User Reviews

I have a theory about "High Society" and that is that you must regard it as an Opera. Now I haven't lost my marbles and I am not suggesting that Cole Porter is Verdi. What I mean is that the story is so preposterous (as are most Opera plots) that it is best not to question it too closely and just enjoy the movie. Porter's music is sensational (to coin a phrase) and the songs are all well performed. Grace Kelly's rendition of "True Love" (yes, it is her - not dubbed) is delicious and just adds to her allure. Isn't it wonderful just how sexy Ms Kelly is in this film? This is 1956 and there is no flashing of bosom or even leg - just her natural beauty. She spends some time in the bedroom with Frank Sinatra and (improbably) remains chaste. Frank the honourable man!

I watched "The Philadelphia Story" again recently and was surprised how much of the script from that movie was retained for "High Society". If you find the story of High Society silly (it is) then it is really the earlier film you should blame. The set piece musical numbers in High Society are absolute classics - indeed there isn't a dud. It's worth listing them and you'll see what I mean: "High Society Calypso";" Little One";" Who Wants to be a Millionaire ?";"True Love";" I Love You Samantha";" Well, Did You Evah"; "Mind If I Make Love To You";" Now You Has Jazz";" You're Sensational". WOW!

When you go to the Opera you want great music, good performances, lovely sets and some sort of feel good factor. With "High Society" you get all this and more. It is played tongue in cheek (how could it not be?) and that is how it should be. Keep your "Film noir" or your "Cinema Vérité" - give me High Society every time!

Fifty years later, this movie still remains only notorious due to its musical aspects more than its often wooden acting and lines mouthed verbatim from an (uncredited) Philip Barry.

When the original feature was made in 1940, it was a gamble to bring Katharine Hepburn's all but dead career back into the spotlight one last time -- if it failed she would stay in Broadway.

The story is well-known: Barry had written a play, "The Philadelphia Story," expressly for Hepburn and her part, that of the socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, reflected Hepburn's arrogant position against Hollywood at the time. It was fitting to make into a movie and see if the results would garner the desired effect, and it comes to no surprise that it did, with Hepburn revitalizing what has come to be believed as one of the greatest film careers of all time.

Then MGM decided to do a musical version -- the only way to do so, since Hepburn own the rights to the play -- and retitled it "High Society," removing Philip Barry from the credits but not his text. They got the best of the talent that was available in the 50s, cast them in the roles made instantly classic by the actors of the previous movie, and watered down priceless dialogue, not only with padding here and there, but with the completely uninvolved acting. Kelly, in her last film, walked off into Monaco with a career that was apt, but not remarkable -- more known for perfect diction and beauty than actual personification. Holm is better here, but not as good -- she would never equate the spark she had in "All About Eve." She also looks oddly aged, a good ten years older than her thirty-seven years. Crosby and Sinatra are good, but not memorable -- certainly not Grant and Stewart, both oozing chemistry with Hepburn and with each other. The other actors do their parts; however, not a single one warrant mention -- not the case of young Virginia Weidler who walked off with the movie playing a small part as Tracy's kid sister in the original version.

This is -- though now seen as a classic, it's overrated -- what's been come to be seen as a poor man's version of a much wittier, sharper story. Good, but nothing more.

Like "The Philadelphia Story", of which it is a remake, "High Society" is a "comedy of remarriage", a genre popular in the thirties and forties, but perhaps rather less so in the fifties. Films about divorced couples rediscovering their love for one another after flirtations with other partners were a way of seeming sophisticated and daring without actually transgressing the Production Code.

The main character in both films is the wealthy Philadelphia socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, who has three men competing for her affections- her ex-husband Dexter Haven, whom she divorced after a brief marriage, her new fiancée George Kittredge and Mike Connor, a journalist sent to cover her impending marriage to George but who also finds himself falling in love with her. (Rather confusingly, Tracy is occasionally- especially by Dexter- referred to by her middle name. Perhaps Cole Porter needed a three-syllable name to fit the music for the song that was to become "I Love You, Samantha").

I have never enjoyed this film as much as "The Philadelphia Story", but Porter and his music are not to blame for that. The songs are often tender and lyrical (particularly "True Love") or witty (particularly "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" or "Well, Did you Evah!") The producers of the TV game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" should perhaps have remembered that, in the song, the answer to that question is an emphatic "I don't!" Jazz fans will enjoy the film for the sight of Louis Armstrong playing himself; he and his band are supposed to have been hired to provide the music at Tracy's wedding.

