His Girl Friday
starring: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall
directed by: Howard Hawks
directed by: Howard Hawks
Price: $4.98
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Product Description:
Cary gran & rosalind russell star in thie rapid-fire version of the hit the front page.Studio: Gaiam AmericasRelease Date: 10/01/2002Starring: Cary Grant Rosalind Russell
Amazon.com essential video:
The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1928 newspaper play, has had three official film versions and contributed structural DNA to half the movies ever made about professional camaraderie and fierce love-hate friendships. Lewis Milestone's 1931 movie is well respected (Billy Wilder's 1974 version isn't), but this is one case where the remake towers brilliantined head and blocked shoulders above the original.
Howard Hawks had the inspired notion of making Hildy Johnson--the ace newsman whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--a she instead of a he. What's more, she's not only Walter's star reporter but also his ex-wife. When Hildy (Rosalind Russell) comes to tell Walter (Cary Grant) she's leaving the newspaper business, he bamboozles her into carrying out one last assignment--a death-row interview with a little nebbish (John Qualen) convicted of killing a policeman. It sounds like a snap, but before you can say screwball comedy, the press room of the Criminal Courts Building has become ground zero for all the lunacy a jailbreak, a shooting, an impromptu suicide, a corrupt city administration, and the most Machiavellian "hero" in the American cinema can supply.
His Girl Friday is one of the, oh, five greatest dialogue comedies ever made; Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Russell, not Hawks's first choice to play Hildy, is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Grant is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T. Jameson
Cary gran & rosalind russell star in thie rapid-fire version of the hit the front page.Studio: Gaiam AmericasRelease Date: 10/01/2002Starring: Cary Grant Rosalind Russell
Amazon.com essential video:
The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1928 newspaper play, has had three official film versions and contributed structural DNA to half the movies ever made about professional camaraderie and fierce love-hate friendships. Lewis Milestone's 1931 movie is well respected (Billy Wilder's 1974 version isn't), but this is one case where the remake towers brilliantined head and blocked shoulders above the original.
Howard Hawks had the inspired notion of making Hildy Johnson--the ace newsman whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--a she instead of a he. What's more, she's not only Walter's star reporter but also his ex-wife. When Hildy (Rosalind Russell) comes to tell Walter (Cary Grant) she's leaving the newspaper business, he bamboozles her into carrying out one last assignment--a death-row interview with a little nebbish (John Qualen) convicted of killing a policeman. It sounds like a snap, but before you can say screwball comedy, the press room of the Criminal Courts Building has become ground zero for all the lunacy a jailbreak, a shooting, an impromptu suicide, a corrupt city administration, and the most Machiavellian "hero" in the American cinema can supply.
His Girl Friday is one of the, oh, five greatest dialogue comedies ever made; Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Russell, not Hawks's first choice to play Hildy, is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Grant is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T. Jameson
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- a classic
why don't they make movies with great writing and strong interaction between men and women anymore? this is a must see if you like comedy, wit, and are a fan of the black-and-whites such as all the Thin Man movies.
Rating: 
- Great Movie, Stinky DVD
I've loved this movie for years and decided to add it to my collection. I should have known better than to buy this cheap version.
The picture is terrible, the sound is horrible. [...]
We had the TV volume turned to the maximum and still had a difficult time hearing the words; had I not already been familiar with the dialogue, I would have missed most of it.The picture quality is washed outin many scenes.What a shame.I want my $ back!
Rating: - A must for Cary Grant fans
this is a great classic a must have! Amazon made this so easy to purchase
and receive. If you get this movie, you will also need Bringing Up Baby and
The Philadelphia Story."Thank You!"
Rating: - His girl friday, review
terrific, zany comedy of 1940; fast,witty dialog and Cary Grant.Need I say more.
Rating: - 3 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:
His Girl Friday suffers from the flaw of many screwball comedies in that it fails to create characters we care about, but most of the time it's so fast-moving that the audience doesn't care; it's not a 4-star film but it's a brief and enjoyable comedy, so watch it as such.
- a classicwhy don't they make movies with great writing and strong interaction between men and women anymore? this is a must see if you like comedy, wit, and are a fan of the black-and-whites such as all the Thin Man movies.
- Great Movie, Stinky DVD I've loved this movie for years and decided to add it to my collection. I should have known better than to buy this cheap version.
The picture is terrible, the sound is horrible. [...]
We had the TV volume turned to the maximum and still had a difficult time hearing the words; had I not already been familiar with the dialogue, I would have missed most of it.The picture quality is washed outin many scenes.What a shame.I want my $ back!
- A must for Cary Grant fansthis is a great classic a must have! Amazon made this so easy to purchase
and receive. If you get this movie, you will also need Bringing Up Baby and
The Philadelphia Story."Thank You!"
- His girl friday, reviewterrific, zany comedy of 1940; fast,witty dialog and Cary Grant.Need I say more.
- 3 stars out of 4The Bottom Line:
His Girl Friday suffers from the flaw of many screwball comedies in that it fails to create characters we care about, but most of the time it's so fast-moving that the audience doesn't care; it's not a 4-star film but it's a brief and enjoyable comedy, so watch it as such.
