☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½
The
Lady Eve (1941) – P. Sturges
Do
you know about writer-director Preston Sturges, one of the masters of screwball
comedy? If not, you are missing out! He
first worked as a screenwriter for Mitchell Leisen (Easy Living, 1937; Remember
the Night, 1940) but then graduated to his own insane work, populated with
peculiarly named characters played by eccentric and memorable character actors
and with a few big name stars thrown in.
His work can be manic and wordy but always funny (and often satirical
with some bite). The Lady Eve is a
relatively leisurely affair, following Henry Fonda’s Charlie Pike (heir to an
ale fortune) as he encounters a trio of card sharks aiming to swindle him out
of his fortune on a cruise ship. Charles
Coburn (perfect!) and Barbara Stanwyck (exquisite!) team up as a father-daughter
act and Fonda swiftly succumbs to their charms. Stanwyck is soon in love with Fonda too, but
when she’s exposed as the con artist she is, all bets are off! But true to his complicated form, Sturges
doesn’t leave things there but allows Stanwyck to return to wreak her revenge,
lightly disguised as a British noble. Confusion ensues (and lots of pratfalls). The ending is particularly sweet – is this
secretly a comedy of remarriage? Highly recommended!
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