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William222
Reviews
Susan and God (1940)
A hilarious Joan Crawford performance -- who knew?
Having just watched the amazing A WOMAN'S FACE, ran across this comment thread and I am so glad to see this title has fervent admirers. I am definitely one. Watched it many years ago and was absolutely floored by Joan's performance in this, as atypical for her as A WOMAN'S FACE but in a completely different direction, high comedy. It is one of the all-time greatest comedic performances in my book, and yet remains tragically obscure, in both her and Cukor's filmographies. Of course, it is so over-the-top that it runs the risk of being pigeonholed as just another campy Joan Crawford display, and yet if you cast out your preconceptions about her you will see a multi-layered characterization that is at once absurd yet never condescending, expertly timed delivery that seems totally effortless. I simply cannot wait for a DVD of this!
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
The miracle of lowered expectations
I had always avoided this flick because I love both its stars and had read and heard not-so-flattering things about it. Finally caught up with it on the beautiful DVD transfer, and was either laughing or smiling from beginning to end, and believe me that's a rarity! How nice to see all those naysayers proved wrong. Granted, this is one of the most contrived and tortured "meet cute" setups in screwball history, but the plot mechanics are dispensed with quickly and it's all Cagney and Davis at their most sparkling from there on. I actually think it's best to watch this not knowing what happens, so I'll just say WATCH IT if you have a liking for either -- or both -- of these stars. And the Epstein-brothers' script is hilarious; it should be studied by today's comedy writers.