"Oh, what's the use? Walter, you wouldn't know what it means to want to be respectable and live a halfway normal life." Hildy Johnson - His Girl Friday
When His Girl Friday came out, way back in 1940, society was in a place where women were still not fully integrated into the work force. For the most part, women worked in clerical or sales work and they were often faced with hostility from many of the men that worked with them. Women working in journalism was a rare thing, and that is where this film takes place.
There are many things that make this a great film, but one of the things that I admire the most about it is how ahead of its time it was. It wasn't just the fact of placing Hildy (Rosalind Russell) in a male-dominated work environment, it was the fact that Hildy was a character who was respected and admired by her male peers. There are multiple comments throughout the film from the male reporters where they praise Hildy and truly admire her work. This was one of the first times that women were shown as being capable of being successful in this sort of environment.
Staring opposite Russell was Cary Grant, one of the biggest movie stars ever. If you've ever seen a movie with Cary Grant, then you know how charismatic he was. Grant's onscreen presence was big enough to overshadow many of the people he shared the screen with. That was not to be the case in this film, however. Rosalind Russell was able to stand toe-to-toe with Grant and effortlessly trade barbs with him.
If you're wondering why you should invest 90 minutes of your life into watching this film, I'll give you a few reasons:
1. It is incredibly relevant. Although we have come a long way as a society from where we were in 1940, it doesn't mean we are perfect. There are many work industries that are still heavily dominated by men. There is still a huge gap in what men and women are paid. His Girl Friday isn't afraid to show a woman as being equal to a man. We are in dire need of more films like this to help empower those who have been consistently undermined by society.
2. It's a timeless classic. Despite being released in 1940, this is a film that you can watch today and it'll still hold up really well. There really isn't any part of the dialogue that is completely outdated. Yes, it's in black-and-white and the outfits are obviously not from this era, but this is a story that you could tell today without changing much and it would still make sense.
3. It's an all-time great. His Girl Friday has long been regarded as one of the best romantic comedies ever made. This is screwball at its finest, using a relentless pace in its dialogue to make this a unique watching experience.
So, there you have it. His Girl Friday is funny, charming, witty, innovative and provides great social commentary. If you're new to classic films, this serves as a perfect introduction to Cary Grant as well as legendary director Howard Hawks, who directed other classics such as The Big Sleep, Bringing Up Baby (also starring Grant) and the original Scarface! It's the perfect film to watch if you're tired of modern films that always follow the same formula. It's truly unlike anything you can find nowadays.
His Girl Friday can be found for FREE on YouTube. This is a film you definitely won't regret watching!
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