source: The Front Page

Moviecut—The Front Page

The Front Page

Somehow the Front Page manages to miss the mark by a wide margin, despite having one of the most talented ensemble casts, not to mention one of the directors most often nominated for an oscar in history at its helm.The main problem seems to be that the movie does not realize whether it is a traditional comedy, paraody, satire or drama.

one of the best examples that a good script (plus in this case a wonderful cast) makes a good movie. 2/3 of the movie plays in one room and there is not a single dull moment. this movie makes you laugh and laugh with one witty line after another. for me it is the best and funniest work of billy wilder, straight followed by 'witness for the prosecution' and 'the apartement'.

I also do not understand the critics on this one. It's fast-paced, magnificently cynical throughout, unabashedly edgy, and the one-liners come faster than zingers on your average sit-com. Plus it captures the world of urban newspapers better than other movies capture the world of almost anything they attempt.

A superb film with a brilliant script. Full of characters you can believe in. They all have superb characters, who act as you may well expect them to. Why some film critics rate it so low is strange to me - perhaps the film was too close to the mark? Wilder/Diamond did have the advantage of basing their film on an excellent stage play.

It's 1929 Chicago. Hildy Johnson (Jack Lemmon) is the top reporter in his paper but he's quitting to marry Peggy Grant (Susan Sarandon) in Philidelphia. His editor Walter Burns (Walter Matthau) works to stop him with lies and schemes. Walter wants Hildy to cover the hanging of cop killer Earl Williams. Billy Wilder adapts the play, the most famous film adaptation being 'His Girl Friday'(40). The dialog is rapid-fire. By returning Hildy to being a man, the intensity is lost. It loses a compelling dimension to the movie. It's not as much fun despite having Lemmon and Matthau. They don't have enough screen time together. When they're together, the energy goes up noticeably. Without the duo together, the movie feels flat.

When the subject of great movies is being discussed, this movie must be included in the discussion. This movie is a witty and fast-paced satire that pokes fun at the news media. The characters are memorable and the acting is fantastic. Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon and Vincent Gardenia are great in this movie, but most impressive is Carol Burnett's wonderful and powerful performance which dominates every scene in which she appears. But what makes this movie even more appealing is that it is a story of how the quest for the extra buck can corrupt everyone involved, with tragic consequences. Billy Wilder is very strong on this point and for this reason this movie is worth watching.

Billy Wilder's remake of the Ben Hecht play is a little better than the 1931 original, but not as good as the 1940 Cary Grant version (The Front Page). Still, Jack Lemmon (won an Oscar the year before for Save the Tiger) and Walter Matthau (The Fortune Cookie, Kotch) give excellent performances, and Vincent Gardenia (Oscar nominated the year before for Bang the Drum Slowly ) and Susan Sarandon (a relatively new actress) support them to the extent that this is still a superior film. Funny, funny film about politics and newspapers and some the the early seventies best actors. Catch this one and also see The Front Page.