SparkMore
n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
HottWwjdIam
There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.
Grimossfer
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
Edwin
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
dsmith-25000
Yes its amusing. But it is missing a plot. Just a zigzag of different situations that don't link together.
First an escape movie. Then a smuggling story. The a con artist story. Then a musical troupe story. Then an on-again off-again on-again love story between different parties. Then a chase story.
It doesn't end so much as stops as if they decided they had enough film in the can and didn't have to go any father.
And reasons for main characters to do what they did.
-Always touted as where Hepburn dresses as a boy. But the reason seems to disappear after the first 15 minutes.
-Supposedly on the run from French Police which were never seen or never mentioned again.
-Supposedly broke, but had no problem buying or renting a Caravan (British name for a motor home or live-in trailer).
Other problems that didn't fit the 1930's: Insanity of the father. Criminals getting away with their crimes. Attempted suicide (although the female doing in would have had to have lungs like Tarzan to be heard by the person she was calling to.)Worse might be Grant laughing at the end (supposedly at lovers running away from their supposed lovers that they were chasing), but maybe he was laughing at the audience for siting through all 90 minutes?Nice performances by Hepburn and Grant, but it just doesn't fit together.
HotToastyRag
I'll start with the bottom line: Sylvia Scarlett is the film that dubbed Katharine Hepburn "box office poison". However, when you watch the movie, you wonder how that was possible. She's adorable! After her mother's untimely death, Katharine Hepburn and her father Edmund Gwenn leave France and head to England. Teddy has racked up some pretty heavy gambling debts and needs to leave the country, but when he tells his daughter he has to leave her behind lest he be recognized and arrested, she comes up with an idea. Kate cuts her hair and changes her name from Sylvia to Sylvester; surely her father won't be recognized with a young man as his traveling companion! Along the way, they cross paths with a charming Cockney conman, played by Cary Grant, a flirtatious maid, Dennie Moore, and a respectful artist, Brian Aherne. While they band together and enter the con-game, Kate falls in love and longs to be worthy of Brian—even though he believes she's a boy! It's a pretty cute story, and a lot of fun to see Kate, Teddy, and Cary work off one another. It's no great surprise that Kate makes an excellent boy, since her thin frame, beautifully angular face, and slightly masculine voice help mask her true identity. She looks absolutely adorable—or handsome, if you prefer—in her short haircut, and even though the film didn't do well at the box office, it's a definite must-see for Katharine Hepburn fans!
morrison-dylan-fan
After writing my 1,500th review, I started looking for what movie to view next. Taking a look at BBC iPlayer, I spotted a star-studded RKO title,which led to me uncovering Scarlett's secret. The plot:Running away to England from France after getting involved in too many dodgy deals, widower Henry Scarlett decides to try and outsmart the police by getting his daughter Sylvia to dress up as a boy. Getting Sylvia's "Sylvester" act to work,the Scarlett's are soon joined by new partner in crime Jimmy Monkley and dizzy Maudie Tilt. Fooling everyone, Sylvia is shocked when Michael Fane fails to fall for her Scarlett fever. View on the film:Bombing in test screenings and at the box office,director George Cukor & cinematographer Joseph H. August is marked by emergency scars, from jarring, blunt edits to terrible overdubbing. Unsteady with the Comedy, Cukor still shows a flair for Melodrama, with needles of rain across the screen and crane shows to the edges of cliffs looking over how deep the Scarlett's have gone to cover their tracks.Offering to do another film for free if the studio had left this on the shelf, Katharine Hepburn actually gives the standout performance as Sylvia Scarlett a.k.a. Sylvester,thanks to Hepburn clearing relishing the chance to mess around with her ladylike image as mischievous Sylvester. Avoiding the "Box office poison" tag Hepburn got from the movie, Cary Grant gives an unsteady performance as partner in crime Jimmy Monkley, with Grant showing his natural charm in the comedic scenes,but (with a poor fake accent) struggles to carry dramatic tension,in the opening of the Scarlett letter.
utgard14
Meandering curio about an embezzler (Edmund Gwenn) and his daughter (Katharine Hepburn) posing as his son as they flee from the police. Along the way they join up with con man Cary Grant. Director George Cukor gives us a real weird one here. Unfortunately its weirdness doesn't overcome its many flaws: hole-ridden script, weak direction, and poor acting. Especially the acting from Hepburn. P.U. she stunk! The more I see of early Katharine Hepburn movies the more surprised I am she ever got anywhere. She was terrible in this. Gwenn wasn't much better. With this director and cast, this really should have been a better film. Obviously, Hepburn and Grant fans should (and will) try it out. Anybody else I would say go watch "The Major and the Minor" instead.