The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story
Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 01:11 PM
(This was originally posted on Moodle in September)
I have seen The Philadelphia Story several times before yesterday's showing and I am amazed that I can always find something new in the film that I had not noticed before. These films have so much more depth and meanings than many of the films today (not to mention better acting). I had not realized how Tracy's mother was basically ignored in the movie by Tracy after she went off with Tracy's father. Tracy acknowledges her mother one time after that when she is drunk at the party and she was surprised to see her mother there. It almost seems that Tracy can only face her mother when she is intoxicated because she is ashamed of her mother's thoughtless behavior. When the mother left with him, Cavell says that "it deprives the mother of her mental competence, so that while she continues to be present, her mind is absent..." (Pursuits of Happiness, 138). I agree with what Cavell says. After she leaves, I feel like she left her self-respect. Why would she so easily go back to him after there was evidence of him "spending time" with a beautiful dancer? She loses her dignity and essentially her independence when she leaves with him.
I find the scene where Tracy's father tells Tracy that she is acting like a "jealous woman" discerning. And perhaps it is because I have not seen another film that has such honesty and hurt in an exchange between a father and daughter. Many films show fathers comforting their daughters when they are upset, but this film shows an entirely different aspect. A raw, but true portrayal of a father saying exactly how he feels, for better or worse. Tracy takes her father's words to heart and I feel sorry for her because he put it so bluntly. Tracy realizes that there was some truth in his words, so the scene that she tells her father that she loves him is especially touching to me.
I also would just like to say how brilliant George Cukor is at casting Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, and Cary Grant. I think the three actors did a superb job and I cannot imagine anyone else in their roles. May The Philadelphia Story live on!