Alta società

Plush MGM musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story" (with a switch in locale to Newport, Rhode island) looks great but falls flat--and is miscast to boot! Grace Kelly stars as a society beauty and divorcée who is planning to remarry but gets mixed up again with ex-husband and neighbor Bing Crosby, who is in the middle of organizing a jazz festival (!). Meanwhile, tabloid reporter Frank Sinatra and photographer Celeste Holm arrive to cover the impending nuptials--and to get the scoop on Kelly's misbehaving father. A by-the-numbers fantasy-version of romantic interplay, one requiring principals who match up well and sparkle with chemistry. Unfortunately, Crosby and Kelly are more like brother and sister, while journalist Sinatra gives an aw shucks-styled, loner performance (his eventual love-match with Holm is yet another mistake). The good-natured Cole Porter songs are jovial, but director Charles Walters seems afraid to deviate from the story's stage origins, presenting this whole thing as if it were a play. The action is so encumbered, one spends much of the running time admiring the sets; elsewhere, the starchy wisecracks have been preconceived to tickle theater audiences in need of a guffaw and a yawn. Two Oscar nominations, both in the music department: Porter for Best Original Song, "True Love", and Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin for Best Scoring of a Musical.

This second rendition of the exuberant play by John Barry, while inferior to Cukor's 1940 version, remains a delightful farce on the upper class thanks to the witty, sparkling script from the play by John Barry.

The cast is commendable albeit not spectacular given , showcasing the drollery of the script. Grace Kelly (in her last complete screen performance) surprises us with her comedic talents helped along by the script; Crosby slips into the comfortable role of the guy-next-door that is all too familiar with his screen person. Sinatra (showing some of his age) sings adequately, but seems a little distant and lacks the edge, danger and sexiness of his 1940 counterpart.

I might only add that the 3 principals seemed to lack that spark which validated their freewheeling around L.A singing songs about making love. On screen I did not feel they were as youthful and vibrant as seen in some of their earlier films.

The direction by Charles Walters - an accomplished director of film musicals including Gigi, Ziegfeld Follies, and Annie get your Gun - supports the cast very well with various long shots of the mansion and sunny California. He is splendidly able to infuse the house with it's sparkling jewels and ornaments with a sense of grandeur, merriment and delight so that it fully inhabits the characters and their kingdom.

The scene-stealer each time is Louis Armstrong and his band. While his interludes are not his best pieces to showcase, the music is pleasant, dreamy and fun. What else would you expect from this rollicking comedy? And how can you not love Armstrong? He was so adorable!

It was interesting to note the audience's reaction to this film. Musicals are one of my favourite genres - I love them for the swooning and swinging numbers - however the audience did not appreciate it so much. There were even groans and boos (which I found disrespectful - you must know it's a musical!) when Sinatra and Kelly burst into dreamy love duets. I have to admit though that the transition of the songs in the film was not altogether seamless (even choppy at times). At times it seemed like a selling point for the producers to capitalise on the musical craze sweeping the country during that period in Hollywood (See Kelly and Sinatra sing!); add name dropping, and songs & lyrics that misrepresent Cole Porter's skill and wit as a composer.

This is a fun film however deeply overshadowed by the original 1940 version and lacking Cuckor's razor-sharp screwball slapstick. The pace is also slower however it probably compensates for delighting us with the elegant sets and musical interludes.

I was also fortunate to see this film with audience and definitely relished hearing the viewers chortle along to the absurd story and zany characters. It was impossible not to join in the belly-laughs in this dreamy ride.

"If my wonderful, beautiful, marvelous virtue is still intact, it's no thanks to me, I assure you."

High Society is an irreverent, star-studded, music infused lite-romance set amongst the idle rich of Newport, Rhode Island. Quite funny and rarely serious for long, High Society revolves around wealthy and gorgeous Samantha Lord (Grace Kelly), and the three men competing for her affection as her wedding day draws near. 

Bing Crosby stars as her ex-husband, John Lund as her current fiancé, and Frank Sinatra as a visiting reporter come to cover her wedding for a gossip rag. Most of the entertainment from the film comes from Sam bouncing around between the three men, as she goes from a frosty goddess to a warm, fun woman truly ready to marry. I'm sure her behavior in the movie seemed a bit risqué at the time, but it's all ultimately innocent in the end. And of course by the finale, (almost) everyone is happy. 

