The Lady Eve (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Card sharks Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) & her father, Colonel Harry Harrington (Charles Coburn), are looking for easy - and filthy rich - prey on a luxury cruise liner in 'The Lady Eve', a romantic comedy written/directed by Preston Sturges. This dynamic duo find their next prey in nerdy, filthy rich beer baron Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) boards the ship in South America; bound for NY. Charles is looking for a little female company after having just spent 6 months in the Amazon on a snake-hunting expedition with his guardian/valet Muggsy (a hysterical William Demarest), the man his father Horace (equally hysterical Eugene Pallette) hired to act as a 'protector'. Having not seen a woman in 6 months, Charles quickly falls for the simultaneously charming/conniving Jean.
Thing is: despite his naive, bumbling nature ... she falls for him, too. And with that, she doesn't want to cheat him at cards; much to the chagrin of her $$-hungry father -- who has no such scruples. Charles even proposes marriage, but their love affair crumbles when Charles finds out just who & what Jean is. Viewing her as a gold-digger, he refuses her attentions. She gets perturbed; bitterly exclaiming, "I need him like the axe needs the turkey". So she seeks revenge & sets about breaking his heart further, masquerading under the guise of the very beautiful & very British 'Lady Eve Sidwich'. Meeting her at his family's posh Connecticut mansion, Charles falls for 'Eve', but mistaken identities & screwball comedy elements arise. And of course, changes of the heart & romantic entanglements ensue.
What a fun, if also fairly silly movie. And yet, the silly fun is deceptive, because there's potent quality permeating the light proceedings, as well. The script is chock-full of dizzying lingo & biting dialogue. Preston Sturges lends a great juxtaposition of comedy & drama. The story may be 'silly' & a tad simple, but the execution is not 'simplistic'; there's great writing/directing on display. It is character based, plot-driven, & with plenty of heart, as well. And the production values are very strong (gorgeous black-&-white cinematography, beautiful sets, Edith Head's amazing costumes that Stanwyck gets to parade in - including a wedding gown that brides-to-be sought after, having seen it in this movie).
Barbara Stanwyck is just sensational as the card hustler whose slick game is completely upended by romance. As is usually the case with Stanwyck/the roles she plays, her Jean is strong, sexy, independent, but also vulnerable. She's a crook, but can also be trusted. She's a sly seductress, but also a mushy pushover for romance. She's a 'gold digger', but only wants Charles -- mischievous, yet lovestruck. Henry Fonda is terrific, too. His gullibility is endearing; if also sometimes perplexing. And his chemistry with Stanwyck is white hot, best evidenced in an iconic cabin scene in which she toys with his hair/earlobe in an unbroken shot lasting nearly 4 minutes. She's the one teasing, whispering sweet nothings, & doing the tantalizing, and yet, it's also the moment when SHE falls for HIM -- great stuff.
This film also contains a host of colorful side characters played by some wonderful supporting actors. As mentioned above, William Demarest is quite humorous as Fonda's guardian/valet whose bizarre antics keep the film proceeding at a whimsical pace; his facial expressions are just classic. The robust Eugene Pallette made me bend-over laughing in a scene when his much-anticipated breakfast keeps getting delayed. And Charles Coburn is delightful as the card shark father who loves his daughter, but keeps his con artist ways intact. i.e., secretly pulling 4 aces from his handkerchief when he sneezes. The Lady Eve's 1st half is better than its 2nd, and some plot points are a touch bit too nonsensical for my liking. But overall, I highly enjoyed this witty battle-of-the-sexes farce with a side of tender romance for good measure.
Thing is: despite his naive, bumbling nature ... she falls for him, too. And with that, she doesn't want to cheat him at cards; much to the chagrin of her $$-hungry father -- who has no such scruples. Charles even proposes marriage, but their love affair crumbles when Charles finds out just who & what Jean is. Viewing her as a gold-digger, he refuses her attentions. She gets perturbed; bitterly exclaiming, "I need him like the axe needs the turkey". So she seeks revenge & sets about breaking his heart further, masquerading under the guise of the very beautiful & very British 'Lady Eve Sidwich'. Meeting her at his family's posh Connecticut mansion, Charles falls for 'Eve', but mistaken identities & screwball comedy elements arise. And of course, changes of the heart & romantic entanglements ensue.
What a fun, if also fairly silly movie. And yet, the silly fun is deceptive, because there's potent quality permeating the light proceedings, as well. The script is chock-full of dizzying lingo & biting dialogue. Preston Sturges lends a great juxtaposition of comedy & drama. The story may be 'silly' & a tad simple, but the execution is not 'simplistic'; there's great writing/directing on display. It is character based, plot-driven, & with plenty of heart, as well. And the production values are very strong (gorgeous black-&-white cinematography, beautiful sets, Edith Head's amazing costumes that Stanwyck gets to parade in - including a wedding gown that brides-to-be sought after, having seen it in this movie).
Barbara Stanwyck is just sensational as the card hustler whose slick game is completely upended by romance. As is usually the case with Stanwyck/the roles she plays, her Jean is strong, sexy, independent, but also vulnerable. She's a crook, but can also be trusted. She's a sly seductress, but also a mushy pushover for romance. She's a 'gold digger', but only wants Charles -- mischievous, yet lovestruck. Henry Fonda is terrific, too. His gullibility is endearing; if also sometimes perplexing. And his chemistry with Stanwyck is white hot, best evidenced in an iconic cabin scene in which she toys with his hair/earlobe in an unbroken shot lasting nearly 4 minutes. She's the one teasing, whispering sweet nothings, & doing the tantalizing, and yet, it's also the moment when SHE falls for HIM -- great stuff.
This film also contains a host of colorful side characters played by some wonderful supporting actors. As mentioned above, William Demarest is quite humorous as Fonda's guardian/valet whose bizarre antics keep the film proceeding at a whimsical pace; his facial expressions are just classic. The robust Eugene Pallette made me bend-over laughing in a scene when his much-anticipated breakfast keeps getting delayed. And Charles Coburn is delightful as the card shark father who loves his daughter, but keeps his con artist ways intact. i.e., secretly pulling 4 aces from his handkerchief when he sneezes. The Lady Eve's 1st half is better than its 2nd, and some plot points are a touch bit too nonsensical for my liking. But overall, I highly enjoyed this witty battle-of-the-sexes farce with a side of tender romance for good measure.