Customer Reviews

I Was a Male War Bride

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was a Male War Bride(released Aug/49),starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan,is set against the back drop of a post war Europe,specifically Germany,when it was divided into zones and run by the allies.The starkness and devastation of the countryside and people is quite evident all through the picture.With this as a bleak backdrop,the comedy doesn't flow as naturally as it otherwise would have.But there is no denying Grants ability in the comedy department as Hawks gives him every opportunity to shine,whether he is fighting with his extremities laying on a chair or in a tub or dressing in drag.One particular gag that stands out is a page taken right out of the Laurel and Hardy play book.Instead of Oliver Hardy this time it is Grant.It is later in the day and they both are exhausted from a long ride and lost.There is a signpost but Grant cannot read it and Sheridan tells him to go over and look.He does but still cannot make it out.Sheridan says:"Well,climb up and see".Grant does but still can't tell what it says as it is in German.Sheridan finally turns around and catches what it says and starts to snicker.Grant slips back down the signpost and realizes,because of the nice white streak down his front,it must have said wet paint.This gag was originally done on film in the 20s then reprised in the 40s by The Boys.Grant would many times slip into a Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy-ish mode in his films,and I have often wondered whether Grant and the Boys ever met and talked,because there is a definite influence there.
The plot involves Sheridan who is a lieutenant in the American WACS and Grant is,of all things,a Captain in the French army.If you can wrap your head around Grant,with his accent,being French,you know you will like the film.And in typical Grant style,he pulls it off,but for the life of me don't ask me how.It's a Grant "thing",I guess.The two characters have obviously worked together before and Grant is sent on a mission to a town in Germany.Who is ordered to accompany him but Sheridan.In fact Sheridan is Grant's driver,on a motorcycle yet;regulations you understand! Eventually,through alot of frustrations and faux pauxs,like that painted sign post,the two somehow fall in love and marry.But as things are atypical in this plot,Grant becomes a war bride to Sheridan,who is being sent home to the States for discharge.And of course the American chain of command just can't wrap their collective heads around Grant being,well,a guy.There are alot of trips and turns as a result,but in the end it is all good.Watch for "Red",a seaman aboard the ship,played by Ken Tobey.When Hawks went on to make his Sci-Fi classic in a few short years,The Thing from Another World,he remembered Tobey and put him in the lead.
Extras include some special footage of Army personnel visiting the set during its making,with no sound and the trailer.The picture is clean and clear.
All in all a good film.When the comedy comes it is good but it is off and on throughout,as the stark background of a war torn Germany really acts as a damper on things.But Sheridan and Grant are a good team on screen and they seemed to be having fun.3 1/2 -4 stars.

20th Century Fox presents "I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE" (1949 105 min/B&W) -- Starring: Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan, Marion Marshall, Randy Stuart & Bill Neff

Directed by Howard Hawks

Howard Hawks directed this classic farce about how love attempts to triumph over military red tape after the close of World War II. Capt. Henri Rochard (Cary Grant) is a French officer who is assigned to put a stop to a black market operation in occupied Germany with the help of Lt. Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan), an American WAC. While their initial meetings are hardly harmonious, in time Rochard and Gates find that opposites really do attract, and they fall in love.

The two decide to get married, which seems simple enough, but the moment Gates receives orders to return to the United States and Rochard wants to join her, they soon discover just how complicated the U.S. Army can make things. While the Army has a strict protocol for dealing with "war brides," there is no similar routine for men who marry female Army personnel, so in order to follow his new wife into the States, Rochard has to disguise himself as a WAC. From this moment on, nearly everything that happens to Rochard is an affront to his dignity and/or his patience, from his inability to share a bunk with his new bride to his discovery that Army regulations prevent him from driving a motorcycle (Gates has to take the handlebars, while her husband is forced to ride in a sidecar).

Wonderful Direction, Wonderful Cast and Super Screenplay!

The chemistry between Grant and Sheridan is priceless, one laugh after another.

BIOS:
1. Howard Hawks Director)
Date of Birth: 30 May 1896 - Goshen, Indiana
Date of Death: 26 December 1977 - Palm Springs, California

2. Cary Grant [aka: Archibald Alexander Leach]
Date of Birth: 18 January 1904 - Horfield, Bristol, England, UK
Date of Death: 29 November 1986 - Davenport, Iowa

3. Ann Sheridan
Date of Birth: 21 February 1915 - Denton, Texas
Date of Death: 21 January 1967 - Los Angeles, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 105 min on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox ~ (January 6, 2004)

I saw this movie on TV for the first time a couple years ago. I have been looking for a copy of it DVD ever since. Thank goodness it's finally out.
When I saw this movie for the first time, I laughed harder than I had for any other Cary Grant movie (Or any classic movie for that matter). This movie is seriously funny and I would stack it up against any comedy by any actor to date. I will admit that it isn't Grant's best performance. He has done so many great movies that a lighthearted comedy like this isn't going to go down as another of his oscar-caliber performances. All that aside, this is a hilarious movie and well worth the purchase.
The storyline for this movie is just terrific. It gives Grant plenty of room to be flustered. Being flustered is something that Cary Grant does better than any other actor in the history of film. If you thought you had seen the best of it in "Bringing up Baby," you really need to take a look at this one. Cary Grant endures every imaginable calamity with his classic poise.
If you want to see Cary Grant endure abuse from a woman he can't stand (ie Father Goose, Bringing Up Baby) only to fall in love with her in the end, this is your movie. I know that might sound a little formulaic (especially for a Cary Grant movie) but this one is a cut above the rest. As stated before, this isn't going to be remembered as one of the greatest movies of all time, but for a movie that you can just sit down and enjoy, this is one of my favorites.

