"Woman of the Year"
Reviewed by Heather Picker
Directed by George Stevens. Written by Ring Lardner, Jr., and Michael Kanin. Starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, with Fay Bainter. 1942, 114 min., Not Rated.
"Woman of the Year" is a landmark film if only for one reason, that being it was the first teaming of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. It is remembered as an alternately comedic/dramatic classic, and while the chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn is undeniable and engrossing, it is at times in question whether or not they can overcome the contrived material they have to work with. Tess Harding (Hepburn) is one of the most respected, high-profile political commentators in the world. Sam Craig (Tracy) is your average Joe sports columnist for the same newspaper Tess works for, and when she makes a baseball comment on a radio program that gets Sam fuming, the two begin directing critical jabs at one another in their columns. They are, of course, destined to fall in love.
The courtship is hurried, like everything in Tess' aristocratic and workaholic life. This becomes too much for Sam to handle, and their marriage is jeopardized by her career. What has the potential to become a great battle-of-the-sexes comedy, like their fifth film together, "Adam's Rib," is instead marred by a grasping-at-straws script, co-penned by Ring Lardner, Jr., and Michael Kanin. By the end of the movie I was not only aware of how long I'd been watching it for (almost two hours), which is never a good sign, but also of how it would end, which was a typical early 40s ending that the writer's coyly left a shred of hopefulness about. The truth is that neither the characters nor their relationship were developed enough to give the audience much to root for. It's only saving grace was the Tracy/Hepburn chemistry.
If the some of the drama had been cut out, and more scenes, like Sam trying to explain baseball to Tess as she watches a game for the first time, were in, "Woman of the Year" wouldn't seem as uneven. In spite of this fault, there are moments of hilarity and Tracy and Hepburn are reason enough to watch it and form your own opinion. Produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and directed by George Stevens ("Giant," "Alice Adams"), I wondered how much different the film would be had George Cukor, with his light-touch and comic genius, directed it.
DVD Details: This is a standard MGM release with one exception, the absence of an 8-page production booklet, which is explained by this being a snapper release instead of the usual keepcase packaging. The film is shown in full-frame format, preserving it's original aspect ratio. The transfer is top-notch, with only occasional, minor flaws, and the contrast between grays is clearly defined. The mono (one track) soundtrack is surprisingly clear for a film so old. Also included is the original theatrical trailer. English, French, and Spanish language tracks and subtitles are present, as is English captioning for the hearing impaired; scene selections.
Notes: The video is out-of-print. Not rated, suitable for all audiences.
The Verdict: "Woman of the Year" is notable for being the first film that Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn starred in together. It is also often funny, but forced drama makes parts of the movie uninvolving. Worth a view, best seen on DVD. mailto: Ahber16@aol.com Review courtesy of http://www.thatmoviesite.8m.com
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