Title: Lady Eve
Release Date: February 25, 1941
Director: Preston Sturges
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Summary/Review:
Another day, another screwball comedy. And this may be the screwiest one yet, because a lot of the plot is simply not at all logical. But put aside logic and enjoy that gags and you have a good film.
Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) is a shy young man (Fonda is good at playing reserved, but morally-centered characters) and reluctant heir to a brewery fortune. Returning to the U.S. on an ocean liner from the Amazon after studying snakes for a year, Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) and her stunning cheekbones come into his life. He falls for her quickly and they’re discussing marriage before the ship even docks.
But there’s a twist! Jean and her father, “Colonel” Harrington (Charles Coburn), are card sharps, and Charles is their mark. In another twist, Jean legitimately loves him in return, and protects him from being taken by her father. Nevertheless, when Charles discovers the truth about Jean, he breaks off their relationship.
Learning of a con to swindle wealthy Connecticut families, including the Pikes, Jean jumps at the chance to join in, putatively to get revenge for Charles dumping her. She pretends to be a British aristocrat named Lady Eve Sidwich, and Stanwyck is absolutely hilarious putting on her posh English accent and mannerisms. Charles is stunned by Eve’s resemblance to Jean, but rationalizes that Jean would disguise herself better, and thus accepts she’s a different woman. They fall in love, and humorously,Charles uses the same lines to propose to “Eve” that he used on Jean.
After they marry, things get really weird. I mean it’s still funny, but also left me saying “huh?” All in all a good comic film with great performances by Stanwyck and Fonda.
Rating: ***1/2
Panorama of the Mountains 