I know this film is supposed to be a classic, but I wasn't pleased with this purchase. The gags seemed obvious and tired. Cary seemed tired. This was really the beginning of his most lackluster period on screen. This and the films that followed (CRISIS, PEOPLE WILL TALK, ROOM FOR ONE MORE, DREAM WIFE, MONKEY BUSINESS were all pretty disappointing efforts).

Ann Sheridan was better in her earlier roles at Warners. She seems wasted here.

Everyone else covers the plot well enough. I was impressed by the quality of DVD for the price. You won't be disappointed.

Howard Hawk's "I Was A Male War Bride" has become a benchmark in screwball comedy. Grant plays a French officer stationed in post-war Germany, who falls for stubborn American WAC officer, Ann Sheridan. This is one of those great comedy of errors, in which two people, destined to be together by the final fade out, have to go through the rarest of hoops to acheive their blissful conclusion.
TRANSFER: In a word - gorgeous! A stunning black and white picture with an exceptionally balanced gray scale. Near pristine film elements - perfect contrast levels, solid blacks and NO DIGITAL ANOMALIES, result in a smooth visual presentation that can't be beat. The audio is mono but well balanced.
EXTRAS: NONE! Oh well, nobody's perfect!
BOTTOM LINE: An absolute must for collectors.

A good old fashioned laugh feast is guaranteed in Howard Hawk's rollicking farce set in post war Europe "I Was a Male War Bride". Cary Grant was always superb in these types of disgruntled male lead roles where he often found himself being put through the emotional ringer by a woman who generally has the upper hand on him. In this funny story the woman in question is the lovely Ann Sheridan who causes poor Cary no end of discomfort and frustration all in the name of true love and in wanting to be fully "man and wife" in the real sense of the term. Unfortunately in this story achieving that seemingly simple state of being is no easy accomplishment and it provides the viewer with many funny sequences that are sure to amuse and indeed surprise some die hard Cary Grant fans.

Cary Grant plays french Officer Henri Rochard who is part of the occuping forces in postwar Germany who are responsible for getting the country back to it's proper operation. He has a real love /hate working relationship with American WAC Lt. Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan in one of her best roles)who in whatever situation they find themselves together in always manages to "get Henri's goat" The pair find themselves continually assigned to various duties together with Henri generally always coming out of these encounters the worst as in the example of his recent brush with the wise cracking Lt. where his private parts took on a strange colour thanks to a vat of blue dye he was dumped in all in the name of duty! Assigned to track down a black market ring the pair grudgingly find themselves going through all sorts of funny situations to achieve that ta

Plot: Henri is a French captain and Catherine his assistant, an American WAC. They fall in love and get married. Catherine wants to return to America, but Henri will only be permitted immediate entry to the states if he becomes a "war bride". Then the fun starts!

In this wonderful film which is based on a true story, and set in Germany just at the end of WWII, Cary Grant plays slightly cranky, but ever so charming French Army officer Henri Rochard. Ann Sheridan plays the American Army Lieutenant Catherine Gates who is sent on several assignments with him for the French Economic Mission.

They have a seemingly hate/hate relationship (on a previous occasion she pushes him into a vat of blue dye - in fact some part of him is still blue, but we are not told which part!)

In true screwball comedy fashion they set off on a motorbike on their mission and it is only after they end up in the middle of a haystack that they admit their true feelings.

Having decided to get married, they discover that they are tied up in a whole roll of military red tape, and have to forego their wedding night to travel back to the States. BUT - the only way Henri can gain entry to the States is as a warbride - well, you can imagine the comic possibilities to be made out of that one!

He is unable to get on the boat until he dresses up as a female American Army officer, complete with a very fetching bob made out of a horse's tail. He makes a horrible woman, but oh what a gorgeous man!

I loved this film. It is a brilliant, sparkling comedy that leaves you with a big smile on your face for ages afterwards. The barbed banter between Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan is spot on. Some of my favourite scenes - Henri trapped in Catherine's bedroom and how awkward and uncomfortable he looks trying to sleep on the chair (he never seems to be able to get a decent bed for the night!), the scene where he is filling out the form which is patently designed for female warbrides - the question "Any female trouble?" is met with a terse "Nothing but, sergeant"!

Oh, it was so good, I'm off to watch it all over again!

Cary Grant stars as a French officer looking into the black market in postwar Occupied Germany. He is assigned American officer Ann Sheridan as an assistant, a woman with whom he has had a previous relationship which appears to have ended badly. There are obvious sparks between them, and as they endure a series of misadventures (usually at the expense of Grant), they become close again, marry, and then face another series of misadventures as they try to find a way to get Grant back to the U.S. as a "war bride". Grant is in good comedic form here, although a little sour as the Frenchman who finds the road to romance filled with more than a few potholes. Sheridan, sometimes wasted in her earlier roles at Warner Bros, is warm and engaging and has very good chemistry with Grant. There are a number of good lines and fun situations for the twosome, and the sight of Grant in drag, with the worst wig imaginable, is well worth a good laugh. But I did find the pacing of the movie to be off a bit, which surprised me given that the film was directed by the great Howard Hawks. It moves a bit slowly at times and needed a little more energy. But it's a fun comedy that benefits greatly from its two stars and their easy, expert performances.

A fantastic film that gets better with age! Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan are perfect in their roles as a French army officer and a WAC lieutenant. At first they can't stand each other, but later realize they're madly in love. They later marry but encounter trouble when due to military rules, Henri Rochard (Grant) can only enter the U.S. as a war bride. This comedy will constantly remind the viewer of Cary Grant's flair for comedy. This is an excellent film that will keep you laughing! Get your copy today; you'll be glad you did!