This is where it all starts, the first of nine film collaborations of Tracy and Hepburn, whose off-screen, extramarital romance would continue until Tracy’s death quarter a century later.
Naturally, one would not expect a 40s Hollywood studio rom-com to be progressively egalitarian on the front of gender politics, although George Stevens’ picture holds a grand promise by allowing Tess Harding (Hepburn), a polyglot, international affairs correspondent and Sam Craig (Tracy), her fellow fourth estate practitioner, a homespun sports journalist, falling for each other, which accentuates the rub, Sam’s consternation and frustration living under the shadow of Tess, who defies every possible definition of what an American wife traditionally means, especially after she is bestowed with the title as “America’s Outstanding Woman of the Year”, can Sam live up to the standard of the husband of “the Woman of the Year”?
No, this film is not a whirlwind screwball inundated by ceaseless banters and repartee, in lieu a standard meet-cute that jostles the funny bone when Tess and Sam fumble in their respective new territories which are the other’s turfs, opposite attracts, that is the axiom. But clearly, male chauvinism inexorably sneaks in when the plot makes Tess do many a gormless thing to irk Sam to a fault, not least by adopting a 6-year-old Greek refuge boy Charlie (Kezas) without giving Sam a heads-up, and finally suffixed with a reshoot ending that compromises the movie’s initial liberal-minded stance, not every woman is a natural to the kitchen chores, if that simple fact can be construed as a laughing matter constructed with painstaking lengths, the movie forsooth has trouble to find empathy in today’s audience.
Be that as it may, Hepburn is Oscar-nominated for her quintessential capacity of turning on the waterworks and ignites some magical chemistry with an avuncular if somewhat grumpy Tracy, who in the final scene, leaves Tess’s scene-stealing secretary Gerald (Dan Tobin) at the receiving end of his petty protest, if that is not thinly-veiled male chauvinism, why on earth a man who is simply very good at doing his job (as a woman’s secretary) deserves to be in the butt of the joke?
referential entries: Stevens’ PENNY SERENADE (1941, 7.0/10); Stanley Kramer’s GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967, 7.6/10).
This is where it all starts, the first of nine film collaborations of Tracy and Hepburn, whose off-screen, extramarital romance would continue until Tracy’s death quarter a century later.
Naturally, one would not expect a 40s Hollywood studio rom-com to be progressively egalitarian on the front of gender politics, although George Stevens’ picture holds a grand promise by allowing Tess Harding (Hepburn), a polyglot, international affairs correspondent and Sam Craig (Tracy), her fellow fourth estate practitioner, a homespun sports journalist, falling for each other, which accentuates the rub, Sam’s consternation and frustration living under the shadow of Tess, who defies every possible definition of what an American wife traditionally means, especially after she is bestowed with the title as “America’s Outstanding Woman of the Year”, can Sam live up to the standard of the husband of “the Woman of the Year”?
No, this film is not a whirlwind screwball inundated by ceaseless banters and repartee, in lieu a standard meet-cute that jostles the funny bone when Tess and Sam fumble in their respective new territories which are the other’s turfs, opposite attracts, that is the axiom. But clearly, male chauvinism inexorably sneaks in when the plot makes Tess do many a gormless thing to irk Sam to a fault, not least by adopting a 6-year-old Greek refuge boy Charlie (Kezas) without giving Sam a heads-up, and finally suffixed with a reshoot ending that compromises the movie’s initial liberal-minded stance, not every woman is a natural to the kitchen chores, if that simple fact can be construed as a laughing matter constructed with painstaking lengths, the movie forsooth has trouble to find empathy in today’s audience.
Be that as it may, Hepburn is Oscar-nominated for her quintessential capacity of turning on the waterworks and ignites some magical chemistry with an avuncular if somewhat grumpy Tracy, who in the final scene, leaves Tess’s scene-stealing secretary Gerald (Dan Tobin) at the receiving end of his petty protest, if that is not thinly-veiled male chauvinism, why on earth a man who is simply very good at doing his job (as a woman’s secretary) deserves to be in the butt of the joke?
referential entries: Stevens’ PENNY SERENADE (1941, 7.0/10); Stanley Kramer’s GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967, 7.6/10).
