The Lady Eve

Preson Sturges is something of a phenomenon of the studio system from which he worked for his entire career. He got more things past the censors in his comedies than just about any other director that I can think of at that era. But not only, his films are uncannily intelligent. They stand out as having a unique quality to them that you can't quite put your finger on. They are simultaneously fun, studio films that one has come to expect of the 1940's, and yet strangely personal works. Sturges was the first screenwriter allowed to direct his own script, later paving way for the likes of Billy Wilder, John Huston, Sam Fuller, and Joseph Mankiewicz. He was an auteur before anyone even knew what an auteur was. That said, The Lady Eve is one of the finest and funniest screwball romantic comedies ever made. Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck do some of their finest work as the unlikely couple. Fonda is a naive scientist who is traveling on a boat after a year long expedition in the Amazon to study snakes. He also happens to be the heir to fortune from the family ale brewing company. Stanwyck is the conlady who intends to weasel out a portion of that fortune. A priceless scene occurs early on, as she watches him through a compact mirror as he sits alone at a table reading a book and a number of girls around him are trying various methods of getting his attention. As they try, Stanwyck provides a running commentary in an almost MST3K manner. She excels in the role and the film really belongs to her, but Fonda is its anchor to reality. He is level headed and a bit naive, she is adventurous and forthright. The perfect balance for the best laughs in any good screwball comedy. It turns out that she falls in love with him while on the boat (as he does with her), and she doesn't want to con him. There are some truly excellent and sensual scenes that you really have to wonder how it managed to pass through the censors. Heck, even her dress is unusually sexy. I don't want to give too much away, but as the film progresses Sturges adds both layers of plot and thematic material. The film has some interesting insights into human nature and how "the best people aren't as good as you think and the bads ones aren't as bad." That may sound a bit simplistic, but it turns out to be unusually insightful as the characters a developed. Sturges is writer first and a director second, which is most noticeable in his excellent screenplay's. He had a knack for good dialogue. That's not to say that he was a bad director, because nothing seems superflous and nothing seems left out, but it is less impressive than his scripts. If comedy is what you are looking for, then this might be the perfect the choice. It's one of the greats.