Tag Archives: Romantic Comedy

Notes on “Cluny Brown”

Posted on December 28, 2019 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The 1946 “Cluny Brown” is probably the most offhand thing director Ernst Lubitsch did during the sound era. It’s so offhand that it’s almost Buñuelian. Certainly, it’s the most surreal of Lubitsch’s late works. Jennifer Jones … Continue reading →

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“Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell”

Posted on April 26, 2016 by

Paleo Retiree writes: A brightly-colored, super-polished confection starring Gina Lollobrigida that crosses two genres of its era: the marriage-is-impossible farce and the Americans-touring-Europe-by-bus comedy. (I watched in on this disc.) My wife hated it, and we both wondered if it might not … Continue reading →

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Notes on “Viva Las Vegas”

Posted on December 10, 2015 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “Viva Las Vegas” pulls off a nifty trick: it uses the corporatization of Elvis to augment and comment on his appeal. Elvis plays Lucky Jackson, a racecar driver whose fortunes belie his name. Ann-Margret is the … Continue reading →

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“The Fisher King”

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: There’s a lot going on in “The Fisher King.” Perhaps too much. The mythic elements in Richard LaGravenese’s screenplay threaten to tip the movie out of balance, to spoil subtext by shoving it in your face. … Continue reading →

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Movie Still Du Jour

Posted on January 22, 2015 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Carole Lombard and William Powell in Gregory La Cava’s MY MAN GODFREY. Click on the image to enlarge. You can watch the whole movie here:

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Notes on “The Company’s in Love”

Posted on October 5, 2014 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Max Ophuls’ first feature, released in 1932, seems a conscious emulation (and sort of send-up) of Lubitsch. Not only is it set partly in the Bavarian Alps, the setting of several early Lubitsch films, it features … Continue reading →

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“A Damsel In Distress” (1937)

Posted on September 5, 2014 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: A musical comedy co-written by P.G. Wodehouse, with music and lyrics by the Gershwins, and starring Fred Astaire is pretty much essential viewing for me. Although the film is usually regarded as one of Astaire’s post-Rogers flubs, I … Continue reading →

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Movie Poster Du Jour: “The Palm Beach Story”

Posted on May 25, 2014 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes:

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“Female”

Posted on March 18, 2014 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: In the 1933 “Female,” Ruth Chatteron plays a successful industrialist who goes through men with the efficiency of a Catherine the Great. When she fancies a secretary (they’re all male), she invites them to her manse for dinner, … Continue reading →

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Every Man for Himself

Posted on March 8, 2014 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The world the movie shows us is a world waiting to be transformed. It’s a peculiarly American landscape: what it shows us isn’t exactly what it means — or values. Like the heart-stirring, oddly affecting plainness … Continue reading →

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