Bridge Movie Reviews

This is hardly an original insight, but anyone who dismisses Bob Hope as the tiresome, unfunny comic from those dreadful 1960s 'comedies' he appeared in is missing out on a real national treasure - his films up to around 1952 are hysterically funny, and his ROAD entries with cohorts Crosby and Lamour are among the best of 'em. Hope, along with the brilliant Preston Sturges, had restored Paramount to the comedy throne they'd occupied in the early 30s; from the lavish budget and attention to period detail throughout UTOPIA, it's obvious that the studio was not ungrateful. For my money, ROAD TO UTOPIA is the funniest film he ever made (though there are half-a-dozen others close on its heels). As in all ROAD movies, the engine powering the vehicle was the lightning-quick banter between the two leads; Crosby smooth as snake-oil, Hope perpetually suspicious and cowardly. And with excellent reason - no straight man ever victimized a foil the way Bing routinely does to Bob. ROAD movies always threaded their satires of B-movie plots (this one spoofing Robert W Service-style frozen-North melodrama) with plenty of topical humor, much of it capitalizing on the fans' awareness of the stars' personal foibles (Crosby's rivalry with Sinatra, his investments in thoroughbreds, Hope's disastrous box-office returns in LET'S FACE IT), and there's a goodly amount of what's now referred to as 'breaking the fourth wall' (they talk directly to the audience at varying points). What elevates UTOPIA just over the others is the sky-high breezy confidence of everyone involved this go-around. The cast and crew, coming off ROAD TO MOROCCO, were on a roll and knew it, and they ride that momentum for all it's worth (Hope's constant kibitzing is particularly hilarious). Der Bingle gets to groan a couple of subpar songs (as opposed to MOROCCO's highlights - 'Ho Hum' and 'Moonlight Becomes You' - this outing's 'It's Anybody's Spring' and 'Welcome To My Dream' are instantly forgettable) but the team's 'Put It There, Pal' is infectious fun and Miss Lamour's 'Personality' is sexy and sprightly. A further note on Lamour - she's luxuriously beautiful here, an ice-cream sundae with curves (why she's never ranked with the decade's top screen sirens is unfathomable: she's every bit the looker that Lake, Grable, Hayworth & Sheridan were, and a better singer besides). My apologies for not quoting any of the zingers from the script, but there are just too many of them to play favorites with. ROAD TO UTOPIA is well worth the effort it'll take you to track down; get cracking.

Classic 1946 comedy "Road to Utopia", the 4th in the "Road" series, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. After their Morocco jaunt in 1942, Crosby, Hope and Lamour spent four years making their separate successes, before rejoining to go back in time on an anachronistic Alaskan adventure in "Road to Utopia", a film that was nominated for a "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar and which is even crazier than its predecessor, with a talking fish taking over from Morocco's comical camel, the addition of narrator Robert Benchley and an ending so outrageous it's a wonder they managed to sneak it past the censor! The Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Huesen score includes "Put it There, Pal", "Good Time Charlie" and "Personality". Surrealism, songs, slapstick- a fantastically funny flick and an essential for fans of Hope, Crosby, Lamour or crazy comedy in general. An American classic!

My teenaged son loves classic movies, and he's a huge fan of all the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" pictures. This is his favorite one, and I can see why. There's a chuckle a minute on this "Road to Utopia," as well as some enjoyable songs by Crosby, Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

...I would agree that there are some memorable one liners in this "Road" picture, but you really have to see and hear them in context.

This is a good one, just for laughs. Corny, but fun!

