{"id":6056,"date":"2009-06-25T12:30:07","date_gmt":"2009-06-25T19:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6056"},"modified":"2021-02-05T17:59:51","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T00:59:51","slug":"twentieth-century-1934","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6056","title":{"rendered":"Twentieth Century (1934)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;She loves me; I could tell that through her screaming.&#8221;<\/strong> <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster-198x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-69053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster-198x300.png 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster-677x1024.png 677w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster-85x128.png 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster-179x270.png 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/20th-Century-Poster.png 743w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn egomaniacal Broadway producer (John Barrymore) tries to convince his former protege and lover (Carole Lombard) to star in his latest show.\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>Actors and Actresses<\/li>\n<li>Carole Lombard Films<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Howard Hawks Films<\/li>\n<li>John Barrymore Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Trains and Subways<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary notes that this Howard Hawks classic (co-written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur) &#8220;was the first sound comedy to have the male&#8230; and female leads&#8230; not only carry the brunt of the comedy&#8230; [but also] have their characters make absolute fools of themselves&#8221; &#8212; which, combined with the film&#8217;s &#8220;frenetic pacing&#8221;, is why it&#8217;s often considered to be the first &#8220;screwball comedy&#8221; (rather than Frank Capra&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4138\"><em>It Happened One Night<\/em><\/a>, released earlier the same year). The story itself is essentially a no-holds-barred contest of egomaniacal wills between Barrymore (Oscar) and Lombard (Lily), both of whom remain &#8220;in a state verging on lunacy&#8221; until the &#8220;very end&#8221; of the story. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore2.png 1361w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Lily ultimately &#8220;becomes just as pretentious&#8221; as Oscar, proving &#8220;Hecht and MacArthur&#8217;s cynical point&#8230; that once the theater gets in your blood, you lose your humanity&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>As Peary points out, while &#8220;at times the script is slight&#8230; the film itself is consistently funny because of the bravura performances by Barrymore and Lombard&#8221; &#8212; both of whom are perfectly cast and in rare form here (Peary accurately notes that Lombard is likely the only actress who could come close to matching Barrymore&#8217;s hamminess). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-1024x775.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"484\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-1024x775.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-768x581.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore-357x270.png 357w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-Barrymore.png 1367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, given that Oscar and Lily &#8212; who scream their way through the film &#8212; aren&#8217;t particularly sympathetic characters, I find myself admiring <em>Twentieth Century<\/em> more than I actually enjoy it; they deserve each other, but I was glad to say goodbye to them by the end of the film. The most memorable thread of the movie, for me, remains the hilarious subplot involving a lunatic passenger (Etienne Girardot) who wantonly posts &#8220;Repent&#8221; stickers all over the train. Given its place in cinematic history, <em>Twentieth Century<\/em>, should be seen by all film fanatics, but it may or may not become a repeat favorite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Barrymore as Oscar Jaffe (Peary awards him an <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\">Alternate Oscar<\/a> as Best Actor of the Year)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-1024x779.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"487\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-1024x779.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-768x584.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-355x270.png 355w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore.png 1361w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Carole Lombard as Lily Garland (nominated by Peary as Best Actress of the Year in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em><\/a> book)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-1024x765.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-1024x765.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard-362x270.png 362w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Lombard.png 1359w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Etienne Girardot as mad Mr. Clark<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-1024x764.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69054\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-1024x764.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-768x573.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot-362x270.png 362w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Girardot.png 1373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-1024x769.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Twentieth-Century-Barrymore-Lombard2.png 1363w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur&#8217;s madcap script<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance, and for its lead performances. Nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Peary&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em><\/a> book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0025919\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/twentcent.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/27561\/twentieth-century\/#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/twentieth-century\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;She loves me; I could tell that through her screaming.&#8221; Synopsis: An egomaniacal Broadway producer (John Barrymore) tries to convince his former protege and lover (Carole Lombard) to star in his latest show. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Actors and Actresses Carole Lombard Films Comedy Howard Hawks Films John Barrymore Films Play Adaptations Trains and Subways Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary notes that this Howard Hawks classic (co-written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur) &#8220;was the first sound comedy to&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6056\"> 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-6056","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\/6056","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=6056"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69060,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6056\/revisions\/69060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}