by Laura Lai Film’s Title: My Man Godfrey Lead Actors: William Powell (Godfrey Parks), Carole Lombard (Irene Bullock), Gail Patrick (Cornelia Bullock), Eugene Pallette (Alexander Bullock) Director: Gregory La Cava My Man Godfrey is a great comedy—I, personally, had a good laugh. It is also a beautiful and funny romance. At the American Film Academy ceremony (1937), this movie had nominees at several categories: best actor (William Powell), best actress (Carole Lombard), best director (Gregory La Cava), best actor in supporting role (Mischa Auer) and best actress in supporting role (Alice Brady). Godfrey Parks (William Powell) met Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard) in a disadvantaged area of the city where men were living outside and searching through garbage. The Bullocks, instead, were a wealthy family belonging to the high society where that night they were playing a game in teams. Each team was supposed to bring something or someone that nobody wanted—not even the police. Irene had this idea of finding someone that nobody wanted in this part of the city. Godfrey accepted to come with her to a luxury hotel where this high society game was taking place. In his brief speech, he explained the reasons he accepted the invitation: to help Irene win and to see how a bunch of empty-headed high-society people are conducting themselves—a curiosity of his that was satisfied. photo edited by Laura Lai Irene Bullock offered Godfrey a job as the butler of the family. And from here, the movie takes us in the family's routine, conversations, habits, etc. Godfrey, instead, proved to be the best butler of the family always keeping distance from the superficial conversations of the family, their ridiculous habits, staying honest and, actually, saving the Bullocks from bankruptcy. Godfrey is a highly educated person with a beautiful personal project of his own: to give some people jobs for the summer and shelter for the winter, because these ‘forgotten men’ were to him the society of truly important people. No wonder that Irene Bullock had such a crash on him! However, Irene is a noble character, too. Some may draw this conclusion by watching her character in opposition to that of her sister Cornelia. Actually, her noble character is emphasized by the director, Gregory La Cava, at the very beginning of the movie—in the first ten minutes. Just think for a second: How many people of the high-society would go hand-in-hand to Ritz Hotel with somebody like Godfrey (poorly and dirty dressed) just picked up from that most disadvantaged area of the city (supposing that this hotel would accept such guests)? Irene did. She came to the hotel with someone nobody wanted who they call a ‘forgotten man.’ She also gave him money and a job. And everything she did all the movie was to defend Godfrey in front of her family (the small high-society) and to make him her man.
I let you discover how she tried, if she made it, and how she made it to make Godfrey her man! Enjoy the movie! :-)
0 Comments
|
AUTHOR
|