Mrs. Eve

June 10, 2010The Lady Eve (1941) ****Directed by Preston SturgesMy tweet:The Lady Eve (1941)- Convoluted and uneven, but Stanwick's amazing acting and some huge laughs make this comedy a classic. **** out of 5Other thoughts:Barbara Stanwyck is a one woman phenomenon, and spending my Saturday watching Double Indemnity followed by The Lady Eve, I can't help but remain in awe of such raw talent and presence. In The Lady Eve, she plays Jean, a crook with mixed intentions, ultimately requiring her to take on the persona of a socialite in order to win back Henry Fonda's Charles. He left her when he found out her past; however, Jean's not the sort of woman that lets a man she loves off the hook that easily. Once Jea! n pretends to be the socialite, Stanwyck simply pulls her hair back, adopts a British accent and carries herself so differently that Charles actually believes that Jean and the socialite are two different people despite their similar physical features. Imagine being an actress and reading on page that you're required to fool someone into thinking you're someone else, and you must do it only with your skill.Though skeptical at first, Charles does believe that this woman isn't Jean, and I'll confess that I probably would have believed it as well if I was in Charles' position. Jean is such a crass, abrasive woman that there's no way she could pull off being so regal, elegant and classy. There are people in this world that look a lot like each other. I'm convinced I could have been conned. Had anyone even slightly less triumphant an actress as Stanwyck attempted this role, the entire film would have completely fallen apart. We'd think Charles a total moron for not recognizing J! ean. I find it hard to believe that anyone could really blame ! Charles after witnessing Stanwyck do her stuff.There are a few wonderfully comic moments, and Henry Fonda is a lot of fun to watch as a socially inept, reluctant heir to a fortune. The plot twists quite a bit, and, other than Stanwyck's turn mentioned above, the best scenes take place during the film's first half on the cruise ship. Once on dry land, we're introduced to too many new characters, and Jean's motivation to win over Charles doesn't provide the momentum of the initial scenes which thrive on the tension over whether or not Jean will win Charles' heart and be able to love him in return.They Shoot Pictures Don't They listed The Lady Eve as the 109th greatest movie of all time. After watching a number of these charming early Hollywood comedies like His Girl Friday, My Man Godfrey, Bringing Up Baby and now The Lady Eve, I don't quite understand why they're as revered as they are. Don't get me wrong--I've enjoyed all four films tremendously. They're simply too formulaic and mod! est to illicit in me the same kind of excitement I felt over films like Bonnie and Clyde, Annie Hall and The Deer Hunter, all of which appear close to the films mentioned above on They Shoot Pictures' list. Still, I won't argue that these films are worth watching and appreciated. Further, on a list of the 100 greatest screen performances of all time, Barbara Stanwyck's turn as Jean would undoubtedly appear prominently if I had anything to say about it.
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