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1949
101 min
Delightful, sophisticated comedy sparked by the famous chemistry between
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. When Tracy, an unyielding DA,
prosecutes the client of his lawyer-wife, Hepburn, in an attempted murder
case, it unleashes a battle of the sexes that almost wrecks their happy
marriage. The defendant is Holliday (in an outstanding debut which led to
her getting the "dumb blonde" lead in BORN YESTERDAY), who
attempted to shoot a woman who was trysting with Holliday's slippery
husband (Ewell, very funny here). Hepburn, an advocate of women's rights,
is determined to prove that the prosecution's case is a reflection of
sexist double standards, and that Holliday's husband would never be tried
for the same actions. This rankles the conservative Tracy, and matters are
further complicated when foppish David Wayne begins to move in on Hepburn.
Throughout the trial, Tracy and Hepburn's marriage seems headed for the
rocks, their courtroom resentments surfacing at home. Eventually, Hepburn
wins an acquittal for Holliday through a case based on sexual equality,
but admits, as does a petulant Tracy, that there are basic differences
between men and women. "Vive
le difference!" Tracy exclaims, and the marriage and the battle
between the sexes go on. A thoroughly witty, sharply directed, fun film
from Cukor, with a sprightly, Oscar-nominated script from Gordon and Kanin,
ADAM'S RIB succeeds brilliantly through a combination of top talents,
especially those of Hepburn and Tracy. |
