Harvey, a review by Antares
Harvey
Year: 1950
Film Studio: Universal International
Genre: Comedy, Classic
Length: 104 Min.
DirectorHenry Koster (1905)
WritingMary Chase (1907)...Play
Mary Chase (1907)...Screenplay
Oscar Brodney (1907)...Screenplay
ProducerJohn Beck (1909)
CinematographerWilliam H. Daniels (1901)
MusicFrank Skinner (1897)...Composer
StarsJames Stewart (1908) as Elwood P. Dowd
Josephine Hull (1886) as Veta Louise Simmons
Peggy Dow (1928) as Miss Kelly - Nurse
Charles Drake (1917) as Dr. Sanderson
Cecil Kellaway (1893) as Dr. Chumley
Victoria Horne (1911) as Myrtle Mae Simmons
Jesse White (1917) as Wilson - sanitarium orderly
William H. Lynn (1888) as Judge Gaffney
ReviewElwood P. Dowd
Harvey, because it best describes the feeling you get from watching it. A sublime sense of pleasantness, that is oh so lacking in most of the films today. What also separates it from the vast majority of the cookie cutter type films and actors, who star in them today, is the ensemble cast surrounding Jimmy Stewart. Stewart may have been the lead actor, but it is Josephine Hull who steals the show. Every moment she is onscreen is a pure joy to behold. Her mannerisms, reactions and speech inflections help to create a sense of not only hilarity, but whimsy and pathos. For once, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences got it right, when it bestowed upon her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her incredible performance. Peggy Dow, Cecil Kellaway and Jesse White round out the stellar troupe of character actors, each visually unique and essential to the subtle comedic timing of the film.
Elwood P. Dowd: Well, anyway, I was walking down along the street and I heard this voice saying, "Good evening, Mr. Dowd." Well, I turned around and here was this big six-foot rabbit leaning up against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name. And naturally I went over to chat with him. Well, we talked for awhile and then I said to him, I said, "You have the advantage on me. You know my name and I don't know yours." And, and right back at me he said, "What name do you like?" Well, I didn't even have to think twice about that. Harvey's always been my favorite name. So I said to him, I said, "Harvey." And, uh, this is the interesting thing about the whole thing: He said, "What a coincidence. My name happens to be Harvey."
Elwood P. Dowd: Harvey and I sit in the bars... have a drink or two... play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they turn toward mine and they smile. And they're saying, "We don't know your name, mister, but you're a very nice fella." Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We've entered as strangers - soon we have friends. And they come over... and they sit with us... and they drink with us... and they talk to us. They tell about the big terrible things they've done and the big wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar. And then I introduce them to Harvey... and he's bigger and grander than anything they offer me. And when they leave, they leave impressed. The same people seldom come back; but that's envy, my dear. There's a little bit of envy in the best of us.
Review Criterion5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.(From Harvey (1950) on June 11th, 2010)
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June 23, 2018, 06:02:06 AM
