enticing film

By Nuvia (1 review) from England , 24 Apr 2011

A beautiful and enticing classical Hollywood film, the story kept me wondering what was going to happen next. The narrative resolution was suspicious but was not very predictable. The ending was a cliché of Hollywood. Very romantic, loved it.
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Classic and witty

By Flickers (1 review) from London , 23 Dec 2010

This movie is a classic. The story is slow for sure, but the banter is witty and intelligent. It makes some insightful points about society. The actors are well cast - if you like old movies...Cary, Jimmy and Katherine are timeless!
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70 years hasn’t been kind

By Daniel Pollard from Manchester, England , 16 Oct 2010

I really don’t know why this film is defined as an American classic. A classic should be a timeless film that’s entertaining or has something to say whatever the year. The Philadelphia Story isn’t anything of these; it’s a dated, unfunny, over-acted and over-wrought story of American high society. It stars classic American actors Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn in annoying, irritating and infuriating roles that I couldn’t care less about. The sexual politics are also very questionable, in this old fashioned and out of date movie, which brings absolutely nothing to the table in the 21st century.
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very dated and tedious film.If you're a massive fan of the old stars, you might want to watch it

By sherriffflood (45 reviews) from Reading , 01 Apr 2010

As a neutral and someone who usually enjoys a good classic, I found this film well below my expectations. I've seen older films that stand the test of time, and this just seemed so old fashioned, disjointed and badly acted. It probably did well at the time because of the high profile actors involved.

In any case, I don't recommend it unless you're really into hepburn, grant or jimmy stewart.
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It's the tops

By a customer from London , 20 Jul 2009

Watching this film is like lying in a warm bath, enjoying the bubbles. The lovely heroine, wise-cracking Katherine Hepburn, is at her very best, and the butt of her wit, handsome Cary Grant, is unbelievably smooth and handsome. Of course their mutual antagonism means that, after much confusion, they end up in each other's arms. The supporting cast do everything that is required of them. What more can one ask?
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