Friday, May 25, 2012

Screwball women and Noir fatales


I'm impressed with last night's discussion of My Man Godfrey and the connection we elaborated in the film between class and gender, which the title itself alludes to.  We also noted Irene's (Lombard's character) development from childish naif (read womanish and elitist in the film's terms) to understanding (even if still slightly ditzy)  human. 
   It's a pattern we've seen with our other women, though here the arc presents a more positive cast that takes the character from innocence to maturity.  The previous arc have a punitive note in which the characters are chastened for their various flaws (Tracy's lack of compassion, Julie's rebelliousness, Phyllis's . . . ummm Phyllisness--a fatal flaw) which they must disavow.  The subtext is that they need to become more woman-like to become human.  Irene must grow up and, in the process, become less childishly womanish--i.e., less self-pitying--to become a compassionate, mature woman.  The implication in Godfrey seems to be that maturity involves masculinity--which might explain Irene's ability to dictate the action at the end.  In any case, it's notable that Irene, according to this reason, must become more "manly" (in the film's terms--compassionate and mature), and our previous woman characters must become less so (again in the various terms those films set out).
The other thing that occurs to me is the similar pattern in screwball and noir of willful and controlling women paired with malleable and unaware men.  In screwball, of course, this eventually works out, as the two opposites move toward a workable middle ground beneficial to both characters; in noir they eventually clash and destroy each other.  One might take it further and note the almost sequential appearance of the two genres (screwball in the thirties and noir in the forties) and suggest that screwball transmorgrifies into noir, a harder claim to prove but one that appeals nonetheless.

8 comments:

  1. My Man Godfrey is an American screwball comedy that made its debut in 1936. It was directed by Gregory La Cava and written my Morrie Ryskind with uncredited help from La Cava. The movie was based on the story story '1101 Park Avenue' by Eric Hatch.  The movie stars George Powell as Godfrey Park and Carole Lombard as Irene Bullock. 

    Production

    The movie was shot over the course of a month and a half from mid April to late May in 1936 with retakes coming in June of the same year. Total production costs were $656,000.  The casting of Irene was fraught with problems.  Constance Bennett was originally considered for the role of but La Cava would only take Bennett if William Powell was borrowed from MGM, and Powell's two cents we're that he would only take the part if Carole Lombard played Irene. Powell and Lombard had divorced 3 years prior, but he believed she was the best fit for the role.  The movie was filmed in a very unconventional manner, Ryskind would improvise dialogue onset with the actors and reshaped the scene as he saw fit for that particular day.  Sometimes, to cool tensions, Carole Lombard would improvise and pepper her dialogue with 4 letter expletives.  During filming, La Cava and Powell disagreed on how Godfrey should be played and they settled the matter in true Hollywood fashion, with a bottle of scotch. The next day La Cava showed up to work hung over but Powell did not show up at all, La Cava received a telegram from Powell that read WE MAY HAVE FOUND GODFREY LAST NIGHT BUT WE LOST POWELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW. 

    Premier and Awards

    My Man Godfrey premiered on September 6, 1936 and was released to general audiences on on September 17 and was a hit.  The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing/Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.  My Man Godfrey holds the dubious honors of being the only film to be nominated in all the acting and directing categories and not be nominated for Best Picture, it is also the only film to be nominated in all those categories and not win a single award.  On a brighter note, the film has been deemed culturally significant by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.  It was ranked #44 on the American Film Institutes 100 funniest comedies and is among a small group of films that holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  

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  2. It’s ironic that Irene’s first step towards womanhood, i.e. hiring Godfrey as the family butler, was done on a childlike whim. I found Irene’s naiveté to be an endearing quality that depression era audience could easily relate too. I imagine citizens able to afford a movie ticket in the middle of the depression era were looking for an escape from the realities of life (as well as some entertainment). The glitzy and glamorous lifestyles in The Philadelphia Story and My Man Godfrey were one way for the public to escape. Having a fun-loving, although sometimes clueless, persona with which to identify was a useful vehicle that made relating to the high society personae in the film somewhat easier.

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  3. I agree with Peach that the films would be used as an escape for the lower working class of the depression, but I also think the filmmakers of the time knew this and made the films to "knock" the upper class down a peg in the eyes of the working class. The way that the family's idea of a party is searching out for a baby goat or a lost man would make the viewer of the film think, "Maybe my life isn't so bad..."

    (Although I would still rather have a man act like an ape in my living room rather than live in the city dump!)

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    1. I definitely agree with your claim of 'knocking the upper class' down a peg. Like today, the lower class is critical of the upper class, especially during an economic downturn. But what the film does is provide likeable and unlikable characters on both sides, that is the rich and the poor. Excellent point.

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  4. Talking with a gentleman of 86, I asked him if he remembered the movie. He loves movies and always has; mentioning that this is one of his favorite of all times. He said it is as screwy as they come, yet when it was made the “masses” loved the show. During the depression people were just looking for something to lift their spirits, and a screwball, slapstick show was just the thing for entertainment. The average individual loved watching this, as they were so distant from the high society life style, that this was a way to make them feel that life was not so sad. The movie also made them feel they were not so unfortunate (living in a dump) or ill-educated (man as a monkey) or helpless (always relying on others to do everything-even sew on buttons). The movie reminded the viewers that the ones who pull their fair share are valued highly, even with a title of butler or house-keeper. This movie might have been seen by the wealthy, but was not made for them. They could afford to see the movie, but if you waited long enough the poor could see it for a quarter/ nickel after a few weeks.

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  5. Your comment about screwball finding a middle ground and Noir destroying eachother is interesting. I haven't seen enough examples to confirm this, but based on your information, there is a similararity between tragedies and comedies. Tragedies, someone dies, comedies someone gets married. I wonder if screwball and noir are modern day versions or subcategories of tragedies and comedies.

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  6. I find it interesting that to become a "woman" in this film, it is preceived that you must have a protege. This idea of feeling important by having things or people is all based on the upper class needing to hire some one to make them feel important.

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  7. I found it interesting that the two silliest women, the mother and Irene, think they need to have proteges, while the father is very down to earth, and the sister, Cornelia is more cunning and sensible than the two other women. It's also interesting because all of the characters change somewhat, thanks to Godfrey. The fathers change is very subtle, but I think he learns to listen to the help when offered advice. Cornelia seems to have a dramatic change when she realizes Godfrey saved her family from becoming poor, and it seems as though she's off to a good start of living a little freer with her emotions. Obviously Irene changes the most and she learns to be more independent, and less self-centered. She has always been a very caring person, for she was the first one to listen to Godfrey's life story and hire him as a butler, but now she's willing to leave her home with two bags of food to live with Godfrey in the dump. Although Godfrey started out as Irene's protege, I think all along, Irene and the rest of the Bullock family were destined to learn more from Godfrey.

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