- Paperback: 734 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press (Mar 1 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0306808323
- ISBN-13: 978-0306808326
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #584,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
What could top the charm, the outlandishness, the wit, the loveliness of classic Hollywood romantic comedy? The triumph of James Harvey's book is its ability to convey the delights of the genre when it was at its best, during the 1930s and '40s. Though he devotes chapters to major filmmakers such as Frank Capra and Howard Hawks, and stars like Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers, Harvey's focus is on two of the finest directors of the period: Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges. Harvey describes the joys of watching their movies as he offers many intriguing insights into their cinematic styles and comic techniques. One of the best things about this book is its author's willingness to discuss obscure, hard-to-find films. Of course, he covers popular entertainments such as Lubitsch's Ninotchka, Capra's It Happened One Night, and Sturges's The Lady Eve, but he also devotes equal time to little-known, fascinating works like Sturges's The Great Moment and Lubitsch's Angel. This is an invaluable companion for anyone interested in learning more about two of Hollywood's most wonderful auteurs or about romantic comedy in general. --Raphael Shargel
From Publishers Weekly
Why is a book titled Romantic Comedy such a depressing read? Two reasons: with the disappearance of the nation's revival houses and the movie studios' hesitation to put all but the most popular classic films of the '30s and '40s on video, many of the marvelous movies Harvey describes here are virtually unavailable to contemporary viewers; and, sadly, they don't make them like they used to. A State University of New York teacher, Harvey is an enthusiastic student and devotee of the genre, and he has assembled a wealth of information about its leading directors and performers. But as hard as he tries in his detailed film descriptions, he can't recreate the unique spark that characterized screwball comedies and their antecedents. Of course he can'tgenerations of filmmakers have failed to revive the screwball spirit, whose kinetic blend of polish, pacing and personality cannot possibly be captured by print alone. Nevertheless, like too many writers on the topic of film, Harvey attempts the impossible, and loses readers in a jumble of transcribed entrances, exits and asides that, regrettably, do not play on the page. This is aggravated by Harvey's tendency to spend his analytical energies on attempts to articulate viewers' reactions to the films he discussestrying to pin down exactly how we feel about Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve, for examplewhich ultimately compels readers to put down the book and head for the video store to see for themselves. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Curate's Egg,
By Peter Laverick (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges (Paperback)
This book is interesting in spite of the theories it contains rather than because of them. Maybe those who have given this book a good rating are just happy that the author spends a lot of time talking about so many wonderful films. But, whilst much of the analysis of the films is interesting, a lot of it is rather hamfisted. In many cases the author seems to be praising the actor for doing what the writer or the director told him to do. In fact I would say that in this book the role of the scriptwriter is completely misunderstood. This severely weakens Harvey's attempts at textual analysis In addition, Harvey's literary judgements are rather curious to say the least. For example, he completely underates the genius of Noel Coward and claims that the movies of the 30s as an American artifact whilst ignoring the obvious influence of the British comedy of manners in forming the backbone of Hollywood comedy. The silly left wing social theories expressed in this book are laughable, as is the author's hankering for 'subversion' in comedy films, at the expense of just plain laughter. This book is far too long and repetitious. The services of a good editor would have been worthwhile.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books on film art,
By
This review is from: Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges (Paperback)
Not only is this a comprehensive survey of the genre of romantic comedy (and its profound sub-genre, screwball comedy), but Harvey's digressions offer many wise comments on pre-1950 films in general. I came away convinced that comedy is more profound than tragedy. A good editor won't spoil "Hamlet" by cutting some of its dialogue, but it would be infinitely harder to cut dialogue from any of the great comedies written and directed by Preston Sturges. As a bonus, Harvey provides a glowing appreciation of the comic artistry of Irene Dunne, along with a wonderful interview with her.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book for the lover of the screwball comedy,
By "gkelly4" (GRANADA, GRANADA SPAIN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges (Paperback)
Sturges, Lubitsch, Hawks, all the directors of the golden age of the comedy are here. The book we are looking for. It was easy to find books about the film noir or the western but it wasn't so easy to find the same about comedy. This is the book.
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