The Front Page (1931) & His Girl Friday (1940)
Jul 14, 2019 13:53:37 GMT
Doghouse6 and wmcclain like this
Post by spiderwort on Jul 14, 2019 13:53:37 GMT
Very nice commentaries, Bill. I only saw THE FRONT PAGE once decades ago, but remember really liking it for all the reasons you mention (and I happen to think that at his best Milestone was a brilliant director).
But HIS GIRL FRIDAY - oh, I love this film for so many reasons and will watch it anytime I get a chance. I love the transformation of the original play to the screwball comedy filled with such great performances, and Hawks' wonderful fast-paced direction with people talking over each other constantly. For those who don't know, on average a screenplay generally runs about a minute a page in screen time; if memory serves, the script for HIS GIRL FRIDAY is around 190 pages, and yet the film's running time is an hour and a half, because of the fast and overlapping talking. Orson Welles credits this film with his use of overlapping dialogue in CITIZEN KANE.
Anyway, I need to see Milestone's THE FRONT PAGE again, and will if I have a chance. And I will certainly see HIS GIRL FRIDAY again whenever I can. I actually have a DVD of it, which is a pretty good release - part of a Hawks box-set.
Oh, and I didn't realize that it was in public domain, yet another strange studio mishandling of a great property - the same as IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (though that mistake actually fostered the film's eventual world wide love and acclaim - something it didn't have when it was first released - because it was shown on televisions everywhere back in the day when that was common). But I digress. . .
But HIS GIRL FRIDAY - oh, I love this film for so many reasons and will watch it anytime I get a chance. I love the transformation of the original play to the screwball comedy filled with such great performances, and Hawks' wonderful fast-paced direction with people talking over each other constantly. For those who don't know, on average a screenplay generally runs about a minute a page in screen time; if memory serves, the script for HIS GIRL FRIDAY is around 190 pages, and yet the film's running time is an hour and a half, because of the fast and overlapping talking. Orson Welles credits this film with his use of overlapping dialogue in CITIZEN KANE.
Anyway, I need to see Milestone's THE FRONT PAGE again, and will if I have a chance. And I will certainly see HIS GIRL FRIDAY again whenever I can. I actually have a DVD of it, which is a pretty good release - part of a Hawks box-set.
Oh, and I didn't realize that it was in public domain, yet another strange studio mishandling of a great property - the same as IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (though that mistake actually fostered the film's eventual world wide love and acclaim - something it didn't have when it was first released - because it was shown on televisions everywhere back in the day when that was common). But I digress. . .