2025.04.23nn山姆•克雷格是一名体育新闻记者，最近，他被一个女人给惹恼和烦着了，她就是同在一个报社，不同部门的记者苔丝•哈丁，苔丝总是在自己的专栏里抱怨体育运动是如此的无聊，惹得山姆等一众体育记者大为光火，在这些男人看来，女人不应该这么咄咄逼人，就应该是保持无知、纯洁，像金丝雀，于是山姆在自己的专栏里和她针锋相对，唇枪舌剑一番，并乐此不疲，终于把哈丁小姐逼的到报社总编那里告状来了。nn在克蓝顿办公室，一直隔空怒怼的两个人第一次见面，山姆流露出惊艳的表情，哈丁小姐则露出惊讶的神情，山姆一度不由自主的想退缩，被克蓝顿叫住，山姆只好硬着头皮上前打招呼，坦诚自己以一种不友好的方式认识的哈丁小姐，哈丁小姐则寸步不让的称是山姆先生先冒犯了她。就在克蓝顿先生喋喋不休当和事佬的时候，两个人面对面的直视着对方，心里都在嘀咕，斗了半天，原来对方长这样呀，接着两个人都露出了会意的笑容。nn为了证明体育运动的魅力，山姆和苔丝相约去看一场棒球比赛，对于棒球，哈丁小姐无知的像个儿童，听着山姆不厌其烦的为哈丁小姐科普棒球知识，他的同事和朋友们直摇头，这也太TM累人了。没有想到很快哈丁小姐就上道懂了，甚至可以跟着观众的节奏一起摇旗呐喊，加油助威，他身后的那名男子一开始被哈丁小姐带着的宽边遮阳帽挡住视线，几番提示无果，烦闷的无处发泄怒火，现在哈丁小姐脱下了帽子，并且和他互动，简直是爽歪歪了。而哈丁小姐带给山姆的惊喜让他再次重新确认一遍，两个人都有一种久旱逢甘雨，相见恨晚的感觉，哈丁小姐的激情澎湃让山姆心动。nn毫不令人意外的，棒球赛结束之后，山姆向苔丝小姐展开了爱情攻势，第一次应邀参加一个晚会，嘉宾们大都说俄语，苔丝游刃有余的周旋于他们中间，除了英语，别国语言一句不会的山姆郁闷不已，好不容易听到有人说英语，急忙上前搭讪，结果对方立刻换了语种，继续叽里呱啦说个不停，让山姆快找不到北了，好不容易遇到一个头上包裹起来的人说英语，结果聊了半天发现对方只会说“Yse”，连“no “都不会说，无奈的山姆只好一走了之。nn山姆来到苔丝办公室，被她的秘书格雷得挡住，等待接见的时，山姆随手拿起一张报纸，却是中文报，还拿倒了。好不容易见到苔丝，结果发现她忙碌的几乎没空和他闲聊，想约晚上单聊，她却又要飞华盛顿，最后定下来接她去机场的路上，走出苔丝办公室，山姆为了装面子，随手拿走了那份中文报，假装看得懂的样子，嘴里一个一个的往外蹦字，秘书疑惑他说的不是人话。山姆去一个妇女大会接苔丝，阴差阳错的上了主席台，想退回去却找不到了出口，手忙脚乱的引来台下女观众哄堂大笑，正在发言的苔丝示意坐在了她前排的座位上，又是失误不断，成了一个舞台上耍活宝的小丑。nn送苔丝去飞机场，她的秘书和姨妈随行，一车人塞的满满的，哪有机会说悄悄话，还好，苔丝临上飞机前，山姆逮着机会吻了她。山姆终于有机会带着苔丝来到他常去的小酒吧喝酒，两人互述衷肠，双双坠入了情网。山姆和苔丝结婚的当天，身为总统身边高官的父亲从由警车开道，一路风驰电掣的来到婚礼现场，匆匆忙忙的参加了女儿的婚礼，随后只待了十分钟就匆匆离去。nn新婚之夜，让不期而至的欧洲客人卢拨克博士给搅了，他带来一群外国人纷至沓来，叽里呱啦的反正山姆一句也听不懂。山姆灵机一动，打电话给酒吧品克比得和伏咯，也招来一大帮朋友。在卢拨克博士面前，品克大谈拳击，还亲自示范，让卢拨克博士无所适从。