I seriously don't think that Godfrey was in love with Irene. She was like a little child who he was fond of, and put up with, but wasn't at all in love with. Does anyone else feel that the ending seems tacked on?
~If you say "I had everything under control" one more time I'm going to slap you with my guitar.~
I'm not the biggest Lombard fan anyway, but I find her acting and her character to be particularly atrocious in this one. Godfrey should've gone for the maid, Molly (Jean Dixon); she was sexier and saner than Irene.
shareI think if there's a shortcoming in the film it's that Godfrey is a little too reserved in his feelings for Irene. It should have been expressed a little more fully. On the other hand, the woman-chasing-after-man-who-doesn't-know-what-hit-him theme is always a classic romantic comedy plot, most notably in BRINGING UP BABY.
shareAt least Irene didn't destroy a priceless fossil.
shareYes Pandora8 I agree, she was a twit all the way through, amusing at times, but best kept at arms length. Actually, I think the maid or even Cornelia would have been the better match.
shareIt seemed that whenever she liked something she'd hold on to it as long as it couln't get away, when it did she was forced to get something new. When she found Godfrey it was the one thing she knew she did not want to get away. The poor man felt bad he had to deal with her at all. Should have stayed at the dump.
shareI watched this last night, taking a break from the grim junk .. . .. I loved it, but wish the ending had been different. Lots of history in this film too! Times certainly have changed!!!
shareCarole Lombard's character does NOT age well. I prefer to think that the "funny feeling" was for Cornelia and that Godfrey managed to escape the fake wedding.
shareI agree. While I think it was a terrific movie, I keep hoping Godfrey got away from Irene, who even at the end came across as selfish and arrogant. She didn't appear to learn anything unlike Cornelia (Gail Patrick). I really wish this movie had a different ending.
----------------------
Support Guiding Eyes for the Blind!
Ah no, actually she did not do one selfish or arrogant thing in the whole movie. Unless you want to call it selfish to pursue love and happiness. Godfrey fell for her from the moment he looked into her eyes at the city dump, that's why he went with her that first evening - she did not ask him to.
If you may notice, the night Godfrey tells Irene that he will be leaving the house (over the dishes), she accepts it sobbingly, saying she will want him to do anything he wants to do with his life. Only afterwards, when she sees that Cornelia has Godfrey entrapped and will be going away with him, does she fake her spell in the dining room. She does this to save him from getting hurt, not for her own advantage.
And only after that - in the shower scene - does she find out that he truly loves her, and after that she is of course unstoppable.
"I am like Cryptonite for men. Cryptonite dipped in cellulite."
He tells his friend Tommy that he left the Bullocks because he was starting to get that ol'funny feeling. I assume that meant he was starting to fall in love with Irene.
This positively infantile preoccupation with bosoms!Terry-Thomas about US 1963.Hasnt changed much!
A couple of posters wrote that the wedding was a fake. Yes, it was. I seriously doubt that Godfrey would have married Irene. He was an intelligent, focused, and ambitious man who for some reason played along with the "wedding" bit. It would have been interesting if the film had been 10 minutes longer.
share[deleted]
"I seriously doubt that Godfrey would have married Irene." You seriously doubt that love is blind?
shareI was a big classic movie fan as a kid, and remember reading about this movie as a classic long before I saw it. I also recall reading that Carole Lombard defined the beautiful comedic actress. Any actress since who was both beautiful and funny was described as being like Carole Lombard. Therefore, when I finally saw Godfrey I was surprised that I felt alienated by the movie, didn't like Irene at all, and found zero chemistry between her and Godfrey. I think Ginger Rogers is a much finer "beautiful comedienne" than Lombard.
In retrospect, I think Powell might have done a bit more to show actual affection for Irene. His character never did, and Lombard's did all the work. Hence she came across overbearing. Secondly, despite her reputation as a wonderful comedienne, I tend to find her extremely mannered in comedy. Rather than finding meaning in her dialogue, she simply rattles on and uses contrived line readings. I actually find her more affecting in drama, like "Made for Each Other." Unfortunately most of the dramatic scripts she received were poor (Made for each other has real problems), and her comedic scripts were better. But in drama you find a really beautiful girl who, during the problems that come up, has just a HUGE heart and an incredible amount of loyalty that is very touching and makes you root for her, because she's vulnerable, but doesn't ever give up on the person. She's somebody who is extremely brave and kind even when she's overlooked and getting no support or credit for it. That's more interesting to me than a "comedic" character whose stock in trade is being "on" all the time.
The character Irene _is_ basically unlikable, agreed. Imo there is chemistry there, though: Carole was still one of Bill's friends after their divorce. Complicated chemistry. Anyway, I think anyone who wants to see why Lombard was considered the gold standard (and why Clark Gable was considered the other gold standard), watch No Man Of Her Own (1932). (Although I'm guessing you already have, Jane.)
"His character never did" Disagree.
I have seen only pieces of "No Man of Her Own", but the main thing that struck me was there was very strong chemistry there, and she and Gable are very appealing together. I didn't expect that as she always said they didn't notice each other at the time. But, they go together very well, and I really like that performance.
As for Powell, I think it would be impossible for either of them not to get along with another person; they were both very civil. However, the great friendship is something I think, sometimes, is cooked up in the publicity department. I read a terrific interview with Gail Patrick, who is in Godfrey. Powell was good to her in her career, asking for her for parts (like the ex-girlfriend in "Love Crazy). Ginger Rogers was good to her, and her friend, Carole Lombard was good to her. She says that Lombard and Powell were very cordial on Godfrey, very professional, there was never any animosity. She doesn't describe a roaring friendship or especial closeness. This was some time after the divorce.
I read one of the reasons Powell wanted Lombard as Irene was the other choice was Constance Bennett, who would be right for the part (and very similar to Lombard) but *beep* crazy and impossible.
Bill looking affectionately at his friend Carole in 1938:
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/vp19/11600353/1163312/1163312_original.jpg
Yep, seen that picture previously - still believe what Patrick said was closer to reality.
shareI'm a big Carole Lombard fan. I alternate between this, Nothing Sacred & To Be Or Not To Be as my favorites of Carole's films. I love Twentieth Century too.
I think she was one of the most beautiful women in films, even through today.
I'm sure many will disagree, but Lombard had a down to earth quality vs Hedy Lamarr, who was a beautiful woman but not a very good actress.
It's horrible out her pe today & I tried three times Monday to watch Algiers on demand. I failed.
I felt like I was watching a shotgun wedding...without the shotgun. LOL!
share