A look back at The Philadelphia Story

I didn't get nearly as much time to focus The Philadelphia Story as I would've liked, but I because it's such a popular film, I was able to get plenty out of it from the few resources I did get a hold of. And while, again, this isn't a true screwball comedy, as an in-between film, The Philadelphia Story has a bit of the genre's characteristics, while evolving the romantic comedy at the same.

Looking back at the different aspects of the genre, George Cukor did with this film what he's very good at, establishing a sense of balance between comedy and drama. So while in a screwball comedy, hijinks are off from the start and continue from there on out, here we have a comedic opening quite appropriate for a screwball comedy, but then the pace slows down and things get quieter. At the same time, the dialogue between the characters is quick and smart. So while the dialogue is funny and quick, the story itself runs at a slower pace. This in itself implies that while there are screwball characteristics, this film is if anything a variant of one from the genre.

The romantic leads are not typical screwball heroes. While they each have sharp tongues, the hero is barely on screen for most of the film. The other abnormality is the presence of three eligible bachelors for the heroine. The most stand-out characteristic of this film though is that none of the characters, not even the supporting cast, is a parody of what they represent. Whereas in a typical screwball film, the parents would be dim-witted or over-stressed with the trivialities of their lives, here they're more realistic. You're never really laughing at them. Dinah and Uncle Willie are there for laughs, but their behaviors aren't exaggerations of their characters. But, much like in the screwball comedy, these characters are there for comic relief and so the similarities continue.

Another aspect of the screwball comedy is the differences between the classes. While in this film you do see that between Mike and Liz, and even George, in comparison to the Lords and Dexter, the film doesn't try to make fun of them. In fact, George doesn't end up with Tracy in the end. Tracy isn't the screwball heiress, and Dexter isn't the screwball hero stirring up mischief to get his way in the end. Although, again, you could say that Dexter does stir the pot in that he sets things in motion by brining Spy magazine into the Lords' home, Dexter takes a back seat and let's things happen. And while we do see Mike's disdain for the privileged, it remains that and never gets any further. In fact, he tries to get Tracy to open her eyes about George, but other than that, there's no working class member schooling the rich here. Whereas in a screwball comedy you would laugh at Tracy the entire time, here you learn to feel sorry for her in spite of the fact that she's filthy rich. She's got problems too, and it's okay because she's human.

And to lighten things up in the end, Cukor speeds up the final scene, much as how a screwball comedy is. One moment Tracy has called off her wedding to George, the next she's declining a marriage proposal from Mike, and then she's accepting Dexter's marriage proposal. They walk down the aisle and Spy magazine happens to be there and snaps a picture in the end. It's a perfect bookend to the opening of the film.

Having looked at The Philadelphia Story, it's pretty clear how different this film is from a screwball comedy. At first glance, one could mistake it as such, but upon closer look the specifics cannot be missed. Cukor evolves the romantic comedy with this film, taking it one step further and creating a more sophisticated and realistic story of two people getting together, while at the same time showcasing the craziness of it all.