This is hardly an original insight, but anyone who dismisses Bob Hope as the tiresome, unfunny comic from those dreadful 1960s 'comedies' he appeared in is missing out on a real national treasure - his films up to around 1952 are hysterically funny, and his ROAD entries with cohorts Crosby and Lamour are among the best of 'em. Hope, along with the brilliant Preston Sturges, had restored Paramount to the comedy throne they'd occupied in the early 30s; from the lavish budget and attention to period detail throughout UTOPIA, it's obvious that the studio was not ungrateful. For my money, ROAD TO UTOPIA is the funniest film he ever made (though there are half-a-dozen others close on its heels). As in all ROAD movies, the engine powering the vehicle was the lightning-quick banter between the two leads; Crosby smooth as snake-oil, Hope perpetually suspicious and cowardly. And with excellent reason - no straight man ever victimized a foil the way Bing routinely does to Bob. ROAD movies always threaded their satires of B-movie plots (this one spoofing Robert W Service-style frozen-North melodrama) with plenty of topical humor, much of it capitalizing on the fans' awareness of the stars' personal foibles (Crosby's rivalry with Sinatra, his investments in thoroughbreds, Hope's disastrous box-office returns in LET'S FACE IT), and there's a goodly amount of what's now referred to as 'breaking the fourth wall' (they talk directly to the audience at varying points). What elevates UTOPIA just over the others is the sky-high breezy confidence of everyone involved this go-around. The cast and crew, coming off ROAD TO MOROCCO, were on a roll and knew it, and they ride that momentum for all it's worth (Hope's constant kibitzing is particularly hilarious). Der Bingle gets to groan a couple of subpar songs (as opposed to MOROCCO's highlights - 'Ho Hum' and 'Moonlight Becomes You' - this outing's 'It's Anybody's Spring' and 'Welcome To My Dream' are instantly forgettable) but the team's 'Put It There, Pal' is infectious fun and Miss Lamour's 'Personality' is sexy and sprightly. A further note on Lamour - she's luxuriously beautiful here, an ice-cream sundae with curves (why she's never ranked with the decade's top screen sirens is unfathomable: she's every bit the looker that Lake, Grable, Hayworth & Sheridan were, and a better singer besides). My apologies for not quoting any of the zingers from the script, but there are just too many of them to play favorites with. ROAD TO UTOPIA is well worth the effort it'll take you to track down; get cracking.

Classic 1946 comedy "Road to Utopia", the 4th in the "Road" series, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. After their Morocco jaunt in 1942, Crosby, Hope and Lamour spent four years making their separate successes, before rejoining to go back in time on an anachronistic Alaskan adventure in "Road to Utopia", a film that was nominated for a "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar and which is even crazier than its predecessor, with a talking fish taking over from Morocco's comical camel, the addition of narrator Robert Benchley and an ending so outrageous it's a wonder they managed to sneak it past the censor! The Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Huesen score includes "Put it There, Pal", "Good Time Charlie" and "Personality". Surrealism, songs, slapstick- a fantastically funny flick and an essential for fans of Hope, Crosby, Lamour or crazy comedy in general. An American classic!

My teenaged son loves classic movies, and he's a huge fan of all the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" pictures. This is his favorite one, and I can see why. There's a chuckle a minute on this "Road to Utopia," as well as some enjoyable songs by Crosby, Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

...I would agree that there are some memorable one liners in this "Road" picture, but you really have to see and hear them in context.

This is a good one, just for laughs. Corny, but fun!

THE BRIDGE is a fine B&W WWII movie that is set in a village deep in Western Germany. All of the action occurs the last week of April, 1945.
This Movie is unique because of the time, location, and entirely German perspective of this tiny War story.
The eight kids who are assigned to guard, then defend, the bridge are 16 year olds. The climatic battle with the American Armored patrol is very well done (for the most part). What is interesting is that, because this is a German made film, the American soldiers and Sherman Tank gunners are all very bad shots (except for an American sniper with a scoped rifle). Where as in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (an American made film), the German Wafen SS troops and Tiger Tank gunners who attack the bridge at Ramelle are also very bad shots!
Still the action is riveting for a low budget, foreign film. Unfortunately, the viewer has to wait an hour for the final battle, because most of the picture is character development, and it consists largely of teenagers yelling at their parents, which can be very obnoxious to listen in German dialouge.

