His Girl Friday

1940

Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance

40
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 99% · 107 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 90% · 10K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.8/10 10 68654 68.7K

prison journalist suicide journalism based on play or musical wager

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Plot summary

Walter Burns is an irresistibly conniving newspaper publisher desperate to woo back his paper’s star reporter, who also happens to be his estranged wife. She’s threatening to quit and settle down with a new beau, but, as Walter knows, she has a weakness: she can’t resist a juicy scoop.

Director

Howard Hawks Photo
Howard Hawks

Top cast

Regis Toomey Photo
Regis Toomey as Sanders
Wheaton Chambers Photo
Wheaton Chambers as Elevator Passenger
Harry C. Bradley Photo
Harry C. Bradley as Insurance Doctor
Alma Kruger Photo
Alma Kruger as Mrs Baldwin
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
747.75 MB
968*720
English 2.0
Passed
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 15
1.44 GB
1440*1072
English 2.0
Passed
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds 70

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

This is a belter of a film! Essentially

This is a belter of a film! Essentially just a two hander with Cary Grant ("Walter Burns") as the editor of a newspaper facing the loss of his ex-wife, and best reporter Rosalind Russell ("Hildy Johnson") who has decided to marry Ralph Bellamy ("Bruce Baldwin") and start a new life. Anyone who enjoys the modern day writing of folks like Aaron Sorkin will immediately appreciate the depth and class of the clever, witty writing and the superbly fast paced delivery from both as Grant tries all sorts of manoeuvres to change her mind; frame her new fiancée and stop a man from going to the electric chair with the aide of little else but a few telephones and the odd interjection from some great supporters - Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, John Qualen and Abner Biberman as his go-to fixer "Louie". Russell is no shrinking violet, either - she has plenty of great one-liners and retorts of her own, and the equality with which they scrap makes this all the more fun. The ending is a touch too inevitable, and maybe just a little too muddled and that robs it of a killer punch; but this is still a cracking romantic comedy.
Reviewed by bigticket-36199 8 / 10

"You've got an old fashioned idea divorce is something that lasts forever..."

"His Girl Friday" is a romantic comedy that belongs almost entirely to the screwball tradition. The screenplay is adapted from the 1928 play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. This is the second, and by far the most successful, film adaptation of that story.We follow former star reporter Hildy Johnson, who is about to marry insurance agent Bruce Baldwin. Their plan is simple: to start a family and settle into a quiet life in Albany. But there's a catch-Hildy happens to be the ex-wife of Walter Burns, a ruthless and manipulative newspaper editor determined to derail their plans. Walter convinces Hildy to cover just one more story before she leaves with Bruce. The case seems simple-a chance killing-but beneath it lies a tangle of political corruption. Hildy agrees, on the condition that Walter buys a life insurance policy from Bruce, but by doing so she steps straight into Walter's treacherous game...Howard Hawks directs with a whirlwind pace: the lines are exchanged at lightning speed, often without pause, like bursts of rapid-fire. This rhythm adds energy to the comedy and makes the escalating entanglements feel endless. Hawks was known to allow improvisation, cutting a scene only when it was necessary to move on to the next sequence. The result is that the audience feels immersed in the true circus of a newsroom. The camera faithfully follows the protagonists, while close-ups highlight the irony and satirical edge of their relationships. Romance here takes a back seat, almost as if life itself is unfair to Hildy. It's clear, however, that ambition drives every character forward.Thematically, the film exposes corrupt politics and the sensationalism of the press, through the fate of a condemned man abandoned by the justice system. Its characters move through a sharp, cynical game that raises questions about ambition, marriage, emancipation, and honesty in relationships.Cary Grant is outstanding as Walter Burns-manipulative, unscrupulous, and yet irresistibly charming. He is both an editorial demon and a slippery seducer, and yet the audience can't help but root for him. His charisma makes us sympathize with him, even when we cannot fully grasp his motives. Once again, Grant is flawless in his element.Rosalind Russell plays Hildy Johnson, the beating heart of the film. Hildy is smart, witty, and resourceful-a woman torn between her desire for domestic peace and the irresistible pull of reporting. She holds her own against Walter in every exchange, and their chemistry, especially in their quarrels, is nothing short of electric.Ralph Bellamy, as Bruce Baldwin, is the good-natured, gentlemanly fiancé who is hopelessly out of place in the chaos of journalism. His character is the complete opposite of Walter and Hildy, providing a perfect counterbalance that deepens the comedy. Bellamy is superb in the role, though one might joke that his fans should start a petition never to cast him opposite Grant again-because no one escapes Walter's tricks unscathed."His Girl Friday" is a film about the speed of life, the power of words, and the manipulative games that unfold within the noisy world of politics and journalism. Love and professional passion collide in a single point, while truth remains as slippery and fleeting as a tabloid headline. For lovers of romantic comedy, this film is essential viewing and stands as one of the finest examples of the genre from the 1940s.
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