Classic Film Review: Father of the Bride (1950)

Father of the Bride stars Spencer Tracy as Stanley Banks, a man who recounts his experiences dealing with the financial and emotional troubles associated with organising his daughter Kay's (Elizabeth Taylor) wedding. Joan Bennett plays Stanley's wife Ellie and the cast also includes Billie Burke as Mrs Dunstan, Don Taylor as Buckley Dunstan and Leo. G. Carroll as Mr Massoula. Also, watch out for an appearance by a young Russ Tamblyn as Tommy Banks.

As a family comedy this film works brilliantly. Elizabeth Taylor is charming as Kay with Joan Bennett also wonderful as Ellie. However, this film is Tracy's through-and-through. The warmth and humour he injects into the role without being too over-the-top is yet another sign of his brilliance and he's certainly cemented himself as one of my favourite actors. His rapport with Joan Bennett is good, but it's his reactions to the wedding insanity that make the film. There's a brilliant scene where he is trying on an old suit, something few actors could make as entertaining and realistic as Tracy manages to.

There aren't many twists and turns in Father of the Bride but it's still very entertaining. It doesn't become mawkish thanks mainly to Tracy, though it still manages to show the very real emotion behind Kay's marriage, and shows a very human set of people. As a Billie Burke fan, I enjoyed her small role and all of the actors who play even a small part make the most of it. You can tell when a film is lovingly directed and Vincente Minnelli rarely disappoints on that score. Overall, this is a brilliant gentle comedy well worth watching over and over again.

Classic Film Review: How the West Was Won (1962)

How the West Was Won is an epic Western focusing on three generations of the same family. As well as three tremendous directors, it boasts a phenomenal cast: Carroll Baker, Lee. J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Walter Brennan, Agnes Moorhead, Harry Morgan, Thelma Ritter and Russ Tamblyn. Oh, and it's narrated by Spencer Tracy.

There are distinct sections in this film and it's rather difficult to review in light of all the separate bits. I will say that I enjoyed the opening parts with parents played by Karl Malden and Agnes Moorhead and the daughters played by Carroll Baker and Debbie Reynolds, the first of whom captures mountain man James Stewart and the second toys with Robert Preston before entrapping Gregory Peck. This is one of those films where it's much easier to refer to people by their actor name because it's a film where characters are symbols, the means by which we live through outlaws, white water, civil war, the railroad and Indian battles. The only character who lasts the film out is Lily (Debbie Reynolds), but even she only appears in three of the five sections. It makes latching onto character difficult, though Thelma Ritter makes an impact as a woman in search of a husband and Jimmy Stewart, despite being too old for his part, is as enjoyable as ever.

That said, it's certainly a film that merits watching at least once for what it depicts. It feels like an amalgamation of every Western every filmed and including some of the heavyweights of the genre certainly helps its credentials. There are some spectacular sequences including the white water scene in the first section and a brilliant train battle towards the end. Ultimately, these scenes are more memorable than any of the characters and, more memorable than even those, is the overarching ideal of the West that comes across via Spencer Tracy's narration.

Classic Film Review: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as Matt and Christina Drayton. Their daughter Joey (Katharine Houghton) returns home from holiday unexpectedly and has a surprise for her parents - she's engaged. The fly in the ointment is that her fiancée, Dr John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) is black. Joey's liberal parents have their views tested by this relationship and when Mr and Mrs Prentice (Roy Glenn and Beah Richards) arrive to join them for dinner the bonds of both families are tested. Rounding out the cast is Isabel Sandford as Tillie the maid and Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Ryan.

As Spencer Tracy's last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner holds a special allure for classic film fans. Certainly, I was as much interested in the power surrounding it as I was the film itself. Given that Tracy was seriously ill during filming and died only seventeen days after it was over, you'd imagine that allowances would have to be made for his illness. He doesn't look well, certainly, but in terms of his acting, he remained on top form. The final lengthy scene where Matt makes a speech to his guests about love is intensely moving. For many, of course, this scene is tied up with the Tracy and Hepburn myth and there is no hiding Hepburn's emotion in the final scene. It feels as though we're witnessing a private occasion. As a final exercise in his own quiet and beautiful style of acting, this film does Tracy proud.