Others here have already detailed what a fine (anti)war film Die Bruecke is and why. I can only echo those sentiments: this is a gripping film that really makes you think about militarism and war and their costs. I did find one unfortunate problem with this particular release of the film: the subtitles are at times wrong, but more often they cut and simplify the dialogue and seemingly make little attempt to recreate its nuances. On the bright side, this film isn't heavily rooted in dialogue: the plot and images speak louder than words and get the messages across as clear as day. Still, it would be nice to see this film re-released with better subtitling.

Jean Yanne (french cinematographer/writer/actor, now living in California) made the only pun I know which can be translated in about 10 languages -and understood around the world-: "As well the smallest unit in length is the millimeter, as well the smallest unit in weight is the milligram, as well the smallest unit in intelligence is the military.

Boris Vian, another french cinematographer/writer/musician (d. 1958), said the only way to get rid of military people would be to gather them on a very large meeting place rigged to be blown up, but also said there would still be a problem: getting rid of the one(s) in charge of the fuse.

If this movie was shown in every school to every kid 13/16 old, anyone wanting afterwards to join the army for the fun of it (or even for the glory) should be categorized as a very sick jerk and get cold showers in a straight-jacket for at least 5 years, and, if not cured, be used as compost.

I saw this movie when it was released in Paris in 1960 (I was 16), and have since recommended it relentlessly as the 1st war movie to be watched, since it's the only one I've seen which unmasks in the most accurate way the insanity/irresponsibility of trigger-happy warmongers, as well as irresponsible manipulation of young minds by people who should not be in charge of anything, not even themselves.

Steven Speilberg said a few years ago that he would gladly replace one of his films on that absurd TOP 100 films with " Sullivans Travels" another Sturges masterpiece.

Mr. Speilberg, with all due respect..I would replace most of your films with " The Lady Eve" " The Great McGinty" and " Hail The Conquering Hero" et all..

"There will never be another Sturges' comedy" Paul Schrader.
I agree with Mr. Schrader. " The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" is a unique film experience! Mr. Bracken is missed sorely now but we can see him on display in films like these !

CP

Had the undiluted pleasure of watching "Morgan's Creek" twice in one night on Turner Classic Movies ... talk about OD!! Wonderful!! The same frenetic pacing as my all-time favorite comedy, Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three"; funny, funny lines and characterizations; and (listen to it) a near-perfect musical score. This is one of the comedy greats.
BUT ... I see where a number of reviewers claim that Trudy gets drunk, and so does not remember the evening. No, no, a thousand times NO! She says repeatedly that she has never drunk a drop. Watch what actually happens: (1) Trudy hates the "Victory Punch" (no sugar!) so does NOT drink it ... (2) then during a swing boogie dance she is thrown up in the air ... and (3) hits her head on the mirror-ball and is knocked senseless.
Sturges may have been playing with the morals of the time, but he was nonetheless a traditionalist himself.

This is entertainment at it's best. One of the funniest movies of all time. Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton really shine. It is a must see movie. I only regret it isn't on dvd.

A great coming of age movie set in 1975 detroit. 3 high school friends are now graduated with uncertain futures. None went to college and none have decent jobs so they are emotionally caught between adulthood and the high school mentality of living at home. Symbolic of this are the high school letter jackets that two of the friends still wear. Stephen baldwin plays a guy who is losing his identity. He was cool in high school but now as an adult he is just another guy. Mort is the most intellectual and introspective of the three but he knows that he needs to go to college to realize his dream of being a writer. A dream that doesn't recieve much support from his friends. In fact he never shares a scholarship notice from central michigan university with them.

Early in the movie they encounter a drug dealer who offers them $9,000 to run some hashish from canada to the usa. Hence the name of the movie because of the bridge that runs between detroit and windsor ontario. The guys can't help but seriously consider that move. They need the money of course but they need a sense of identity even more. Thankfully the movie doesn't dwell too much on this one event but i'm surprised that these guys never once consider the morality of the action just the potential consequences to them. Other mini sub plots take form in the film of course. Their relationship with uncaring parents and romance. There are the cliche stuck up high school class mates who are now in college. One laughable character is a guy who smugly proclaims that he is majoring in pre law. Any one can major in that and most never go to law school.

