The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Directed by Preston Sturges

Romance / Comedy

Film Review

Abstract picture representing The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Preston Sturges's prodigious talent for wild comic absurdity, well-honed satire and lightning fast dialogue reaches its zenith in this wonderfully mad screwball comedy, sadly one of the last of its kind made in Hollywood.  The Palm Beach Story is warm, slick and hilarious, a relentless barrage of comic situations which just about manage to keep one foot in reality whilst veering off in the most unexpected directions, some with an oddly surreal tang.  The madness begins in a frenzy as the opening credits are played over a silent slapstick sequence that is unfathomable until the last minute of the film, which resolves everything with probably the most outrageous and yet brilliant deus ex machina ever conceived for a Hollywood motion picture.  The dividing line between genius and raging insanity has never looked so microscopically narrow.

The success of a screwball comedy depends just as much on the performances as on the writing and direction, and all three are excellent here.  Joel McCrea, the star of Sturges's previous (and somewhat weightier) Sullivan's Travels (1942) is effectively partnered with the Claudette Colbert, who is not only stunningly beautiful but also revels in the film's zany humour and unflagging pace.  Mary Astor and Rudy Vallee are equally impressive in their substantial supporting roles.  Astor had previously featured in the defining film noir The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Vallee had been a hugely successful singer and bandleader in the 1930s - his vocal chords are put to good use in this film.

Preston Sturges is often described as a one off.  He is almost unique in combining sophisticated, keenly observed satire and believable characterisation with an exuberant, almost maniacal, sense of anarchic schoolboy fun.  His films are funny but they are also truthful, taking serious themes and passing them through the gently distorting prism of comedy.  That is why his films are so entertaining, so highly regarded and rarely appear dated.  Whilst many popular film comedies have a tendency to become flat and stale with the passing of time, Sturges's have retained their sparkle and mischievous appeal, like a delicious and slightly dizzying champagne cocktail.  The Palm Beach Story is Sturges at his most inspired - a comedy classic of he first order.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Preston Sturges film:
The Great Moment (1944)

Film Synopsis

After five years, Tom and Gerry Jeffers find that the spark has gone out of their marriage.  Their life together is a constant struggle to make ends meet whilst Tom looks around for a backer to finance his ambitious project to build a rooftop airport in New York City.  Finally, Gerry decides that a divorce is the only way out and so she heads off to Palm Beach, believing this is the best place to file a divorce.  In the course of an eventful train journey to Florida, she unwittingly snares a timid young man, who turns out to be none other than John D. Hackensacker III, one of the richest men in America.  Fate appears to have sent Gerry the solution to all her problems, but will Tom ruin it all...?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Preston Sturges
  • Script: Preston Sturges, Ernst Laemmle
  • Cinematographer: Victor Milner
  • Music: Victor Young
  • Cast: Claudette Colbert (Gerry Jeffers), Joel McCrea (Tom Jeffers), Mary Astor (The Princess Centimillia), Rudy Vallee (J.D. Hackensacker III), Sig Arno (Toto), Robert Warwick (Mr. Hinch), Arthur Stuart Hull (Mr. Osmond), Torben Meyer (Dr. Kluck), Jimmy Conlin (Mr. Asweld), Victor Potel (Mr. McKeewie), William Demarest (First Member Ale and Quail Club), Jack Norton (Second Member Ale and Quail Club), Robert Greig (Third Member Ale and Quail Club), Roscoe Ates (Fourth Member Ale and Quail Club), Dewey Robinson (Fifth Member Ale and Quail Club), Chester Conklin (Sixth Member Ale and Quail Club), Sheldon Jett (Seventh Member Ale and Quail Club), Robert Dudley (Wienie King), Franklin Pangborn (Manager), Arthur Hoyt (Pullman Conductor)
  • Country: USA
  • Language: English
  • Support: Black and White
  • Runtime: 88 min

The very best French thrillers
sb-img-12
It was American film noir and pulp fiction that kick-started the craze for thrillers in 1950s France and made it one of the most popular and enduring genres.
The best of Japanese cinema
sb-img-21
The cinema of Japan is noteworthy for its purity, subtlety and visual impact. The films of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa are sublime masterpieces of film poetry.
French cinema during the Nazi Occupation
sb-img-10
Even in the dark days of the Occupation, French cinema continued to impress with its artistry and diversity.
The very best American film comedies
sb-img-18
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
The best of Russian cinema
sb-img-24
There's far more to Russian movies than the monumental works of Sergei Eisenstein - the wondrous films of Andrei Tarkovsky for one.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright