Anne or Kathy? - Gentleman's Agreement Discussion

[–] marcchanois 14 years ago

be honest , be a good boy. tell me, you prefer anne , but it 'not concerned with her "correct attitude"
you like her because she is more sluttish looking,both women are good enough by nowdays standard, but comparatively speaking ann looks more playful, liberated sexually,
and you can't stand an old-fashion woman like cathy who are midly snooty, with too much self esteem..

cathy is the film's heroine she is portrayed as an almost perfect woman except that she doesn't speak out against "anti-semitism"

reply

[–] sparkle4513 14 years ago

wow. really? Somehow I TOTALLY missed that this movie was about sexual liberation and not anti-Semitism. Thanks for opening my blind eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well Jane? Are you overwhelmed?"
~Mr Rochester
Jane Eyre 2006

reply

[–] arman0612 13 years ago

Definitely Anne, Kathy was so boring and lifeless and she never seemed to make up her mind about anything, these two characters reminded me a lot of the film Holiday (1938) with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant where Katharine Hepburn plays the fun, interesting sister and Doris Nolan plays the boring, money-centered sister, but at least in that film they got it right and the lead character ends up with the interesting sister, in this film they chose to go for the boring character (that's the only part of this film I disliked, the ending).

reply

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 13 years ago

"I knew it would be Kathy, but in real life it would have been Anne. I found the ending to be just too contrived for what was meant to be a film that confronts an importnat issue of the time. It was totally unbelievable that a short conversation with Dave brings Kathy to change her views and make herself palatable to Phil. This is no more than Hollywood shmaltz."
________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think that's what it was - Kathy coming to her senses - or, as one reply said, a "light bulb" moment. Those 2 were in love, and better suited for each other than were Phil and Anne. Remember, at the beginning, when they met, they discussed how much they each loved being married...I think that was to point out that these two are "made for each other". And I don't really feel that Kathy has totally seen the "error of her ways", if personal beliefs can be called such. She may come around...but the way she discusses, with Dave, the ways her thinking has been flawed seems like someone who WANTS to believe that...for the sake of her relationship. And that's why Kathy was better suited for Phil...because even after she broke everything off she continued to pine for him, even to the point of calling Dave to talk. She said she hated Phil after all! Again, trying to convince herself of something. Besides, Anne was way too full of pizzazz for any Gregory Peck character!

That being said, I really enjoy watching both Dorothy McGuire and Celeste Holm. I don't remember disliking them in anything I've seen them in. This has nothing to do with our discussion, just a thought...Celeste Holm is sexy. I love her facial features, and as Anne she was so quick-on-the-draw with a comment...

"Love has got to stop some place short of suicide."

reply

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] movie-viking 11 years ago

Hard to argue with attraction! I think Anne was more down to earth, but he clicked with Kathy.

And Kathy did show she could reconsider her ideas and grow up some!

reply

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sherm456 11 years ago

I thought Anne was perfect for Philip. Maybe that was the problem.

reply

[–] PretoriaDZ 11 years ago

I was rooting for Anne because I liked her personality better. Kathy was too simpering for my taste. I did understand what Kathy meant when she said she was glad she wasn't Jewish - I knew she didn't mean that it made her feel superior. She meant that she was glad that she didn't have to directly deal with the prejudice. However, later in the film when Garfield's character asked Kathy why she didn't speak up when a man had told a distaseful prejudiced joke at a party, I agreed with him. I have always done that and it has never mattered who I was speaking to, someone at a party or a relative, the person always looks startled and then says something like "Oh yes, you're right, I shouldn't use words like that." These days, even a good thing like that can become hateful, as political correctness police jump on people for Tiger Woods fellow golfer asking Tiger if he wants some chicken or some such nonsense. I think Tiger is a grown up enough man to tell the other guy where to put his chicken.

reply

[–] huckfunn 11 years ago

Anne would be the better choice. She liked Phil The Jew from the start, where Kathy immediately showed apprehension over a Jew (even a fake one) being incorporated into her social circle. Anne already has an intuitive understanding of the subtleties of anti-Semitism. She has the livelier personality; sex with her would be fun ... laughin' and comin' at the same time. Plus ... and this is a big one (for 1947) ... you probably could try her out in the sack before committing to marriage. Kathy doesn't seem the type to "give the milk" before you buy the cow.

"Martha Washington was a hip, hip, hip lady, man."

reply

[–] AnaElisa 10 years ago

Anne, Anne, Anne. Phil Green really missed out by choosing Kathy to be his life partner, over a terrific, honest, and forth-right woman such as Anne.

Kathy showed her true colors over and over. The 'light-bulb' moment for Phil should have been when his son was beaten up for being a Jew. Kathy response was "you're not Jewish, Tommy, it's a horrible mistake".

Although she did the right thing in the end, I found Kathy to be a weak person, and I believe their marriage would not have lasted in the long run.

-AnaElisa

"All life's riddles are answered in the movies."

reply

[–] OhmsLaw 10 years ago

I have seen this movie several times and only with the last few viewings, like last night on TCM, have I looked closely at the "triangle". Last night I wondered why did the mother say "Thank you" to Dave (Garfield) after he made the phone call about taking a job and then Peck's character, Phil, ran off to see Kathy. Could it be that the mother knew Dave had talked Kathy into letting him have her cottage and then living nearby to denounce anyone who made trouble for him so that she is "redeemed" in Phil's eyes?

reply

[–] aciolino 10 years ago

I only am sure of who was better suited for me : ANNE, ANNE, ANNE!

reply