Things heat up when the fellas decide finally to do the drug run. They deliver this atache filled with money to some really bad dudes in a farm house and realize they have bit off more than they can chew. Instead of hash they are expected to carry heroin across the border and they are lucky to be alive. One of them got beat up really bad. The scenes on the bridge are a bit drawn out but they all eventually decide to leave the car and the heroin and just cross to detroit on foot. This responsible move indicates a crossing over into adulthood and they end up tossing those high school letter jackets into the detroit river.

You will be involved enough in the movie to wonder what happens to these guys in the next ten years. Will mort get that degree and become a writer after all? It works. There is one major problem with the plot. These guys took a lot of money to get drugs in canada and bring them back to the us. What is a drug dealer going to do when he doesn't get the drugs or his money back? we will never know.

The acting is solid and i actually found myself liking stephen balwin's performance. A very good movie but the hole in the plot keeps it from being a 5* film.

.................socks

Coming of age movie with emphasis on the results of the decisions we make. Applies to all of us who were indecisive about the future after high school. A good movie with which to reminisce on a cold night.

I loved this movie, simply due to one certain character...
"High School Senior #3", portrayed by WWE Superstar Sean "XPac"
Waltman. This poor guy really took a pounding from Josh Charles'
& Stephan Baldwin's characters. I'd like to see a sequel to this film w/the main character being HSS#3. Give the dude some respect...he's been pushed around long enough!!

"The Princess and the Pirate" is one of my favourite Bob Hope comedies right up there with "My Favourite Blonde" and "The Ghost Breakers". During the war years escapism was high on peoples wish list and the period saw an influx of top grade pirate adventures set in far off lands on screen such as "The Sea Hawk", and "The Black Swan". Bob Hope, ever quick to pick up on the latest popular trends created his own mini classic here in "The Princess and the Pirate", with a roushing send up of the whole Pirate genre that suited his comic talents to a tee.

This film has it all, from cut throat pirates to beautiful maidens in distress, fantastic galleons filled with treasure, beautiful technicolour, swashbuckling sword play and at the centre the comic Hope in one of his famous coward roles filled with hilarious one liners. Of course no Hope film would be complete without a few Bing Crosby jokes and they are laid on in abundance here. Even San Goldwyn who produced this film comes in for a comic slaying! Bob Hope plays Sylvester the Great a second rate performing act who unknowingly gets involved with a group of cut throat pirates headed by the notorious "The Hook' played superbly by Victor Mclaglen. In a plot too convoluted to lay out here Hope unknowingly gets a rare treasure map tatooed onto his chest and thus becomes the target for the greedy pirates bent on retreiving the treasure. Along the way Sylvester becomes involved with the Princess Margaret (played by the lovely Virginia Mayo)who is being held as a captive by the pirates and who in a surprise twist at the finale, after romancing Hope throughout the entire film suddenly runs into the arms of a well known rival of Hope's whos name I wont mention here!!

The film is full of wonderful scenes and performances. Walter Brennan in a distinct change of pace literally steals the show as the wacky featherhead, the giggling pirate who tattoes the map onto Hope's chest. Bob Hope's quip upon hearing him giggling to "hurry up and lay that egg" is probably one of the funniest lines in the whole film. Virginia Mayo while perhaps not the best leading lady that Bob Hope had in his films is cooly beautiful as Princess Margaret but does perhaps lack a bit of the fire that a Maureen O'Hara type would have brought to the role. Bob Hope I feel has one of his very best roles here. Whether he is playing the wisecracking Sylvester ducking from cut throat killers or dressed as a cackling old gypsy woman to avoid detection on the pirate ship, romancing the Princess or deceiving the dreaded Hook and the govenor, he is in fine form full of the lovable quips and Crosby insults that were his stock in trade. Hilarious scenes abound throughout "The Princess and the Pirate". Stand outs are the priceless scene where Hope and the princess arrive at the boarding house in port to find a room for the night and find that the previous occupant had mysteriously "checked out" while leaving all his clothes! and the absolute rib tickler where Bob ends up sharing a bath with the corrupt governer La Roche (Walter Slezak in another funny performance) and tries to hide the tattoo of the treasure map from him, that one is guaranteed to have you laughing till you drop!.

