The Philadelphia Story | 
 enlarge | Director: George Cukor
Actors: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, John Howard
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.97
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $9.98 (50%)
New (33) Used (23) Collectible (1) from $7.96
Rating:  141 reviews
Sales Rank: 863
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 112
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.6
MPN: D65017D
UPC: 012569501720
EAN: 0012569501720
ASIN: B00004RF97
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 1940
Release Date: May 2, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** THE SOURCE FOR RARE MEDIA, THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS SATISFIED, AND OVER 250 000 ITEMS IN STOCK, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~
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Amazon.com essential video
Re-creating the role she originated in Philip Barry's wickedly witty Broadway play, Katharine Hepburn stars as the spoiled and snobby socialite Tracy Lord in this sparkling 1940 screen adaptation of The Philadelphia Story, one of the great romantic comedies from the golden age of MGM studios. Applying her impossibly high ideals to everyone but herself, Tracy is about to marry a stuffy executive when her congenial ex-husband (Cary Grant), arrives to protect his former father-in-law from a potentially scandalous tabloid expose. In an Oscar-winning role, James Stewart is the scandal reporter who falls for Tracy as her wedding day arrives, throwing her into a dizzying state of premarital jitters. Who will join Tracy at the altar? Snappy dialogue flows like sparkling wine under the sophisticated direction of George Cukor in this film that turned the tide of Hepburn's career from "box-office poison" to glamorous Hollywood star. --Jeff Shannon
Description
Katharine Hepburn reprises her triumphant Broadway role as a spoiled heir on the verge of marrying a snoot...but not if her ex-hubby (Cary Grant) and smitten reporter (James Stewart) can help it!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 136 more reviews...
 Average Film May 14, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I really didn't see what made this such a "great" film. It was not bad and somewhat entertaining. However, it was, in my opinion, no greater than many other romantic comedies of that era. I actually fell asleep on it twice.
 This is not a classic! May 1, 2008
0 out of 20 found this review helpful
The Philadelphia Story is pure garbage. People and critics have always raved about this movie so I decided to watch it and see for myself, to my utter disbelief this film is nonsense. The plot is childish and goes nowhere and the non-stop talking drove me insane 30 minutes in. Jeez Katharine Hepburn never shuts her big fat mouth, talk, talk, talk! James Stewart is pretty good but he didn't deserve the Oscar. This film is for whiny, spoiled upper-middle class nutcases! I hate it sorry but I can't pretend this is cinema art.
 The Philadelphia Story April 27, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
After I saw The Philadelphia Story at our local Civic Theater, I had to see the original film. It's a wonderful good old fashioned romance story and great to watch. It will completely take your mind off the cares of or present everyday living and take you back to a time when you could watch a movie and not be embarrassed by the language, content or dress. Although this is an "oldie", it's worth every minute of the time you spend watching it...and, of course, the acting is great! I'm glad I decided to purchase it to add to my DVD library.
Excellent 2 disc package of famous film March 23, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
"The Philadelphia Story" is a streamlined example of superlative movie making. Directed impeccably by George Cukor, the film was based on a play written specifically for Katharine Hepburn when she re-invented her career on Broadway after leaving RKO in 1938, a box office has been at aged 31. The script was superbly tailored to Hepburn's image and mannerisms and the humanising of Tracey Lord, the lead character, is indelibly linked to the humanising of Hepburn. Surrounded by high class MGM production values, 2 popular box office stars, Cary Grant and James Stewart, and a perfect supporting cast, the film was a box office smash and remade as "High Society", an equally succesful musical in the fifties with Grace Kelly. This was the film which really launched Katharine Hepburn to immortality and there are some excellent one liners. Special mention of Ruth Hussey, a typical second rung actress who never had quite enough individuality to make the top but never gave a bad performance. She is outstanding here. The print of the film is superb too.
This two-disc special has some great extras. Janine Basinger provides a detailed and well paced commentary covering all bases. Basinger is one of the best of the historians because she understands the context of the films about which she speaks and her delivery is always clear. Equally as interesting is the film about Hepburn made in 1992. Hepburn herself narrates. Clearly, at age 85, she was prepared to speak of things which had been off limits for years and in doing so, she perpetuates her legend cleverly. In the light of recent biographies about her, this film offers a number of challenges and is compulsory viewing.
A documentary interview with George Cukor is also included, part of a series of documentaries on famous film makers - invaluable to those interested in the history of film. Other extras include a funny short film with Robert Benchley, a cartoon and a couple of radio adaptions of the film, always only of minor interest when the original film is available.
The DVD is excellent value but even better if purchased as part of the Classic Comedies set.
Good Movie But Not Great! March 5, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This movie is entertaining and is miles better than say "His Girl Friday" but it's not all that great. I found that it was a tad too long and I had to catch myself from yawning at times although I thought the screenplay was very good as well as the acting. The jokes don't age very well and so I chose to focus on the side of the story about Tracy's eventual acceptance that her perfectionist ways are what's turning people away from her and how her character changes throughout the movie to climax in her final choice of husband. I thought Hepburn's acting was the best and most convincing of all while the chemistry among she, Stewart and Grant was very good. Overall a nice feelgood movie with an interesting storyline but certainly not a good comedy with today's audience.
This DVD though is a bit of a disappointment as the sound quality is Digital Mono although with a Dolby Pro Logic system you can simulate surround sound to a certain extent and the picture quality isn't very good. Perhaps it would be a good idea to wait for a properly restored version perhaps Blu-Ray to surface and to give this version a miss.
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