Now I know not everyone goes for the whole black and white film thing, but if you're a film nut and you appreciate the pure talent of Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn, Stage Door is definitely for you.
The quick-witted one liners between the girls provide endless amounts of hilarity and fun, and the pure brilliance of the writing really shows up the shoddy films of today. You connect with the characters, you enjoy spending time with them and getting to know them, and when one is suddenly killed off, you mourn because you had no idea it was going to happen. The unpredictability of it allowed me to get sucked in and watch without any distractions, as I didn't want to miss a single minute. As it's a 1930s film, you have the generic 'lets just show the actor's face' camera angles that have normally been overdone (mentioning no names, Young at Heart), but you don't seem to register them as much, purely because the scenes are so active. At times it was manic, like the beginning where Jean is arguing with another girl and the housekeeper picks up the phone and talks at the same time, but all in all, it was thoroughly enjoyable. Gregory La Cava did a fantastic job directing it all and I can definitely see myself watching more films directed by him.
I enjoyed Ginger Roger's character of Jean because she was, as some would say, sassy. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and yet not in the annoying way. The casting was spot on, and her ability to bounce off other actors is truly fantastic. Although the writers did a truly excellent job, she made the lines come alive. In fact, all the actors did. I would especially like to mention Eve Arden (who you'll all know as the Principal in Grease and Grease 2!) as she does a particularly brilliant job, and I guess other people felt the same way at the time since it was the part that gained her success in her acting career.
Although Katherine Hepburn does a fabulous job, her character wasn't really likeable so I didn't really feel able to connect as well as with Jean, but nonetheless she fitted the character perfectly and pulled off a suave debonair performance.
My IMDb rating was 10 stars out of 10 since I enjoyed it so much! I will definitely be watching more Ginger Rogers films in the future!