The overall look of this production is lavish and no expenses was ever spared on Bob Hope films around this time. The colour is beautiful and the costumes, sets, and period flavour are top notch. For a fun filled, hour and a half of pure mayhem and Hope madness "The Princess and the Pirate", is unsurpassed. If you are a Hope fan like I am you cannot miss this one to see him at the absolute peak of his abilities and comic timing. Enjoy a rousing time on the high seas with Bob Hope at his cowardly best!!

My siblings and I caught this movie on Sunday afternoon TV once, and laughed until we cried. Very silly gags interspersed with hilarious one-liners make this oldie stay fresh. I'm not someone who generally likes classic comedy, and I LOVE this movie!

This film is very good, so entertaining and colorful. It's packed, with glamoour, romance, comedy, and adventure. A little of everything. Virginia Mayo is wonderful in it and so is Bob Hope.

While an overview of what happened in 1972 and a well-made film, this film will also serve to needlessly add fuel to the fire for the misinformed Irish-Americans that feel support for the terrorist of the IRA and Sinn Fein are somehow 'patriotic.'

What happened in 1972 has SO little to do with the true Irish problem as it exists today- which is Irish Catholics vs. Irish protestants and engrained hatred of each other.

Supporting the IRA and Sinn Fein does NOT promote peace or loyalty to Ireland, it promotes and endures the civil war going on their between two extremist groups. The supporters of the IRA and Sinn Fein in America (thankfully a dwindling group) shouldn't flatter themselves to think that anyone in the UK has an interest in keeping Northern Ireland.

It's a major, draining inconvenience to the British who sadly still need to remain there at the SPECIFIC REQUEST of the Irish Protestants who are entitled to protection from becoming a Socialist state and total eradication from Ireland simply for being Protestant. Call it what it is- preventing the IRA's Final Solution....

Lets keep in mind this was done by a British film crew, and financed by British money, but I did find the story to be extraordinarily even handed and historically accurate. This message board is not supposed to be a debating forum for Unionists vs. Republicans it is to review the movie and judge it on its merits. And anyone attacking the movie on any other basis is doings so purely out of political motivation. This movie is extremely accurate and does convey the conditions, despair and sentiment of the time in Derry and the whole of Northern Ireland in the 70's. It masterfully tells the tail of 800 years of British presence in Ireland in the limited confines of a 2 hour DVD.

The movie hardly serves as a rallying point for the Republican cause as some reviewers here wrongfully assert, the act itself took care of that. The movie merely depicts that specific moment in time and tells it's tale in an extremely unbiased and even handed way. Bravo.

An emotionally crushing recreation of the infamous January 30, 1972 clash between British troops and Irish protesters in the town of Derry, which led to the deaths of dozens of civilian marchers. "Clash" is perhaps too strong a word -- this film (as well as several abortive inquiries) makes a strong case that the testosterone-amped British "para" soldiers simply went berserk and shot people at random, in hopes of "teaching them a lesson they'd never forget." The distinction between IRA warmongers and the civilian civil rights movement was apparently lost of the embattled English, but their actions at Derry helped lock the Catholic-Protestant feud into place right up to the present day. Filmically, this is an impressive work: the documentary-style handheld camera work, which seems a bit mannered and distracting in the first part of the film, pays off handsomely when the violence starts -- the fear and chaos of the event is made palpable in a suprisingly visceral manner... it's like a punch to the gut when the shooting starts.... and then it worsens and keeps on going for what seems like an eternity. Regardless of what you think of the filmmaker's political slant, the skill with which they built this film's dramatic impact is undeniable. Viewers will have to make up their own minds about what they believe actually happened that day, but this film proides a convincing argument on behalf of the civilian victims. Highly recommended.

