What's the AFI Project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here: http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx
The Philadelphia Story is on the following AFI lists:
The Original Top 100 (#51)
100 Funniest Films (#15)
100 Years...100 Passions (#44)
The Revised Top 100 (#44)
10 Top 10's (#5 Romantic Comedy)
I saw The Philadelphia Story initially as one of the films I consented to watch the first time I tried to make it through the Original AFI list. Ever since then, I've counted it among my top ten favorite films of all time (so long as you count trilogies as one movie :-D). Sure, it's a romantic comedy, and sure, it follows the formula established a few years earlier by It Happened One Night, but what the Philadelphia Story has that most romantic comedies typically don't is a high threshold of wit, a wonderfully written adapted screenplay with more layers than its surface belies, and three legendarily wonderful actors rounding out a truly superb cast. To think that a film with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart would have any potential to be somehow less-than or worse would be a sort of blasphemy indeed. Plus, the film is just downright funny. It makes me giggle every time I see it, and I've seen it many times in the last decade or so.
The Philadelphia Story opens with wealthy Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant) walking out on his wife, Tracy Lord-Haven (Hepburn). She breaks his putter. He "socks" her and knocks her on her million-dollar keister. Cut to two years later: the society pages are announcing the pending nuptials of Tracy to miner-turned-mogul George Kittridge (John Howard), who is stalwartly not part of the old-time Philadelphia aristocracy, even as he wants their privileges. Though the wedding is the talk of the town, Tracy has some high-minded ideals (because, in fact, all of her ideals are high-minded) about keeping her family's private business out of the publicly-consumed tabloid papers. The trouble is, tabloid rag Spy Magazine has been targeting her citadel of privacy for years and decides to send in snarky writer-reporter Macaulay Connor (Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to cover the event - with the help of "Dex" and his prior family connections. Knowing that the presence of reporters in the house might cause one of their famous rows, Dexter explains to Tracy that Spy's editor, Sidney Kidd, will publish a story implicating her philadering father unless she cooperates. Begrudgingly, she obliges, though on her own terms, and the resulting comedy of errors bears witness to something of a love rectangle with a predictable yet hilariously satisfying outcome.
I love this film as much as I do because first and foremost: it's funny. It's so funny! I was in stitches the first time I saw it, and I've still been known to giggle at it after years of repeat viewings. The dialogue and story, adapted from the play of the same name by the actual playwright, includes so many excellent one-liners, candidly ascerbic and timeless observations, and undeniable wit, it's hard not to fall in love with it. In fact, the storyline unfolds not unlike an Oscar Wilde play, minus the pithy English affectations. The banter is quick and intelligent, the commentary is about the disparities of class, and the situations are a bit screwball without actually crossing the line. My favorite scenes start with the pre-wedding party at Uncle Willie's house, at which point Tracy - who has always chastised her ex-husband for his seeming if slight alcoholism - has begun to be tidily intoxicated on champagne herself, after hearing about some of her less-ideal personality traits from her ex-husband and father and after drowning her sorrows in the bubbly. These scenes progress the budding romance between Connor and Tracy, while they are both intoxicated, and because these two actors were so good at what they did, the scenes themselves are perfectly executed and roll-on-the-floor-with-hysterical-laughter humorous.
Second: this film contains three legendary actors that were never in another film together again and that were at their finest at the time of its making. Hepburn negotiated a comeback for herself after years of being labeled "box office poison," but the role suited her to a tee, and you have to admire her sense of survival and business acumen. In fact, I admire the choice to play this character, even if it is similar to the actress portraying her: a strong, opinionated female during a time when women weren't encouraged for such behavior. Now, of course, the morals of the story find Tracy being too strong and, therefore, weakened by her own prejudice against weakness, but we'll ignore that for now. One of my two favorite Hepburns was brilliant in the role; her performance is an absolute treat to watch.
The other two were also in top form. Stewart won the only Oscar of his career for this movie, and while many thought he should have won for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I would submit that his performance in this film is at least unique. It was not frequent that Jimmy played cynical and sardonic, and even his character in Rear Window doesn't quite measure up to the Connor character's piercingly merciless commentaries on class. Coupled with a supporting turn by Ruth Hussey that actually inspires me to want to play her role if I ever get a chance to be part of the stage version, the novelty of seeing Jimmy Stewart in this film doing this particular type of character - so against his type of imperfect but relatable everymen - is truly worth the watch. And, of course, Cary Grant was at his dapper and debonair finest, even if the character wasn't much of a stretch for him.
Finally: even though the film is a romantic comedy with at least an expected outcome, the journey toward that outcome makes everything entirely fulfilling. Tracy learns some lessons, Dexter learns (or re-learns) forgiveness, Connor relaxes his own prejudices. Plus, the subtext of the story is to remark on tabloid voyeurism and the idiosyncracies of the wealthy. This kind of discussion, even if superfically considered in a romantic comedy, is as timeless as this film has now become.
All in all, I can't say enough good things about The Philadelphia Story, and I haven't noticed any flaws or elements that detract from this film for me, save for the semi-abrupt ending, but that's only because it leaves me wanting more. It may not be George Cukor's most visually creative picture, but there are some romantically poetic uses of camera and lighting to create and reflect mood, such as the scene when Tracy stares thoughtfully at the model of her prior honeymoon sailboat in her pool that was given to her by Dexter as a wedding present. Ultimately, though, the true Philadelphia Story is about its pitch-perfect writing and one-shot assembly of such a talented and enjoyable ensemble cast. I consider this film something of a masterpiece - I feel like it's the perfect thinking-person's romcom - and so I'm actually inclined to give the film a 10 for masterpiece! I also own the film. It passed the test ages ago. So, what can I say? The Philadelphia Story is highly entertaining, deserves all of its AFI rankings, and should not be missed.