dir. Frank Capra
writ. Robert Riskin (screenplay), George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart (play)
feat. Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold
This particular Capra jab at a life of joyless greed starts like a fever dream, the world and company of Martin Vanderhof (Barrymore) both absurd and captivating, only to wheeze through exhausted lungs into a protracted illness that one begs to end. The charm and eccentricity of Vanderhof and his family hint at the Addams Family (coincedentally first a comic strip begun in '38,) slightly crazed and possibly dangerous yet successful and happy. All of these qualities are quickly conveyed, leaving no doubt in the viewer, nor anywhere to effectively go with the characters.
Of course, banker and patriarch, Anthony P. Kirby, has a long road to travel from his avaricious post to humble father and decent man, a painfully slow path to be eked along by his son, Tony, whose love for young Alice (Arthur,) granddaughter to Vanderhof, is only rivaled by his distaste for the family business. It's this journey that makes one yearn for the speed and efficiency of a dentist, the predictable ending playing out in slow motion for nearly the full final third of the film.
And it's unfortunate to lose the momentum generated so winsomely. Early scenes paint Tony as a clear mismatch for the fast-talking world of finance, his thoughts operating in a more circular manner, swirling slowly, while somehow not awkwardly, into a proposal of marriage to Alice. And Tony's abandoned dream simply and beautifully suggests a future in solar power technology, a small idea that might be nurtured into something important if not forced to live up to the immediate demands of a quick return. If these inklings could have been developed and sustained as themes, a resonance may have been achieved to surpass another story of a banker learning his lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment