After watching Charles Walters' High Society, I have come to the conclusion that EVERY movie should guest-star Louis Armstrong as a wise-cracking, trumpet playing wiseguy. Is it technically unnecessary? Yes. And it's also a little bit racist. But seeing him act and hearing him play instantly puts a smile on my face. So does, for that matter, High Society. The film is based on the Philip Barry play The Philadelphia Story. The play had already inspired a George Cukor film of the same name in 1940 that starred Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart. But High Society had the added benefit of having music and lyrics by none other than Cole Porter. To be fair, replacing Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra also helped make High Society a classic. Kelly plays a wealthy New England socialite named Tracy Samantha Lord. She is about to be married to a dull, yet respectable gentleman. However, the day of the marriage, Lord is forced to deal with the return of her ex-husband, jazz musician C.K. Dexter Haven (Crosby), and the affections of undercover tabloid reporter Mike Connor (Sinatra). There is predictably much tomfoolery and comedic misunderstands. But I found the inner politics of Lord's love life to be a bit dull. The music is what really makes High Society great. Cole Porter and Louis Armstrong? That's a match made in heaven if I've ever heard one!
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment