03 Aug Review – The Philadelphia Story

FlixFling contributor, Yohsuke Araki reviews The Philadelphia Story

“You, all of you, with your sophisticated ideas!”

“(sarcastically)…ain’t it awful?”

George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story is chalk full of philosophical phenomena surrounding the virtues of relationships on both the personal level and of the societal spectrum. Surrounding these themes of the importance and trivialities of love, ties, and friendship are the broader themes of their connections and reflections of class distinctions. It’s truly a sophisticated story grounded in dialogue more intriguing and eye-opening than any social rhetoric or renowned love story of any such matter.

No one speaks quite like these characters in this day in age but there is no distancing from their mentalities and thought processes. It’s as if these characters are able to embody and speak fluently with such spot on articulation about our deepest most misunderstood and confused feelings we have ourselves and with our ties to those around us. It speaks to any generation and that is why this film will never die out.

People and critics speak of the exceptional acting of this film; the obvious “Hepburn’s finest” or “Stewart’s well deserved Academy Award winning performance”. These comments are true and surely a good and valid way to praise this film but really it is the content of the story and the way it weaves through virtue and morality that serves as it’s core strength and appeal. This classic is sure to keep any person intrigued, astute, and of course laughing healthily regardless of generation or lack of exposure to classic cinema. Compared to not just other romantic comedies, but also the whole spectrum of cinema in general, The Philadelphia Story gives an exceptional amount of contemporary moral insight on so many levels and on top of that it is rich in some of the funniest comedic gestures in cinematic history. This is really as good as it gets in the romantic comedy genre so hit play already!