The main reason why the film is less enjoyable than its predecessor lies mainly in the casting. As in "The Philadelphia Story", Tracy is played by one of the iconic screen beauties of the period, Katherine Hepburn in the earlier film, Grace Kelly here. Kelly was, if anything, even more beautiful than Hepburn, and rarely, if ever, looked lovelier than she does here in, her last film appearance before her marriage to Prince Rainier. She is not, however, as convincing as Hepburn was as Tracy, who is supposed to be a cold, icy beauty ("the fair Miss Frigidaire") who gradually becomes warmer and more human. Hepburn could play a Frigidaire to perfection, but Kelly is a bit too warm and melting even in the earlier scenes. Kelly does surprisingly little singing for the leading lady in a musical; her only number is a duet with Bing Crosby in "True Love". I felt that if Tracy had been given more songs these might have helped to emphasise the development in her character. (And if Grace Kelly's voice wasn't strong enough another singer's voice could always have been dubbed over, as was often done in screen musicals of the fifties).

In "The Philadelphia Story" we know from the beginning that Tracy and Dexter will end up remarrying, but we only do so intellectually from our knowledge of the conventions of the genre; emotionally, we feel that James Stewart's Mike might just be in with a chance. In "High Society" we know both intellectually and emotionally how the story will end, which rather spoils the suspense; it is quite clear from the beginning that Tracy, however much she may deny it, is still in love with Dexter. George, a pompous stuffed shirt, isn't in with a chance, and as for Mike it is obvious, right from the moment we hear them singing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" together, that he is meant for his attractive lady photographer Liz (Celeste Holm doing her sexy older woman thing).

Of the male characters Frank Sinatra as Mike is the best, although even he loses out in comparison with Stewart's Oscar-winning performance. Sinatra- very different from Stewart in terms of acting style- plays Mike in a more cynical, wisecracking manner. As for Crosby as Dexter, he has nothing like the style or charisma of Cary Grant. Crosby (despite his nickname of "the old groaner") had a pleasant enough voice, but his style of singing was always too relaxed and emotionally bland for my taste. (I have to admit, however, that this style occasionally served him well, as in his duet "Well, Did you Evah!" with Sinatra). His style of acting was generally equally nonchalant. I recently commented that George Clooney's character in "Ocean's Twelve" was so laid back he was horizontal. Crosby's Dexter (like some of his other characters) has passed the horizontal stage; he's so laid back his feet are actually higher than his head.

As a musical, "High Society" is actually a pretty good one, musically speaking. As a romantic comedy, however, it is not in the same class as its illustrious predecessor. 7/10

This is my fav. movie of all time. And I wish people would just take it for what it is and not compare it to the Philly story because thats what it's based on not what it is. It's a magical story and I am sure appeals more to females than males with it's fairy tale setting of wealth and the incident of having two men so desperately in love with the young beautiful rich girl (which might annoy some people but thats reality). I love the score the duet between Bing and Sinatra is fab., i love the elegance of Grace Kelly and the simpleness of the story. But then again i'm sure it;s not everyones type of film. but if you like these classic performers, then you will love the movie. just don't dismiss it because it isn't the philly story, because it is different and you should embrace those differences.

It's this sort of overly cheerful and mindless U-rated type of silly comedy/musical that makes ten year-olds give up on movies and turn to rebellion and punk music. It's hard not to cringe watching Grace Kelly embarrass herself in a futile attempt to be a comedienne.

The story is this: a soon-to-be-married diva sleeps around with two other men while her "square" groom makes faces. She goes for older men (two of these three bozos could be her father, and the other, Sinatra, her much older half-brother (assuming the DNA went crazy)). The age discrepancy only adds to the ludicrousness of the whole thing. The songs are forgettable fluff, filled with trumpets and other annoying, high-pitched, loud jazz instruments. Louis Armstrong's voice has been annoying to me ever since I heard that awful "It's a Wonderful Life (My A**)" number. The dumbest line (of dialog, not cocaine) belongs to Kelly, when she asks Sinatra whether the reason he didn't hop into bed with her could have been that she isn't "ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH". Oh, Lord...

I'm one of those who don't admire this film much.

On the positive side, it's a lush production. It has a Cole Porter score -- my favorite composer -- although I'm impressed with only a few of the songs: "True Love" (of course), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (with a swellegant turn by Celeste Holm), and the bright "Well, Did You Evah!" (in a terrific duet by Bing and Frank); the other songs are forgettable.

Another positive note are a number of the supporting actors -- Celeste Holm as a reporter, Louis Calhern as an uncle, Sidney Blackmer as the father, Margalo Gillmore as the mother, and young Lydia Reed as the younger sister.

