{"id":21123,"date":"2011-12-13T12:57:01","date_gmt":"2011-12-13T19:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21123"},"modified":"2021-01-25T12:08:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-25T19:08:05","slug":"lady-eve-the-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21123","title":{"rendered":"Lady Eve, The (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I need him like the axe needs the turkey.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Poster-186x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-21124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Poster-186x300.jpg 186w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Poster-79x128.jpg 79w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Poster.jpg 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 186px) 100vw, 186px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA con-artist (Barbara Stanwyck) on-board a cruise ship with her cardsharp father (Charles Coburn) falls in love with a naive ophiologist (Henry Fonda) she originally sets out to dupe. Before she can reveal her true identity to him, however, he becomes wise to her scam and shuns her completely. Stanwyck seeks revenge by posing as the aristocratic niece of a con-artist Earl (Eric Blore), and seduces Fonda all over again &#8212; but what are her ultimate intentions?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Stanwyck Films<\/li>\n<li>Charles Coburn Films<\/li>\n<li>Con-Artists<\/li>\n<li>Gold Diggers<\/li>\n<li>Henry Fonda Films<\/li>\n<li>Millionaires<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Preston Sturges Films<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIn his review of this critically acclaimed romantic comedy by writer\/director Preston Sturges, Peary notes that &#8220;Sturges takes standard screwball-comedy material&#8221; &#8212; reminiscent of other notable titles in the genre, including both <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2368\"><em>Bringing Up Baby<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11333\"><em>The Awful Truth<\/em><\/a> &#8212; and &#8220;turns it into a zany classic&#8221;. He points out that the &#8220;film has an irresistible blend of quirky characters, snappy dialogue, slapstick, and sex&#8221; &#8212; an abbreviated listing of all the critical elements that make Sturges&#8217; best work so memorable. Of these elements, the latter is perhaps the most surprising and refreshing (how in the world did Sturges get his script past the Hays Office???). Roger Ebert, in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/great-movie-the-lady-eve-1941\">&#8220;Great Movies&#8221; review<\/a>, argues that the infamous ~4 minute static shot about 20 minutes into the story &#8212; when Stanwyck &#8220;toys with Fonda&#8217;s hair&#8221; &#8212; is his personal selection for the &#8220;single scene in all of romantic comedy that [is] sexiest and funniest at the same time&#8221;; indeed, it&#8217;s likely the humor of the scene that managed to assuage would-be morality police from complaint &#8212; but it remains a dilly of an erotic\/romantic moment on-screen!<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s most memorable about <em>The Lady Eve<\/em>, however, are the performances by the odd-couple leads &#8212; both at the top of their game. Peary accurately notes that Fonda (never the most exciting of actors) &#8220;will surprise you with his skillful pratfalls&#8221; (they&#8217;re numerous, and all exceedingly well-done), and argues that &#8220;Stanwyck is so personable and vivacious that you feel&#8230; all the men whose money she stole got their money&#8217;s worth&#8221;. Peary names Stanwyck Best Actress of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book for 1941, though he ultimately selects her performance in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=45431\"><em>Ball of Fire<\/em><\/a> over this one simply because he &#8220;likes her character better&#8221; in that film; but he rightfully argues that she&#8217;s &#8220;flawless in both comedies&#8221;. Her complex character here undergoes a tremendous character arc, allowing herself to unexpectedly fall in love, then reverting to wily cynicism when her heart is broken, and magically transforming into a glamorous, seductive, yet hilarious noblewoman who convincingly has dozens of men literally drooling at her feet. She bats not an eye when silently daring Fonda to doubt the veracity of her outrageous assumed persona &#8212; yet we can easily see both her vulnerability and her scorned-woman wrath hovering close beneath the surface. <\/p>\n<p>Peary culminates his brief review of <em>The Lady Eve<\/em> by arguing that the &#8220;film would match <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20001\"><em>Sullivan&#8217;s Travels<\/em><\/a>&#8221; &#8212; which he nominates as Best Picture of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> &#8212; &#8220;if it didn&#8217;t peter out near the end&#8221;; however, I&#8217;m actually a bigger fan of this title, made the same year. I disagree completely that the film&#8217;s ending (reminiscent, in a way, of the denouement to Billy Wilder&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20410\"><em>The Major and the Minor<\/em><\/a>) is a cop-out; as Ebert puts it in his &#8220;Greatest Films&#8221; review, the final two lines are &#8220;equal to the classic line &#8216;Nobody&#8217;s perfect!&#8221; at the end of <em>Some Like It Hot<\/em>.&#8221; A final kudos should be given to Edith Head and her minions for a set of marvelous outfits; Stanwyck has never looked more enticing. As Peary puts it, &#8220;cheers to her wardrobe designer&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Stanwyck as Eve (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck.png 1600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Stanwyck-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Henry Fonda as Charles<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21128\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda.png 1600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Fonda-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Edith Head&#8217;s costumes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2.png 1600w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Lady-Eve-Gown2-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A consistently delightful and witty script, full of intriguing throw-away lines:<br \/>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I used to go with a little Eskimo dame&#8230;&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8220;I knew a guy who married the same woman three times, then turned around and married her aunt.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a true classic of the screwball genre. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0033804\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/great-movie-the-lady-eve-1941\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1941\/02\/26\/archives\/the-lady-eve-a-sparkling-romantic-comedy-with-barbara-stanwyck-and.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/review\/4317\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2186stur.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/ladye.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/80626\/the-lady-eve#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QlpQYDArtSo\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I need him like the axe needs the turkey.&#8221; Synopsis: A con-artist (Barbara Stanwyck) on-board a cruise ship with her cardsharp father (Charles Coburn) falls in love with a naive ophiologist (Henry Fonda) she originally sets out to dupe. Before she can reveal her true identity to him, however, he becomes wise to her scam and shuns her completely. Stanwyck seeks revenge by posing as the aristocratic niece of a con-artist Earl (Eric Blore), and seduces Fonda all over again&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21123\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21123"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65900,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21123\/revisions\/65900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}