It Started With Eve (1941)
Thank goodness for Netflix! Several of the movies I now love are due to Netflix. The movie I got the other day was very enjoyable. It was part of a Deanna Durbin collection. I had never heard of her before, but I figured that any actor or actress with a movie collection has to be worth looking into so I checked out a film with a very interesting plot line. It definitely did not disappoint!
Here is the aforementioned plot: When the rich Jonathan Reynolds (Charles Laughton) lies on his deathbed, his son, Johnny (Robert Cummings) fears the worst. And when Johnny's father begs to meet his son's fiancee, Johnny is anxious to comply. Unfortunately, the fiancee is out shopping, so Johnny, in an act of desperation, asks the coat-check girl, Anne (Deanna Durbin) to play the role. Complications (and comedy) ensue, however, when the father starts getting better!
This movie was very enjoyable. The plot was fun and surprisingly light (surprising only because it dealt with the imminent death of an old man). The characters were very likable. I found myself cheering for Mr. Reynolds, hoping he'd be able to sneak a cigar without his doctor finding out, and loving Anne and her clever, kind personality. A couple of drawbacks to the film, however slight, were that the romance between Anne and Johnny was a little underplayed. I was more on board with the friendship between Anne and Mr. Reynolds than I was with the relationship between her and his son. The other thing, was that this was a musical... of sorts. It wasn't the sort of musical I'm used to with a clever score by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, or Kern. Deanna Durbin is a classical singer and all of her songs were operatic. This is not a drawback, really, it just surprised me.
I highly recommend the film, in any case. Deanna Durbin is an endearing and adorable actress. The ending is perfectly happy and the movie is, overall, very enjoyable.
Here is the aforementioned plot: When the rich Jonathan Reynolds (Charles Laughton) lies on his deathbed, his son, Johnny (Robert Cummings) fears the worst. And when Johnny's father begs to meet his son's fiancee, Johnny is anxious to comply. Unfortunately, the fiancee is out shopping, so Johnny, in an act of desperation, asks the coat-check girl, Anne (Deanna Durbin) to play the role. Complications (and comedy) ensue, however, when the father starts getting better!
This movie was very enjoyable. The plot was fun and surprisingly light (surprising only because it dealt with the imminent death of an old man). The characters were very likable. I found myself cheering for Mr. Reynolds, hoping he'd be able to sneak a cigar without his doctor finding out, and loving Anne and her clever, kind personality. A couple of drawbacks to the film, however slight, were that the romance between Anne and Johnny was a little underplayed. I was more on board with the friendship between Anne and Mr. Reynolds than I was with the relationship between her and his son. The other thing, was that this was a musical... of sorts. It wasn't the sort of musical I'm used to with a clever score by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, or Kern. Deanna Durbin is a classical singer and all of her songs were operatic. This is not a drawback, really, it just surprised me.
I highly recommend the film, in any case. Deanna Durbin is an endearing and adorable actress. The ending is perfectly happy and the movie is, overall, very enjoyable.
