His Girl Friday

Genre: comedy (in black and white)

With: Cary Grant (Walter Burns), Rosalind Russell (Hildy Johnson), Ralph Bellamy (Bruce Baldwin), Gene Lockhart (Sheriff Hartwell), Porter Hall (Murphy), Ernest Truex (Bensinger), Cliff Edwards (Endicott), Clarence Kolb (Mayor), Roscoe Karns (McCue)

Director: Howard Hawks

Screenplay: Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Morrie Ryskind, from the play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur

Release: 1940

Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

When Edward R. Murrow Said That ‟We cannot make good news out of bad practice”, He Had Obviously Never Met Walter Burns

QuickView

Story-line: Walter Burns, the editor of the Morning Post, cannot accept that his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson is quitting for good and marrying an insurance salesman from Albany. He has a huge news story to break and he needs all of Hildy’s talent and moxie to do it. 

Pluses: amazing acting by Cary Grant and a remarkably feisty Rosalind Russell, excellent support from a fine cast, a very strong and lively screenplay that develops brilliant comic situations with the aid of warp-speed dialogues, unbridled humour, appreciable wit and occasional cruelty, Howard Hawks’ vigorous direction, eye-pleasing cinematography by Joseph Walker and fine production values.

Minuses: none, except that this movie’s relentless pace may drain you.   

Comments: HIS GIRL FRIDAY throws everything into the pot – Hildy’s dedication, Walter’s conniving ways, crooked politicians, underhanded dealings, matters of love and crises of conscience – to serve up a comedy stew that will please everyone at the table. Without a doubt, this old and boisterous movie is still one of the most effective and intelligent comedies ever captured on film.

 

MBiS 

© 2023 – All rights reserved

Das letzte Mahl 

English title: Last Supper (The)

Genre: social, psychological and political drama

With: Bruno Eyron (Aaron Glickstein), Sharon Brauner (his wife Rebekka), Michael Degen and Daphna Rosenthal (Aaron’s father, Jacob, and his wife Ruth), Mira Elisa Goeres and Patrick Mölleken (Leah and Michael, Aaron’s daughter and son), Bela B (Rabbi Benjamin Aschkenasi), Sandra von Ruffin (Sarah, Aaron’s sister), Adrian Topol and Judith Hoersch (Daniel, Aaron’s brother, and his wife Monika), Charles Brauer (Max Liebermann), Werner Daehn (Siegmund Loewe)

Director: Florian Frerichs

Screenplay: Florian Frerichs and Stephan Warnatsch

Release: 2018

Studio: Menemsha Films, Warnuts Entertainment, Ventaro Media, Frame 12

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟I am German first, and a Jew second.” 

 

QuickView

Story-line: Berlin, January 30, 1933. At the Salon Olympia, Jewish businessman Aaron Glickstein meets Liebermann, an old friend, and invites him to a birthday dinner honouring his father Jacob. Liebermann doesn’t commit… and will look all the wiser for it. That evening, Aaron’s business dealings, conflicts among relatives and current events in Germany (Hitler’s appointment as chancellor) will cast a pall over what was supposed to be a festive occasion for the Glicksteins.

Pluses: credible and involved acting by the whole cast − led by Bruno Eyron as the flawed but respectable Aaron −, smooth direction, an astute and urgent screenplay rich in interplay, character development and intelligent dialogues, elegant production values, polished cinematography, a tasteful musical score and a thought-provoking denouement.

Minuses: at first blush, the film’s premise may seem artificial… but this is clearly a case where first impressions don’t count.

Comments: THE LAST SUPPER − which recalls one critical day for the Glicksteins and takes place mostly in the family home − has a patently theatrical feel because of its staging, emphasis on dialogues and existential subject matter (the quest for one’s identity). Every character seated at the table has something important to say… and Aaron, to his own astonishment, suddenly discovers that the world has changed behind his back. If this modest movie doesn’t show much in the way of ‟action”, it sets up a robust clash of personalities and ideas that makes it an excellent choice for movie buffs. 

 

MBiS 

© 2023 – All rights reserved