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Katherine Hepburn was unique among leading ladies. There
was a toughened, bruised quality to her performances regardless
of genre but she also had a uniquely feminine quality that
allowed her to appeal to men as well as women. A consummate
actress who often stepped on toes because she was so independent
during an age when women weren't, "Katherine Hepburn: The
100th Anniversary Collection" captures Kate in a number
of fine films that capture the elusive qualities she established
as her film persona. An entertainment icon, Katherine Hepburn's
best work occurred before the 60's but she continued to
branch out and try different roles as she aged. This new
collection put out to celebrate Hepburn's 100th birthday
features six movies that haven't been put on DVD before
and Warner Home Video has done a great service for Hepburn
and classic movie fans in putting this classic set together.
***
Beginning with her first Oscar winning turn in "Morning
Glory" (the 1933 film was her third) which has a rag-to-riches
story of a Broadway star at its core, the film looks like
many of the era with an artificial stagy quality that often
hampered films and made them appear quaint less than a decade
later. What makes the film work so well though is Hepburn's
performance in the film. Her take on the character she plays
Eva who seems almost like a bi-polar patient in manic mode,
gives the film much needed energy. Many of the other performers
from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. to veteran actor Adolphe Menjou
seem lost in her trail). It's a mess of a film redeemed
by Hepburn's freight train performance. ***
The second film is 1945's "Without Love". Featuring
Hepburn with her long time screen partner and lover Spencer
Tracy, "Without Love" is typical of the romantic comedies
that dominated this part of her career. Hepburn plays Jamie
Rowan a rich widow who has closed her heart to ever being
in love again. She meets Patrick Jamieson (Tracy) a scientist
working on high altitude survival equipment for fighter
pilots can't get the woman he loves to commit to him. The
two decide due to their love lives to get married-it's a
marriage of convenience designed to provide companionship
without the annoying consequence of love. Needless to say,
they DO fall in love and their "partnership" sails into
rough waters because of it. ***
"Dragon Seed" features Hepburn improbably cast as a
Chinese woman living in China during the Japanese occupation
of the 30's. The film has a strong anti-Japanese bias common
to the time and focuses on the evil deeds that the Japanese
commit against the peaceful Chinese. Every cliché that one
can imagine from simple minded dialogue to typical racial
stereotypes of the time are used to tell this tale based
on Pearl S. Buck's novel. ***
"Undercurrent" made the following year is a much better
film. Vincent Minnelli directs this suspense thriller featuring
Hepburn, Robert Mitchum and Robert Taylor. Hepburn plays
Anne whose father (Edmund Gwenn) meets airplane pioneer
Alan Garroway (Robert Taylor) with plans to sell his latest
scientific device. Anne falls in love with Alan but after
their marriage she discovers that her husband has a dark
secret in his closet. It's a solid suspense thriller that
reminds me vaguely of Hitchcock's 40's thrillers. ***
Finally we get Hepburn's last role under the direction
of her friend George Cukor. This 1979 TV movie adaptation
of the famous play is quite good. Hepburn hadn't been all
that active prior to appearing in "The Corn is Green" (and
wasn't very active after this appearing only in eight movies
after this) and she is terrific as a retired teacher who
inherits a Welsh estate. She becomes involved in educating
the local illiterate children and believes that one of them
may be a budding genius. ***
The last film in the set is "Sylvia Scarlett" from
1935. While this is the film that supposedly destroyed Hepburn's
early career (after this she didn't work until "The Philadelphia
Story" re-established her as a major star), "Sylvia Scarlett"
has aged remarkably well. It certainly didn't fit the mold
of screwball or romantic comedies of the time, but it is
quite good and Hepburn with Cary Grant as her romantic lead
in the film turning in funny, sterling performances. Directed
by George Cukor, the film later became a cult classic. ***
Hepburn plays a woman who dresses like a man to try
and help her father (Edmund Gwenn) from the authorities
and thugs after him because of his gambling debts. When
she/he meets Jimmy Monkley (Grant) a con man the trio are
so impressed with each other that they decide to embark
on a life of crime together. Monkley has no idea that Sylvester
(Hepburn) is a woman. The film takes so many twists and
turns AFTER this that it would be unfair to spoil the film.
Let's just say it's easy to see why audiences were confused
and mystified by the film given when it was released and
how it was advertised. ---
Image & Sound:
Warner has done a very good job with most of the films
here restoring them by removing dirt and grit that might
otherwise mar the picture quality. "Morning Glory" sadly
was in the worst shape of the lot and Warner did do what
they could with the film. Images vary from extremely sharp
to soft depending upon how kind the passage of time (and
what the cinematography was trying to do with the shot)
has been. "The Corn is Green" is the only color film in
the set and, unlike the others, is matted for widescreen
presentation (I suspect reflecting the version released
overseas to theaters which widescreen was NOT the common
look of TV shows in 1979). The rest of the films are full
screen. ***
Audio sounds pretty good overall with dialogue crisp
and clear for most of the films. ---
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