My Man Godfrey (Colorized / Black and White)
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Features
• Closed-captioned
• Black & White
• DVD-Video
• NTSC
In Theaters : 17 September, 1936
DVD Release : 19 April, 2005 |
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My Man Godfrey (Colorized / Black and White) description
Director Gregory La Cava deftly balances satire, romance, and social comment in this 1936 classic, which echoes Frank Capra in its Depression-era subtext. The Bullocks are a well-heeled, harebrained Manhattan family genetically engineered for screwball collisions: father Alexander (Eugene Pallette, of the foghorn voice and thick-knit eyebrows) is the breadwinner at wit's end, thanks to his spoiled daughters, the sultry Cornelia (Gail Patrick) and the sweet but scatterbrained Irene (a luminous Carole Lombard), his dizzy and doting wife, Angelica (Alice Brady), and her "protégé," Italian freeloader Carlo (Mischa Auer). When Irene wins a society scavenger hunt (and atypically trumps her scheming sister) by producing a "lost man," a seeming tramp named Godfrey (William Powell), all their lives are transformed. With the always suave, effortlessly funny Powell in the title role, this mystery man provides the film's conscience and its model of decency; the giddy, passionate Lombard holds out its model for triumphant love. In a movie riddled with memorable comic highlights, the real miracle is the unapologetic romanticism that prevails. --Sam Sutherland |
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My Man Godfrey (Colorized / Black and White) Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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A Screwball Social Comedy
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Often cited as a masterpiece of the screwball genre because of Carole Lombard's hilarious and endearing performance as Irene Bullock, Gregory La Cava's finest film is also very much a social comedy in the Frank Capra vein. It tackles many of the same issues as the darker "Meet John Doe" but in a more upbeat and funny manner, its message somewhat overshadowed by Lombard's Irene and Powell's dapper but troubled Godfrey.
William Powell requested his ex-wife Lombard for the role of Irene and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the part. Sometimes overlooked, however, is Powell's brilliantly shaded turn as Godfrey, a man running from his family's money and influence after having his heart broke by a woman. Traveling and living as a hobo, he fits right in with others bitter and lost during the depression.
Being a denizen of society's upper crust hasn't prepared him for the likes of Irene Bullock and her family, however. From the moment he gives in to her wish that he come with her as a "forgotten man" and become her "Cornelia beater" in a scavenger hunt, he becomes a part of the family and teaches them all some valuable lessons.
Eugene Pallette is marvelous as the harrassed father in financial trouble trying to curtail his family's high living and crazy lifestyle. Gail Patrick is a perfect contrast to Lombard's sweet and ditzy Irene as her cold and scheming sister, Cornelia. Mischa Auer gives a crazy performance as a moocher funded by Irene's mom. But it's really the chemistry of Powell and Lombard that holds it all together.
Irene, who has no idea Godfrey is living in the dump by choice, falls head over heels for him. He in turn, numb from being hurt, and not ready to open that door again yet, puts his energy into transforming that dump into a working place where men can feel useful again. While he works for the Bullock's, however, Irene works his way into his heart.
Lombard works her way into the filmgoer's heart as well, giving one of the great comedic performances in sound film. This is a marvelous film from the 1930's which blends social commentary with screwball comedy perhaps better than any other from the era. Powell is magnificent here, and if you've never seen Lombard, you'll be a big fan after seeing her here for the first time. A real gem.
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My Man Godfrey (Colorized / Black and White) dvd movie.