There are quite a few songs sprinkled throughout the movie, with Crosby, Sinatra, Kelly, and Celeste Holm all getting a chance to belt out a tune or two. Louis Armstrong serves as something of an on-screen narrator, and also plays occasionally with his band. The songs are pleasant, with more than one or two likely to have you humming along.  

Grace Kelly fans will be quite pleased with this, as she rarely looked more stunningly beautiful and gets to show off both her comedic skills and singing talents. She's quite funny, here, and carries a large share of the comedic burden as the movie goes on. Her chemistry with all the other leads is solid, and she carries off Samantha's mini- transformation quite well. Basically, if you weren't a fan of hers before seeing this, I'd be pretty amazed if you weren't smitten with her by the time the credits roll. This was her last role before leaving Hollywood for Monaco, and she definitely went out on a high note (pun not intended).

High Society is a charming, fun movie that should appeal to fans of classic films, musicals, or any of the cast. It's hard not to smile as you watch it, but why would you want to avoid it, anyway?

A society wedding is being arranged in Newport, Rhode Island. The beautiful Tracy Lord is to marry George Kitteredge. However, Tracy's ex-husband, the songwriter Dexter Haven, has never stopped loving her and even now has hopes of winning her back. Two journalists, Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie, have arrived to cover the story for 'Spy' Magazine.

Dexter has scheduled the Newport Jazz Festival for the same week as the nuptials, and this brings Louis Armstrong (playing himself) to town. The divine Tracy is adored by three men - Dexter, George and Mike Connor. She begins to harbour doubts about her forthcoming marriage...

"High Society" is a charming reworking of "The Philadelphia Story", the Grant-Hepburn comedy, which was in turn a remodelling of a successful Broadway play. The one great difference with this version is that "High Society" is a glorious musical masterpiece. Cole Porter's score has to be one of the greatest collections of songs ever filmed.

Grace Kelly is good as the imperious Tracy. "I'm a cold goddess," she intones, but she thaws spectacularly in the warmth of love. Bing Crosby as Dexter is his usual droll and stylish self. Crosby is a class act who holds the screen with effortless poise and cracks the funnies with sparkling sarcasm. Sinatra is in knockout form. Rarely has that legendary voice achieved the resonant timbre on display here. Satchmo blasts out a couple of breezy jazz numbers, and comments on the action like a latter-day Greek chorus.

The songs include five all-time classics. "True Love" is a gorgeous duet in which Kelly unveils a tuneful if brittle singing-voice. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" is rightly world-famous, and is staged here with clever clownage by Sinatra and Celeste Holm (playing Liz). Satchmo's band accompanies Crosby in a swinging "You Has Jazz". The showstopper, "What A Swell Party This Is", has Crosby and Sinatra at their very best, wisecracking self-referentially as they belt out a gem of a song. My personal favourite, "You're Sensational", is beautifully rendered by Sinatra. Watch Frank and Grace in the instrumental break, falling in love with their eyes only.

A confection of sublime music and snappy dialogue, "High Society" is shot in bright, eye-catching Technicolor with an attractive pastel blue predominating throughout. A delightful film.

Something wrong happened as MGM tried to update the much more original "The Philadelphia Story". Some of the blame should go to the uninspired direction of Walter Charles, who can't overcome what the great George Cukor achieved in the original movie version. Part of the blame is shared with John Patrick's screen play that might have been based on the Philip Barry play, but what one sees on the screen is a dull attempt of movie making. Donald Ogden Stewart, who adapted the original play gave that film a light and fun touch, which in Mr. Cukor's hands and brilliant direction came alive throughout the picture.

It's not fair to make comparisons, but unfortunately, the creators of "High Society" leave themselves wide open for it. Right off the start, these stars can't compare with the magnificent performances by Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey and the irresistible Virginia Weidler.

Grace Kelly was an elegant actress who as Tracy Lord gives the role another interpretation but doesn't capture the spirit of the no-nonsense socialite she is supposed to be. Bing Crosby, as Dexter, has some good moments, especially in the "True Love" segment in the yacht with Tracy. Frank Sinatra's Mike Connors is all right, although we can't just imagine how he can be in love with Liz Imbrie. Celeste Holm who appears as Liz gave a tamed reading of her character.

The best thing in the film is the prologue and the finale with the incomparable Louis Armstrong, whose presence would have been used to put some sparkle in this subdued version of Philip Barry's wonderful play.