There's no denying that Strangers On a Train was one of Hitchcock's best movies, but this translation left a bit to be desired. The encoding on the DVD was obviously low-quality as there was a lot of artifacting and blurring, especially in scenes that contained a lot of motion. The DVD shipped in a blank case, leaving me to find album artwork myself - the end result looking like a cheap pirated DVD sold on the streets of Singapore. The sound quality was mediocre. I would love to see this great movie remastered and repackaged with more extras.

Farley Granger appeared in only two Hitchcock films. He was the nerve racked killer in Rope who ended up not being able to handle the reality of his crime and gave up in the end, and he is the ill-fated tennis star who happens upon a total stranger during a train ride in this film, Strangers on a Train. Too bad. Granger is talented in this role, evoking sympathy from the audience even when he was guilty as sin in Rope. In this movie, it's hard to really blame him for the events that transpire.

Two men meet and strike up a conversation based on Bruno's (Robert Walker in a chilling performance) ability to recognize Guy Haines (Granger) from the tennis court. During the conversation, it is discovered that Bruno hates his father and wants him dead, and that Guy has a wife who is causing trouble for him. Guy wants to marry the daughter of a senator, but needs his current wife out of the picture.

Bruno has the answer. We swap murders, and then there is no motive. Guy laughs it off, but he stops laughing quick when Bruno actually kills Guy's wife and expects him to murder his father in return. By the way, the murder of the wife is some of Hitch's best camera work ever, as he shows the choking in the reflection of the woman's eyeglasses.

Guy has no credible alibi, so he is suspect number one. Bruno keeps on him the whole time, threatening to frame him (Bruno has Guy's lighter that he can plant at the scene), so it becomes a race for Guy to prove his innocence. The scene on the merry go round is a classic, even if a bit unrealistic.

The characters are great, the story strong and the direction superb. You simply can't go wrong with this one. The great suspense films of today owe a debt of gratitude to Strangers on a Train.

But he IS a very clever fellow.

Alfred Hitchcock directs this tight thriller about two strangers who meet on a train, one an up and coming tennis player (Farley Granger as Guy Hanes) with well publicized marital problems, the other a seemingly eccentric young man called Bruno Antony (Robert Walker). Bruno is an idle gentleman with a great deal of time on his hands and a lot of odd ideas, like driving at night without his headlights at high speeds, and smelling flowers on Mars. He poses one such idea to Guy - two men who each have someone they want to kill swap murders to avoid the sticky trap of their own motives.

`You like my idea, Guy? I mean, you're alright with it?'
`Sure, sure, Bruno,' says Guy, desperate to move to another part of the train, `they're ALL swell.'

But of course, Bruno takes him literally.

What follows is a suspence/thriller classic, as Guy must not only prove his own innocence, but avoid the entrapment of the spurned Bruno, who is out to pin him with the murder of his wife.

Fantastic thriller with a great climax and who knew a tennis game could be so suspenceful? Only in the master's hands, I guess. The real standout is Robert Walker as Bruno Antony, one of the most insidious villains ever to creep across the silver screen - check out that scene with young Babs and Mrs. Cunningham at the party (`Now when I nod my head, you just try and cry out. I betcha can't....')! Chilling stuff.

And yes, that's Hitchcock's daughter in the role of Babs (and she's great). Funny story is that her father never once mentioned he was filming `Strangers,' but went through proper channels (her agent) and had her audition like a regular actress for the part!

While not Cary Grant's best, and not even the best pairing between Grant & Dunne (that would be either Penny Serenade or My Favorite Wife), The Awful Truth is still an enjoyable screwball comedy. Sure, it's light and predictable, but it's enjoyable, nonetheless. If you're a fan of Cary Grant, or classic comedies, you'll enjoy this.

