To celebrate Howard Hawks' birthday, Turner Classic Movies played several of his movies today. I managed to catch three I hadn't seen (I didn't stick around to rewatch The Big Sleep), and the more I discover of Hawks', the more evident it becomes that he is one of the key American directors of the 20th century. The man could do anything; gangster films (Scarface), screwball comedies (Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday), film-noir (The Big Sleep), western (Red River and Rio Bravo), musical (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), adventure (Only Angels Have Wings). Here are some thoughts on the films I saw today.
Scarface
d. Howard Hawks, 1932
A typical gangster-type story as told by a master. People who enjoy crime films should have plenty to like here: a lot of shooting, betrayal, accents, dark alleys, and Hawks' direction to guide the audience through. I still would say this is not one of his best, but that's like saying Boudu Saved from Drowning isn't one of Renoir's best, it doesn't mean anything.
Bringing Up Baby d. Howard Hawks, 1938
A key screwball-comedy that I hadn't seen yet, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn are both amazing. The film foreshadows what Preston Sturges would be doing in the 1940s with films like Sullivan's Travels and The Lady Eve. Not to be missed.
Only Angels Have Wings
d. Howard Hawks, 1939
Only Angels Have Wings is perhaps the complete opposite of Hawks' comedies, but it is also one of his best. The film is filled with difficult themes, and the set-up itself is quite fascinating. Here are a bunch of men who work at delivering mail through plane under horrible circumstances, death is always present, how can they perform their job without letting their emotions take over? The film is made all the more complicated because all of the main characters are basically outsiders to the small South American country where all the action takes place. This is Cary Grant in one of his great roles, and it's also an oppurtunity to see a pre-Gilda Rita Hayworth.
