Film Review
More than a decade before director Joseph L. Mankiewicz illuminated us
on the uglier side of life on Broadway with
All About Eve (1950), Gregory La Cava took us
backstage and showed us the grim realities endured by budding
theatrical types in this poignant, brilliantly observed
comedy-drama. Although
Stage
Door is credited as being based on a play of the same name by
Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman, it really has very little to do with
the play, which was no more than a snobbish dig at Hollywood. La
Cava's film is both a comic masterpiece and a pretty uncompromising
account of life as it was experienced by many an actress during the
Great Depression. It also represents something of a landmark in
feminist cinema, one of the first notable Hollywood offerings to depict
women getting by on their own initiative, without being dependent on
the male sex for their personal fulfilment and career success.
The film was both of its time and ahead of its time,
a bold departure from the flimsy escapism that dominated Hollywood
in the mid-1930s.
The main appeal of
Stage Door has
to be its legendary ensemble of female acting talent that fills
the screen and positively effervesces with life, not as a haphazard
collection of individuals but as a Gestalt entity moving
with flawless synchronicity. Heading
the endlessly wisecracking brood are Katharine
Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, both perfectly cast in the character types
that would stay with them for many years - Hepburn the assured but
slightly eccentric society girl who is most definitely not afraid to
speak her mind, Rogers the independent-minded working class lass who
spits barbed witticisms as effortlessly as she kicks dust from the
dance floor. Here, they complement one another superbly and form
what has to be one of Hollywood's most enjoyable double acts.
Constance Collier is another of the film's delights, hilarious as the
tragically faded ham actress of the old school who regards the
theatrical profession as a painful duty, for both the actor and the
spectator. The bevy of beauties that make up the frolicsome
chorus includes Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Ann Miller and Andrea Leeds,
the latter of whom was nominated for an Oscar for her touching
portrayal of the poor thing who was fated to die for her art, albeit a
little too melodramatically for today's tastes.
The film's director, Gregory La Cava, was no stickler for Hollywood
conventions and his innovative flair is very much in evidence here.
He allowed his actresses to improvise and even
tailored the script to their acting styles and natural speech
rhythms. As a result, the film has a vibrancy and immediacy which
is exceedingly rare in Hollywood movies of this era.
Few films combined screwball-style comedy and melodrama as effectively
as
Stage Door, and whilst it
is easily overlooked (on account of La Cava's comparative obscurity
today) it definitely deserves to be considered a classic.
© James Travers 2011
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Film Synopsis
Against the wishes of her incredibly wealthy family, society gal Terry
Randall is determined to make her way as an actress. She has her
baptism of fire when she moves into a cheap boarding house for aspiring
actresses in New York. All of the tenants are desperate for their
big break on Broadway, but few have any chance of success. With
her superior airs and posh accent, Terry gets a cold reception,
particularly from her cynical roommate Jean Maitland, who resents
Terry's privileged background. Jean's dislike for Terry turns to
outright contempt when the latter manages to secure for herself a part
in a play which fellow boarder Kay Hamilton has set her heart on.
On the night when fame and fortune beckon for Terry Randall, disaster
strikes...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.