Comedy > 1940 Comedy

Reason why Laural & Hardy are great #1.

Advantages: Classic comedy.
Disadvantages: The last Laurel and Hardy film made at the Hal Roach Studio.

Each and every film Laurel and Hardy made (together) is a reason for their greatness. Each film, no matter how long or shot, displays a glimpse into their comedic talents as a double act. As Im sure many will know, the Laurel & Hardy films find Stan Laurel (the thin one) and Oliver Hardy (the larger of the pair) getting themselves into all sorts of trouble whilst portraying some superbly conceived, if not often far fetched, storylines. There is no ...
...going in the world of Laurel & Hardy, but certainly obscure enough to give it an edge over some of the others. There are some great scenes, that fall into the "classic" group. Ollie's obvious hate for his horn testing job at the factory is superbly acted and their double act is at its best. Plenty more classic moments onboard their boat with som great scenes of confused identity whilst the pair are still to discover thier stowaway. Put Stan and ...

findyourfoto 28.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Laurel And Hardy - No. 11 - Saps At Sea And Music Shorts (DVD)

A Chump at Oxford

Advantages: Timeless Humour
Disadvantages: Nothing

Laurel & Hardy Volume 1 - A Chump at Oxford This is a single DVD containing 3 wonderful films; A chump at oxford From soup to nuts Another fine mess The films are in their original black and white format and also ‘colourised’ version. The main feature is “A Chump at oxford” This is a superb comedy made when Laurel and Hardy where at their best. By pure accident it seems Stan is related ...
...place there with Ollie as his butler. When Stan gets a knock on the head he wiggles those ears and starts fighting everyone in sight, he also thinks that he is a lord until another bang brings him back to normal. Simply brilliant, a fighting Stan is something to behold and worth the money for this movie alone. Second Movie; “From Soup to Nuts”. = A silent movie made very early on in 1928. Stan and Ollie are waiters who wreck ...

MaldivesHoliday 19.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Laurel And Hardy - No. 1 - A Chump At Oxford And Related Shorts (DVD)

A Cary Grant film

Advantages: Cary Grant
Disadvantages: Loud and silly

...he sometimes made mistakes in his acting roles…and this was one of them. It isn't that he didn't act well, but the film itself was below his standards and no-one else brought anything to the film that made me want to revise this opinion. The director Howard Hawks was born in Indiana in 1896. He directed films such as the original Scarface, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Red River, The Big Sleep and I Was a Male War Bride, showing himself to be a versatile ...
...I wanted to thump him. His attempts to win Hildy back once he realises she is about to marry another man without giving any thought to whether she wants him back or not are nothing short of annoying. I guess this is the sign of a good piece of acting; but I really prefer to watch what is supposed to be an entertaining film without wanting to throw things at the television. Rosalind Russell plays Hildy Johnson. I haven't heard of Rosalind Russell ...

sunmeilan 07.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of His Girl Friday (DVD)

A Screwball Gem

Advantages: Witty and marvelously played
Disadvantages: Witty and marvelously played

...for a screwball comedy in the early 40's you would be unlikely to get one better than this. Cary Grant stars as Dexter Haven the divorced husband of Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), a Philadelphia socialite. When Tracy is due to remarry Dexter aids some reporters (Macauley Connor (James Stewart) and Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey)) to attend the wedding to get a scoop for their magazine. Naturally Connor falls for the soon to be bride and seeks to ...
...rightly become a classic in the genre. This is down to an excellent script and marvellous performances from all leads. Stewart won the Academy Award that year but you can't help but feel Hepburn was robbed. This was something of a comeback film for her and as such was her vehicle and she steals the show with her trademark charisma and timing. Both male leads are wonderful too - Grant is conniving and Stewart the incurable romantic and both play off ...

Nixu1980 17.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Philadelphia Story (Special Edition) (DVD)

Sadly not my favourite Cary grant comedy

Advantages: Cary Grant and Irene Dunne team up for another comedy
Disadvantages: Plot is a little far fetched

In ‘My Favourite Wife’, Cary Grant finds himself married to two women at the same time when his long lost wife Ellen (Irene Dunne) returns on the very day he has declared her legally dead and married Bianca (Gail Patrick) instead. His first wife’s sudden appearance on his honeymoon throws him (and the hotel staff) into turmoil. He still loves Ellen but how does he tell his new bride? His answer is to create a series of excuses to spend as little ...
...the issue. Things get even more complicated when Nick discovers Ellen spent the seven years away shipwrecked on a desert island with another man (Randolph Scott) who now wants to marry her. Jealousy escalates as he endeavours to find out what happened on the island and she wants to know why he’s still married to Bianca. This movie is a likeable farce that Cary Grant and Irene Dunne play well. The plot is a little hard to swallow at times though ...

filmlover 15.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of My Favourite Wife (DVD)