His Girl Friday

It wasn't until about twenty minutes in that I realized that I was actually watching the original to Billy Wilder's famous remake, and that's when comparing the two versions made me enjoy the film even more. The newer men's version of The Front Page wins in the end, though, because it's funny from start to finish and doesn't have such a protracted denouement as His Girl Friday, which, thanks to Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, is also a male-female struggle, but a rather pointless one. (04/03/2016)

Apart from the fact that they are spineless, the journalists here are generally likable. However, that doesn’t mean that it would be easy to come across someone other than con-men, thieves, murderers and dolts in the predominant male part of the cast. The presence of the only occasionally  calculating female protagonist is thus extremely pleasant and you’ll wish for Hilda to finally make the right decision and give priority to more action-oriented journalism over making the bed. In this respect, the film makes the point that is not revolutionary, but it is rather satisfying from the perspective of both sexes. The filmmakers’ intention was probably to distract viewers from the ongoing war, which is downplayed directly in the dialogue along with other serious issues. On the other hand, the screenplay does not take the liberty of crossing the line of what was considered good taste at the time and some of the scenes are approached very seriously in order to offset the unseriousness. Hawks easily handles this switching back and forth, while masterfully furthering his cause through editing. He uses words as aural accompaniment instead of music. Sudden silence brings about a complete change of mood, making the situation more serious. In terms of the number of words, His Girl Friday ranks among the films in which viewers untrained in speed reading have no chance to read the subtitles and follow the plot on the first attempt. A bonus for English speakers is the number of verbal jokes embedded in the humorous one-liners. The thrilling tempo makes His Girl Friday a clear candidate for the best action comedy of all time, though it takes place in a few rooms and the shots are mostly rather long. But you won’t have a chance to notice such thing, as you will be carried away by the flow (of words). 90% (09/07/2011)

A great volley of words, sometimes unbelievable. Cary Grant is once again captivating as always, but Rosalind Russell is an absolutely equal rival and partner to him. Additionally, you're following a story that makes sense and isn't just about the romance between them. An excellently functioning film that stunned me with its eloquence. The screenwriters outdid themselves, but the actors especially show how natural such a game of dialogue can be. (08/29/2014)