还好伏咯猜出了山姆要和他新婚妻子独处，及时带走了所有人，两人目睹着一众人一边祝福一边离去，感觉像被剥光了衣服一样，没有一丝隐私的尴尬。即使这样，也没有影响两个人的感情，他们度过了一个美好的新婚之夜。nn然而，两人的婚后生活却并不是风平浪静，回到家后面对的是事业型的女强人妻子和秘书在一直工作，山姆只好自己去厨房煎蛋，妻子让秘书捎话给在厨房忙碌的丈夫，他们也饿了。两人常常在同一座城市，却失之交臂，实属遗憾，截然不同的个性让他们在很多的琐事上都会爆发争吵。苔丝领养了一个希腊难民孩子克里丝，尽管山姆不太情愿，还是留下了做了他们的儿子，山姆是希望有一个他们亲生的孩子。在领养孩子问题上成为了他们两人婚姻生活的绊脚石。苔丝被选为了“时代女强人”，这让山姆感到非常的吃醋，山姆悄悄的把克里丝送到了其他寄养家庭，他也离开苔丝的家回到了自己的家。nn没有想到爱伦姨妈竟然嫁给了爸爸，爱情多么奇妙，它是不以人的意志所转移的，山姆因为要采访世界杯比赛没有来，是个遗憾。在父亲和姨妈的婚礼上，神父对婚姻的一番话让苔丝泪流满面，有所顿悟。苔丝连夜开车回到了自己的家，收拾行李，搬到了山姆的公寓，看到丈夫还在熟睡中，她轻手轻脚的来到厨房，想给山姆做一顿早餐，可惜她手忙脚乱的把山姆给吵醒了，看到妻子笨手笨脚的样子，山姆直摇头。为了让山姆重新开心起来，苔丝做了回归家庭，准备做个贤妻良母的努力，却以失败收场。看来回归家庭也不是苔丝这类女强人的幸福之道。
这是史宾塞•屈赛与凯瑟琳•赫本的九次备作中的第一次，银幕上四溅的火花也揭幵了他们银幕下的罗曼史。从此以后.屈赛与赫本的名字就被紧紧地联系在一起在这部影片中，屈赛与赫本是对冤家情侣，婚姻将他们间的矛厣澉化。
片中漫溢着浓厚的女权想，但在赫本的坚持下结局被淡化了.而八年后，她在《亚当的肋骨》为女性平等而和屈赛大大出手时，这一基调却发生了变化。亊实上，赫本的幕后I影响力是巨大的，是她说服了米高梅主席路易斯•梅耶，让乔治•史蒂文斯执导影片，从而保证了影片男性基调；更选择了史宾塞•屈赛来演对手戏。亊实证明，赫本的直觉一直都是准确的。
评论：
一《纽约客》
弗朗茨•瓦克斯曼(配乐)弗朗茨•瓦克斯曼是好莱坞最受人尊敬的作曲家之一，也是少有登上美国邮政纪念邮票的电影作曲家。瓦克斯曼曾就读于柏林的音乐学校，尤其擅长钢琴。朋友费里德利希•霍兰德尔把他带进了影坛，当时是为《蓝天使》制作配乐。为躲避纳粹，瓦克斯曼逃到巴黎.为弗兰茨•朗的力姆雄曲。与大多数犹'太艺术家一样•瓦克斯曼最终移民到美国•并凭偖为恐怖片《科学怪人的新娘》制作的配乐在好莱坞站稳了脚跟。
在希区柯克的《蝴蝶梦》之后，瓦克斯曼成为了电影配乐大师。
《日落大道和《郎心似铁》》让瓦克斯曼两获奥斯卡最、佳配乐奖。
诸如《费城故事》《深闺疑云》《后窗》《修女传》等影史佳片的配乐也出出自瓦克斯曼之手。
公众号：“帕布莉卡”（书影音 学外语）
公众号：“帕布莉卡pabulika”（中日韩女明星写真集）
公众号：“pabulika”（名人名言）
--------------------------------------------------------------------
一本书，一部电影，还是一段音乐 ♪ ♩ ♫ ♬
在世界的某个角落, 总有什么能触动你的心灵；
在世界的某个角落, 总有和你一样的人。
帕布莉卡 官网：https://pabulika.cn/