Unfortunately, I can't say as much for the lead cast. Bing Crosby is always very natural on screen, and is here. Grace Kelly has another turn as a spoiled brat, and as far as I'm concerned flubs the role terribly. Frank Sinatra plays the smart ass that he seemed to be in real life...which may have gone over well in the 1950s, but isn't as attractive today; and ironically, he played a poor drunk (type casting from the Rat Pack days?). John Lund as the fiancée????? Stick with the original "The Philadelphia Story", or watch this one as a comparison. Frankly, about the only reason this film was made was Bing's whim and Grace Kelly's rising star (in terms of the latter, thankfully it was the last film with her that we had to suffer through).

"High Society" is a pretty enjoyable movie even though I don't think it really pulls off everything it tries to accomplish. If you told me there's a movie that has the same basic characters and situations from the hilarious "Philadelphia Story" set to music by the incomparable Cole Porter and featuring the talents of people like Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm and Louis Armstrong, I would expect a more memorable film than this one. Now, that's not to say that I was constantly comparing the film to the original because that would be unfair, and frankly I've only seen it once quite a few years ago. I feel that even taken on its own terms though the film is disappointing, though not really horrible. The only really exceptional part of the film is anything with music, particularly the too-brief scenes with Louis Armstrong (who plays himself; the film seems to be designed to associate itself with the hip Newport Jazz Festival).

So, IMHO Porter's music is the star of the show, especially the classic patter-style duet between Bing Crosby and Sinatra. I was surprised upon seeing the documentary on the DVD that "True Love" was the big hit of the show because for me it was the low point musically. But then you never can account for popular tastes. Anyway I found the chemistry between Crosby and Grace Kelly unconvincing. Crosby is supposed to seem laconic and relaxed but he just looks tired to me, as if he's not really putting in any effort. Sinatra on the other hand was a bit more fun and more believable in his role, and I greatly enjoyed seeing Celeste Holm in a tailor-made part for the great lady of Broadway. Unfortunately I detected no more traces of chemistry between Holm and Sinatra than the other pair. I guess I thought Holm would end up with Louis Calhern's amusing character.

Probably the film's greatest weakness is Grace Kelly's flat performance. I've never liked her in any film except the few she did with Hitchcock. Watch her in "The Swan" for example if you want to see exactly the same annoying performance that she gave in this film. And yes, I'm aware that the character is supposed to be annoying, but she should be endearingly annoying. She managed to accomplish that in "To Catch a Thief", so I believe much of the blame for her performance lies with Charles Walters, who probably needed to make her feel less comfortable around the set. You can also see it in Crosby's weak performance – they both look more like they are on vacation than at work. I think in the absence of strong direction these actors reverted to their usual devices. In Kelly's case that's a very limited collection of facial expressions and so forth that quickly grow tiresome. It's the one area of the film I can't help but compare with the original because Hepburn was so much More exciting and unpredictable on screen and that was basically what made this arrogant character bearable. Kelly is perfectly believable as a high society brat; it's not a case of poor casting but rather failure to tap into the humanity and charm of the character.

This unhinges the entire film IMHO because I just can't see why Crosby and Sinatra's characters find her so appealing. When the music stops, the film loses its luster. A big deal is made of creating situational comedy when Kelly claims Calhern is her father but then it's simply dismissed in the "bachelor party" scene without mining the situation fully for laughs. Her fiancé is made out to be a total jerk but we never get to see anyone get even with him, there's no payoff. A lot of things just feel obligatory and the entire story feels disjointed.

It's possible I suppose to make a superior musical film within the framework of a poorly-handled story, for example "Hit the Deck." But despite Porter's great tunes and the presence of many musical stars, this one never took flight for me because we're stuck with a leading man who can't dance and a leading lady who can't sing OR dance. Consequently there are too many ballads and not enough hot tunes to balance it out no matter how hard the mighty Satchmo tries. If this film had featured better leads than Crosby and Kelly and better direction it could have been incredible instead of merely pleasant.

Of course I do know the original production "Philadelphia Story", starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and I know that the dialogs, the timing and the acting is hardly to top - it deserves its place between the "best films ever made". But this typical 50's remake has its own charm. According to the time, its in full-color and features a musical score. But on top of that, the whole movie seem to be made with great fun by the complete staff. Grace Kelly as snobby upper-class girl seems to be born for this role, and in my opinion it is much harder to play a good comedy than a good drama. You may be wondering why Grace is re-marrying Bing Crosby, he is not really attractive, but he is an excellent singer and entertainer and matches the movie perfectly! The songs by Cole Porter are classics up to this day ("True Love"), they are shot beautifully and are a pleasure, my personal favorite is "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" with Frank Sinatra and the great Celeste Holm as the "funny couple" in this picture. If somebody is able to speak/understand German, I recommend the German version. I compared it with the original English version, and in my opinion the German dialogs are much more brilliant and funny than the original ones! - As I already said in the summary: The movie is bright, light-hearted, funny, sparkling and refreshing like champagne on a summer evening!