And what of the rest of it? Well, the chemistry between Katharine Hepburn and her real-life niece Katharine Houghton makes their scenes a pleasure, though Houghton is not as compelling away from Hepburn. Some of her scenes with Poitier feel like fillers but that's possibly because the crux of the plot is not their relationship so much as the reaction to their relationship. Poitier's best scenes are John's heartfelt declaration to Matt and Christina about his love for their daughter (watch Hepburn in this scene too!) and his argument with his father much later. An unsung brilliant scene, too, is that between Christina and Mrs Prentice in the garden. However, my favourite moment also comes courtesy of Hepburn as she sacks a colleague and tells her to be on her merry way for criticising her daughter's relationship. I don't often clap in the middle of the film but I did then.

Ultimately, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner reflects attitudes of the time. It can seem dated now but that can only be a good thing. It's a film with some brilliant moments and a decent heart and, as Tracy's final screen appearance, it can't help but be captivating. I felt as emotionally wrought as Katharine Hepburn when the credits had finally rolled.

Classic Film Review: Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Bad Day at Black Rock is a riveting film which stars Spencer Tracy as John Macreedy, a stranger who gets off the train at Black Rock - the first time the train has stopped there in four years. It's a small town full of people suspicious at his appearance, more so when he starts asking questions about a Japanese farmer who used to live in the area. The main ringleader of the opposition is the intimidating Reno Smith (Robert Ryan), aided by his gang of friends including Hector (Lee Marvin) and Pete Wirth (John Ericson). However, two members of the community are more receptive to Macreedy's mission - Sheriff Horn (Dean Jagger) and Doc Velie (Walter Brennan). But as the search becomes more dangerous will Macreedy make it out of Black Rock alive?

Spencer Tracy gives a phenomenal performance as the one-armed stranger, especially considering he doesn't really talk that much. His mannerisms and quiet nature are central to the film and make for compelling viewing. Equally, the supporting cast are all very good, the most notable being Dean Jagger as the sheriff whose drunken state and nervous disposition contrast well with Tracy's Macreedy. Anne Francis also turns in a decent performance as Liz Wirth, though as the only woman in the cast she feels a bit of an anomaly at times.

There are two things that make this film exception apart from Tracy: the setting and the dialogue. The former is integral to the film, showing the desolation of Black Rock and Macreedy's isolation once he's there with no way of escape but it's used very effectively. One of the most important conversations of the film takes place on the railway track, a symbol about the inevitable progression of the story if ever I saw one. Equally, the dialogue throughout is sharp and rarely redundant. Almost every scene of this film is a work of art that moves the story forwards.

Overall, this is a tense film with some memorable moments, although these are as likely to be the 'quiet' ones as the moments of truth and revelation.

Classic Film Review: Desk Set (1957)

Desk Set was the eighth of the nine films Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made together and my first introduction to them as a pair. Tracy plays Richard Sumner, an engineer who begins hanging around the research department of a television network upsetting the staff as he hides his computerisation agenda from them. Chief of these is department head, Bunny Watson (Hepburn) who is very good at her job - quick-witted and intelligent - and isn't keen on the idea of losing it to a computer. She and the three girls in her department sit back and wait for the report but Bunny's also got a long-term boyfriend, Mike (Gig Young), who may finally have some news of his own...

This film is hilarious. Not because of physical comedy (though there are a few moments courtesy of Tracy when Richard puts his shoes in the oven to get dry) but because of exceptionally witty dialogue that allows Tracy and Hepburn to spark off each other. There are a couple of memorable scenes, the first being the picnic on the roof of the building - in November. Richard is giving Bunny a test to check her intelligence against the computer he hopes to install but her answers consistently blind-side him. Another of my favourite scenes came at the Christmas party where Bunny and Peg (Joan Blondell) are getting steadily drunk while Richard watches on. A perfectly choreographed chair-shuffling moment by Hepburn and Blondell cracked me up. Every scene, however, is memorable in its own right as the large cast play their parts perfectly. How do you fit Bunny, Richard, Mr and Mrs Smithers, several children and a mother-in-law into one small car? Hilariously. Also look out for a non-speaking woman played by Ida Moore who wanders around silently.

I can't think of a bad thing to say about this one. Hepburn is magnificent throughout and her scenes with Blondell are as amusing as her scenes with Tracy. An excellent film and one I'd be happy to watch over and over again.