I Take This Woman

Always enjoy pictures starring Hedy Lamarr, (Georgi Gragore Decker) who is a woman in love with a man who is married and Georgi is sailing on a ship and decides to take her life and jump over board and is saved by a Dr. Karl Decker, (Spencer Tracy). Georgi is very grateful to Dr. Karl for saving her life and they both become very attracted to each other, however, Georgi has been a model for some very rich clients and has some very rich people who like her very much. Dr. Karl Decker is a doctor who works in a clinic that deals with the poor and is loved by the average simple people. Karl asks Georgi to marry him and this is when the story becomes very interesting which turns into quite a romantic film story. Enjoy.

Actually the most brilliant performance in this movie was that of Verree Teasdale as Madame 'Cesca' Marcesca, the jewel saleslady who acted the part of the raisonneuse. Her sarcastic comments and assessments of the psychological foibles of high society were priceless. The writing of this movie which supplied so many great one-liners was truly high level with the great Charles MacArthur starting things off. At first I swore Teasdale must have been Hedda Hopper because her character mimicked that lady's commentaries and attitudes. Whatever became of such a talented actress? Actually, in contradistinction to your other commentators I thought Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr were quite good in their acting. While at first I thought this must have been their only collaboration IMDb shows us that they made four movies together. I had never even heard of their movies and this one was the first one I'd ever seen. It was worthwhile and interesting seeing this movie despite its frequent moments of over-sentimentality.

The film is pleasant enough, with Tracy and Laraine Day. But Hedy, was a jewel. That opening scene where she is in her satin gown, with that perfect figure, contemplating suicide, was really a sight. I squirmed when Tracy had to sock that gorgeous puss, in order to prevent her suicide, as if anyone would want to disfigure that face. Being Italian, when she had to speak it to a distraught Italian women, the words were very authentic. I thought she was really Italian, until later I found out she mastered 6 languages. No wonder she had the brains to invent that product for guiding torpedo's during the war, and now put to use in cell phones. Some reviewers here made comments that Tracy and Lamarr didn't get along...that is not true. In fact, they made 2 other movies together after this. If there was a problem, Tracy had enough clout to tell MGM, he would not make another movie with Lamarr. The word got around that Hedy was new to American movie making, and also, new to the English language. Read Chas. Boyer bio where it is said that there were problems with her English in "Algiers", so they limited her dialogue. But as we all know, Hedy mastered the language as well as 5 others... .but the problem with Tracy was that she couldn't grasp Tracy's mumbling and fast talking as he has shown in so many of his movies. Imagine if she had to appear with Brando, the king of mumblers. There is a candid photo of them together during recess of making "Tortilla Flat"...a very intimate scene...on Ebay. See this movie for the jeweled Hedy.

I adore Hedy Lamarr. I think she was vastly underrated as an actress during the 40s. She was the Nastassja Kinski of that era, and critics didn't take her seriously. Having said all that...this film is a BORE. When I watched it for the first time, I was shocked at the lack of continuity, not only in story, but in makeup and costumes. Hedy's makeup changes from shot to shot. So does hair length and style. Reason: This thing had so many writers and underwent so many stops and starts it's amazing they ever released it at all. Her "Lady of the Tropics" began filming AFTER this one began, yet it was released before "I Take This Woman." In fact, at the time, it was known in Hollywood as "I Re-Take This Woman." That should tell you something. I'm a Spencer Tracy fan as well, but he is AWFUL here. I've read in various film histories that he absolutely despised Hedy Lamarr, and that looks perfectly obvious on film. NO chemisty whatsoever. The story wanders around for reel after reel and finally just rolls to an end very strangely. I can't recommend this one at all.

One can become easily lost within this film. I did. I found myself caring for these characters and hoping that, as the film wore on, there weren't any really bad turns to be taken. Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr were exquisite together. Tracy did everything one would expect, but it was Lamarr's performance that was truly refreshing. The combination of "old world" style and young girl cuteness was put forth effortlessly. She was interesting and a joy to watch. In fact, the movie was very enjoyable. There are some scenes, when viewed through today's eyes, standards, one cringes. The problem is the movie was made in 1939. Things and views were different then, just as they will be 60 years from now.