IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

secondtake High Society (1956)You can see this movie as one of the last of the great silver screen musicals —and running out of originality and verve. Or you can enjoy Cole Porter brought down to a middle class sensibility (never mind the wealth of the characters here). Or you can just marvel at some great footage of Louis Armstrong, and at the inclusion a black jazz band as a centerpiece in a big budget movie.So there are reasons to give this movie a try, even though it is fairly slow going, and a pale shadow of the original, the truly great 1940 "Philadelphia Story." Grace Kelly plays the leading woman about to be married, and she lacks the cool stony quality that Hitchcock wisely taps and instead tries to be a lively, witty, physically lithe leading lady. Just like Katherine Hepburn? Yes, except she's no Katherine Hepburn, and it all feels a bit striving.Likewise for Bing Crosby, who plays a laid back guy who happens to have a jazz band (and who does a good swinging song with Louis and crew alongside). He isn't quite screen magic—that is, he's no Cary Grant. Frank Sinatra is fine, but he has a smaller role. Alas.And so it goes. Brightly lit, with big flashy Technicolor set design, the mood throughout is upbeat and fun and funny. And so it's not a bad thing to view. But if you take at all seriously the contention of one man interceding on the groom for his ex-bride, whatever the Hays Code strategy, it just lacks edge and conviction. Cole Porter doesn't let us down, so there's always that!

mikerosslaw Wow. How do you miscast such towering talents such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and make chumps out of them? You take the classic dramatic melodrama "The Philadelphia Story," give each of them second-banana parts, and then cast the female lead with the lightweight, former clothes-horse Grace Kelly (twenty-seven years younger than her "leading man," Bing) in the incredibly complex role of Tracy Lord, Katharine Hepburn's signature stage and film role. Throw in the cringe-worthy, patently out-of-place musical numbers by Der Bingle and Ol' Blues Eyes, corrupted by Kelly's tin-eared accompaniment, and the result is an unintentionally comical iteration of the poignant, multi-layered original. Sinatra had won Best Actor at the Oscars for his masterful portrayal of Maggio in "From Here To Eternity" just a few years before, but his miscast, ossified perf in pic was an embarrassment. Crosby's only bright spot is when he's jammin' with Satchmo (Grace Kelly reacted to Bing as if he had terminal halitosis). Going for the Big B.O. (Box Office) is a prime motivation of Hollywood productions. So Grace Kelly, in her last film perf before becoming a caged canary as the Princess of Monaco, is showcased as an updated Tracy Lord. What Big Slacks she had to fill after Hepburn. Kelly goes through her stilted modeling-poses, her "technique" of acting the challenging lead role, all without the slightest trace of human emotion marring her porcelain face. Though Sinatra as reporter Mike Connor valiantly tries to get a little chemistry going with Kelly, she gives off the unmistakable impression that she hasn't the slightest sexual interest in Frank or in any of the other male players. Phillip Barry wrote the role of Tracy Lord is written as a woman who appears totally self-absorbed and intolerant of human frailty in others, but still has deep-rooted emotional and sexual needs yet untapped. Hepburn, for whom the original play was written by Barry, was able to perceive the multi-faceted character and give us a nuanced, hypnotic performance. Hepburn deftly revealed Tracy's vulnerability in spite of her efforts to conceal it. She made you cheer for Tracy, in spite of her haughty, privileged patina.In stark and painful contrast, Grace Kelly's portrayal of Tracy is a stuffy, supercilious prig, who comes off - worst of all things for any leading lady - as a sexless mannequin, bereft of the slightest trace of suppressed sensuality. Her Serene Highness Grace seems like she'd really be a bum lay compared to the feisty, fiery Katharine Hepburn.Much has been written about the age differences between Kelly and the other creaky male stars populating the cast. Bing, playing Dexter, looks way older than he is with his fuddy-duddy wardrobe, his terrible rug, and his lack of any convincing physicality with Grace, and is hardly convincing as a man Kelly would have been married to. Sinatra looks simply terrible, probably in part by the die-job on his rug plus being shorter than Grace Kelly. The flat, unflattering lighting and cheap production values show up every wrinkle and line on everyones' faces. Watch the original with Hepburn, Grant, Stewart after viewing "High Society," and you'll be astounded at the difference in the quality of the acting and the wonderfully paced story in the original compared to this moribund musical masquerading as credible remake.

vincentlynch-moonoi I'm one of those who don't admire this film much.On the positive side, it's a lush production. It has a Cole Porter score -- my favorite composer -- although I'm impressed with only a few of the songs: "True Love" (of course), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (with a swellegant turn by Celeste Holm), and the bright "Well, Did You Evah!" (in a terrific duet by Bing and Frank); the other songs are forgettable.Another positive note are a number of the supporting actors -- Celeste Holm as a reporter, Louis Calhern as an uncle, Sidney Blackmer as the father, Margalo Gillmore as the mother, and young Lydia Reed as the younger sister.Unfortunately, I can't say as much for the lead cast. Bing Crosby is always very natural on screen, and is here. Grace Kelly has another turn as a spoiled brat, and as far as I'm concerned flubs the role terribly. Frank Sinatra plays the smart ass that he seemed to be in real life...which may have gone over well in the 1950s, but isn't as attractive today; and ironically, he played a poor drunk (type casting from the Rat Pack days?). John Lund as the fiancée????? Stick with the original "The Philadelphia Story", or watch this one as a comparison. Frankly, about the only reason this film was made was Bing's whim and Grace Kelly's rising star (in terms of the latter, thankfully it was the last film with her that we had to suffer through).

Lina Ko Following a wonderful adaptation of the play in The Philadelphia Story 1940 here comes a potentially great musical. I was very excited to see it and very disappointed afterwards. How do I loathe this musical - every scene feels like it will never end and the songs seem out of place. Gone is the vivacity, wittiness, poignancy and the romance of a wonderful story. Am I supposed to believe that a beautiful young woman of 27 is happily marrying a not very attractive 45 year old? That she finds nothing surprising at being surrounded by short unattractive men who are each older than the other and the main love interest is 53 years old! Watching her surrounded by these old guys I felt the same disgust and distaste I felt when watching The Seven Year Itch - beautiful Ms Monroe being ogled by a a pervy old man. And everyone acts as if this is normal! It is beyond comprehension and utterly unconvincing. Sure the guys can sing - well then find them a love interest of their own age! I do wonder if this film could have been saved by an appropriate casting. Maybe it could have helped avoid implausible scenes, unconvincing dialogue and wooden acting...