Cary Grant is the epitome of what a movie star should be and this movie and his pairing with the charming Irene Dunne (they also play together in the equally charming "My Favorite Wife"!) is smart, fast, and laugh out loud funny. Amazing at how current the humor remains. Poor Ralph Bellamy never has a chance, but he's gives it a good try! Cary Grant is absolutely gorgeous in this movie!

this movie is the best i have seen , a great comedy , the ending is awsome, but am not going to spoil it now, gona let you find out for yourself.

"The Lady Eve" is one of director, Preston Sturges' sinful, guilty pleasures. The plot involves a man-eater, played to perfection by Barbara Stanwyck, who sets her sights on dim-witted millionaire, Henry Fonda. After nearly wooing him into signing over his fortune, Fonda discovers the truth about "Eve" and retreats to his country home to convelesce. But Eve's scheming doesn't end there.
Criterion has redefined what is meant by their tag line on the back slip of this DVD packaging when they state "Sparkling new digital transfer". There is nothing new or sparkling about the print used in the mastering of this DVD. It is faded, worn and exhibits nearly every ravage of time, including tears, chips, scratches and water damage worthy of a complete restoration effort.
Worse, the DVD mastering is shoddy, with an excessive amount of edge enhancement, aliasing and fine detail shimmering that completely distracts one from enjoying the performances. Film and digital grain is excessive and distracting. Tiling in the background information is also glaringly obvious and present throughout. The gray scale of this disc reads more like a muddy haze of undistinguished tones in which all of the fine details get buried under and lost. The audio is mono and strident, scratchy and worn.
Extras: A Lux Radio Broadcast of the movie for those who want to turn off their television and just listen to the movie and an audio commentary that is really bare bones.
BOTTOM LINE: Criterion's penny pinching is not reflected in their price. This is a DVD you shouldn't even consider, much less buy.

Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve" is a romantic battle of the sexes done screwball style. Yet, to classify it solely as a romantic or screwball comedy would be a mistake. For "The Lady Eve" was a transition film set between the pure screwball comedies that preceded it and the more conventional romantic comedies that followed. It relied on pratfalls and misunderstandings like its predecessors but also added an additional level of wit and sophistication that downplayed the more juvenile aspects of the screwball genre.

"The Lady Eve" is about the complicated boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-meets-another-girl-who-turns-out-to-be-the-same-girl relationship between beer company heir Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) and crafty con artist Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck). They first meet on a cruise ship where Jean pegs Charles as just another victim. However, she soon falls in love with him only to be tossed aside when Charles finds out about her true vocation. Jean bides her time, patiently waiting for an opportunity to exact revenge on the man who jilted her. The opportunity soon presents itself but Jean's romantic feelings get the best of her once more. After deciding to leave behind her fake Eve personage, she chooses true love over the con game and hooks up with Charles again.

Fonda is superb at playing the sincere but easily victimized Charles. Those familiar with him only through his dramatic roles will find that he can be just as home in a comedic part. Yet, it is Stanwyck who steals the show. At different points of the film, she is called upon to be vile, sweet, clever, or heartbroken, and she pulls off each new demand placed upon her effortlessly. Stanwyck remarkably manages to create a multi-dimensional character that you loathe and love at the same time. The supporting cast is also strong with Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest all contributing winning performances. There's much to enjoy about "The Lady Eve" but perhaps the most important message to take away from it is that it is never good to have five aces in your hand.

For those who already know that this is a delightful film: the print quality isn't awful, but it isn't as flawless as some of Criterion's other transfers. The transfer of Hitchcock's "Rebecca", for instance, looks much richer because there seem to be more shades of gray. Also, I was much more impressed with 20th Century Fox's restoration of "How Green Was My Valley" (same year as "The Lady Eve") than with this particular work. On the other hand, it doesn't look nearly as grainy as Criterion's transfer of "Trouble in Paradise" (1932), an older film.