Alfred Hitchcock teams up with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious and the result is one of the greatest classics in his filmography. The film is one of four Hitchcock films starring Grant, joining Suspicion, To Catch A Thief, and my personal favorite, North by Northwest. David O. Selznick tried for Joseph Cotten in the Grant role but it was to no avail. The producer did, however, get his way with casting Claude Rains…
"Notorious: An Alfred Hitchcock Classic"Tag: Cary Grant
Despite being a remake of 1939’s Love Affair, Leo McCarey’s An Affair To Remember remains a beloved romantic classic to this day. “Oh, it was nobody’s fault but my own. I was looking up. It was the nearest thing to heaven. You were there.” – Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr) If you watch the film right after the 1939 original, it is going to look and sound very familiar. This is because the script is more…
"An Affair To Remember: A Beloved Romantic Classic"
Suspicion is one of four Alfred Hitchcock films to star Cary Grant but Joan Fontaine earns the only acting Oscar in Hitchcock’s filmography. While North by Northwest is my favorite Hitchcock film, Suspicion is where it all began for Grant’s relationship with the filmmaker. Their relationship might have started sooner but Grant’s schedule meant not being able to star in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Given their similar backgrounds from growing up in England, it’s no…
"Suspicion: A Romantic Psychological Thriller"
Holiday was one of two 1938 comedies that were released in theaters and starred both Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The other comedy starring the duo was Bringing Up Baby. It’s hard to compare this film to the Howard Hawks comedy or even The Philadelphia Story, another George Cukor-directed comedy a few years later in which they were paired up again. While it’s not a bad film, this film just doesn’t come off as funny as…
"Holiday: Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in a Comedy of Manners"
Arsenic and Old Lace is the latest Cary Grant film to join The Criterion Collection with a restored 4K digital transfer arriving on Blu-ray. My original review from this past January: Arsenic and Old Lace, a black comedy directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, is just as funny now as it was in 1944. Shot over the course of eight weeks in late 1941, the film wouldn’t see the light of day until…
"Arsenic and Old Lace Gets Criterion Blu-ray"
One cannot write a list of the best rom-coms of all time if the list of movies does not include any films released prior to 1970. The amount of times I hear that someone refuses to watch movies from before a certain year is just mindboggling. Like why? How can anyone write about film without at least making an effort?!? If you’re especially writing about film history, you MUST make an effort to study film…
"The Best Rom-Coms Ever: Watch Movies Before 1970" Arsenic and Old Lace, a black comedy directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, is just as funny now as it was in 1944. Shot over the course of eight weeks in late 1941, the film wouldn’t see the light of day until 1944. Broadway plays are always a great source material for films. However, Broadway producers were always worried that movies would impact their attendance. At least, this was the case during the…
"Arsenic and Old Lace: A Hysterical Classic"
Cary Grant and Myrna Loy team up together for their third and final time in comedy classic Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. The film got a new Blu-ray thanks to the Warner Archive Collection in May after a 4K scan from the original negative. The picture is certainly better than ever. You should check out the film if you haven’t done so already. There’s a few bonus features including a pair of radio productions…
"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant bring the hysterics when they team up together in the classic 1938 screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby. Initially a flop, Bringing Up Baby‘s reputation wouldn’t change until it made its way to television. If not for the film’s initial failure, Hepburn wouldn’t take to the stage in The Philadelphia Story. As we all know, the play would become a film starring Hepburn, Grant, and James Stewart and the rest is…
"Bringing Up Baby Is Still Funny Over 80 Years Later"
Scott Eyman is back with a new biography and what might be the definitive portrait of Cary Grant in Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise. Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and The Philadelphia Story are among the best romantic comedies of all time. Grant’s four films for Alfred Hitchcock–Notorious, Suspicion, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest–still hold up today. The list of films go on and on, including Charade, the best film that Hitchcock…
"Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman"