Meu Amigo Harvey

I have read that James Stewart considered Elwood P. Dowd his most personally significant role. In a career that spanned decades and included such great works at It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, choosing Harvey's friend, Elwood, as his personal favorite says something about rather powerful about Mr. Stewart and Mr. Dowd.

James Stewart was a down to earth, decent man whose personal life was as honorable as the lives of George Bailey and Jefferson Smith - but he admired Elwood P. Dowd, an alcoholic dreamer with an invisible giant white rabbit as his best friend. Not what you would expect of a man who piloted B-17's and led giant raids over Germany in WWII.

Elwood's attraction for us is perhaps what attracted him so much to James Stewart. Elwood is happy with himself and his life and even more importantly, he makes others happy with their lives. That is the great magic of Elwood and Harvey: they make others happy and they bring peace and a measure of contentment to almost everyone who know them.

I have seen another version of Harvey with Art Carney and it was quite good, but lacked the sense of magic that is a benediction in this version of Harvey. In the Carney version, you can see Harvey - he is a giant white rabbit - and seeing Harvey takes much of the magic away. When you watch Jimmy Stewart, you never really know if Harvey is real or not. You know that Elwood thinks he is real and you know that Elwood's family thinks Elwood is crazy. After watching for a while, you don't really care if Harvey is real. Elwood is real and it is his belief in Harvey and what Harvey represents to him that endows him with such sweet and gentle charm. Harvey is his rejection of the harshness and materialism of the world.

Harvey is a charming, magical masterpiece of kindness and goodness that somehow never becomes maudlin. Elwood and Harvey do not feel sorry for themselves and they most certainly do not expect you to feel sorry for them either. If anything, Elwood feels sorry for the rest of the world and he does not understand how everyone can't see as clearly as he does. For in his world, we are all brothers who should love as generously and kindly as Mr. Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd.

When I first saw this movie I didn't think I would like it. I didn't think it was my "type" of movie. I was wrong. HARVEY will make you laugh and at the same time show you the power of kindness. JAMES STEWART makes you believe someone is there even know his friend is an invisible 6-foot tall rabbit. It is easily one of the best movies ever made! If you don't know what this movie is or haven't seen it for any reason all I have to say is "GO SEE IT!" Even if you don't like black and white movies, there is something in this movie for everyone. If you like drama, comedy, or just films that make you feel good inside this movie is for you.

"If ELWOOD P. DOWD is crazy I don't want to be sane."

A wonderful comedy-drama starring the immensely talented James Stuart as kind hearted Elwood P. Dowd, a man who has refused to be ruled by life. The brilliance of this film is the subtlety of the story and the layers of the character. Under the polite veneer of fifties Hollywood conventions, Harvey has a decidedly dark undercurrent, one that deals with alcoholism, loneliness and rejection. Not that this should deter you from enjoying the many comic scenarios that Harvey throws at the viewer during the course of the film, as this is definitely a comedy gem. But the truth and beauty behind what Elwood is saying only make the entire package all the more exquisite, like putting chocolate on a donut.

The most beautiful scene I've seen in any film is the scene in which Elwood explains how Harvey has enriched his life, though the people who are listening to the story doubt Harvey's existence, thus doubting Elwood's sanity, the words of his speech, coupled with the delivery of Stuart's performance are so touching and true that even the most jaded audience will be won over into believing Harvey to be real. The enjoyment that Elwood now gets from life, the wonderful times he has, wherever he is, whoever he's with, is the kind of enjoyment everyone strives to achiever from life. This is bygone film-making at it's best; Stuart is such a joy to watch that you'll remember this film for a long time after viewing. With fine support from all the actors, this is one film that truly deserves its classic status.

A film is like a recipe, you need the right ingredients.

Start with a Pulitzer Prize willing play.

Cast the perfect screen ensemble.

Mix well, bake at 350 degrees, and serve hot.

Never mind the B&W. Never mind that young people of the current era (whenever you read this review) will think the look is dated or the actors are of a bygone age.

This version of Harvey will never be surpassed. Stewart owns this role the way Eastwood owns the Man with No Name, or Harrison owns Indiana Jones.

Have seen this six or seven times and each time I catch some nuance in the script I missed before.

Roger Ebert used to say that the mark of a fine film was inverse to the number of times you looked at your watch. I never look at my watch when I watch Harvey.

In the grand tradition of Pooka magic, time stops.

((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Most adults have long since stopped believing in the Easter Bunny. For better or for worse, they've come to find imaginary rabbits absurd and uncalled for. In "Harvey," however, you will find a very pleasant man who would beg to differ.

Elwood P. Dowd is best friends with a pooka named Harvey. A pooka, by definition, is a `fairy spirit that appears in animal form, always very large.' In Harvey's case, this means a 6-foot-3.5-inch rabbit.

Harvey is also invisible to the general populace, but this does not stop Elwood from talking to him, holding doors for him, and cheerfully introducing him to anyone and everyone they meet.

Most other characters who are witnesses to this behavior -- and the viewer as well -- are skeptical at best of Elwood's sanity. The occasional act of mischief, though, as well as Stewart's unfailing faithfulness, are grounds enough to keep you wondering.

The skillful blurring of the line between delusion and reality are testament to the skill of both Mary Chase and those who made her play into a movie.

Elwood and Harvey tend to frequent the local bars, where meeting Harvey tends to brighten a person's heavy spirits since, as Elwood puts it, `nobody brings small things into a bar.' (One will note that Harvey is no exception to this rule.)

His sister Veta, however, becomes determined to have Elwood committed after he and Harvey ruin the social gathering she so diligently arranged. They take a trip to the Chumley's Rest sanatorium for this purpose, but the particularly analytic psychologist Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake) decides that it is Veta who's the crazy one and has her admitted instead. Josephine Hull expertly portrays Veta's quirks and anxieties about both her brother's sanity and her own.

In one of the one of the movie's memorable scenes, Mr. Wilson, an orderly at the sanitarium, decides to look up what a `pooka' is. He discovers it is described as a `mischievous creature, very fond of rum-pots, crack-pots, and how are you Mr. Wilson?" That he is irritated rather than mystified only enhances the comedic effect.

When the mix-up is revealed, a manhunt for Elwood commences. He is found at Charlie's (which is just where he'd said he was going) and brought back to the sanitarium, but not before impressing his apprehendors with his incredible good nature and altruistic attitude.

Then, when Dr. Chumley, the owner of the sanitarium, informs Elwood about Veta's plans, him he is amazed when Elwood seems untroubled by this revelation.

"Harvey" has many memorable lines, many of which are notable for their ring of candor and elemental wisdom. Elwood's explanation is one of them, as he tells the doctor, `‘In this world, you must be oh-so-smart or oh-so-pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.'

It is, in a large part, this attitude that makes both Elwood and "Harvey" so endearing. Such an overwhelming agreeable nature cannot help but infect the hearts and minds of those it touches.

Furthermore, the occasional acts of mischief – perhaps the work of Harvey? – are both humorous and intriguing. Most importantly, the movie does an excellent job of questioning the value of conventional sanity.

Inspired by Elwood, who states, `Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it,' the viewer is almost tempted to check the dictionary for `pooka' by the time the movie's over. Or, perhaps, to check for an Easter basket. Just in case.