Film Review
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
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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.