Preston Sturges
put the final note in the popular screwball comedy movement in the 1930s with
this 1942 madcap comedy; one which Stanley Cavell would appropriately refer to
as a ‘comedy of remarriage.’ All of the elements of screwball comedy are
present and in top form, but somehow this still feels distinctly like a Preston
Sturges film above all else. Physical comedy mixes with clever repartee between
the characters, like a socially conscious slapstick farce.
The fast-paced
comedy filled with hijinks such as the infamous train sequences involving a
drunkenly boisterous hunting club make it easy to see why Sturges and Frank
Capra were often compared, with the latter was known for being far more
sentimental in his messages. Sturges is far more intellectual with the humor,
though that doesn’t mean he is afraid to get messy along the way. In The Palm Beach Story a wife named Gerry
(Claudette Colbert) suddenly decides that she must leave her husband, Tom (Joel
McCree), fleeing to Florida Florida
This task is
made much easier when Gerry has a meet cute with a wealthy young tycoon (Rudy
Vallee), who sister is a princess (played by Mary Astor). She finds this
luxurious new lifestyle exactly the solution she was seeking for the financial
problems of her husband, who threatens to destroy her plans by following her to
Palm Beach
The film has
been given a new 4K digital restoration for this Blu-ray release, along with an
uncompressed monaural soundtrack. The special features include new interviews
with writer/historian James Harvey and actor/comedian Bill Hader about the
influential film. Also included is an audio-only radio adaptation of the film
from 1943 and a World War II propaganda short film directed by Sturges. The
package also comes with a foldout insert with an essay by critic Stephanie
Zacharek.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 9/10
Historical Significance:
9/10
Special Features: 8/10
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