Mr. & Mrs. Smith

This is a good example of a movie that could be quite disappointing for anyone who had too many or too specific expectations for it. It's an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but it's not at all like any of his better-known films. The offbeat premise leads you to expect a 1930s-style screwball comedy, but instead it has a different brand of humor altogether.

The tone of the film blends together the screwball plot idea with Hitchcock's dry sense of humor and the upbeat charm of Carole Lombard. It's something of an odd combination, but it works all right as long as you don't have too many preconceptions.

Lombard and Robert Montgomery work well as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", who find out at the beginning of the movie that they are not really married. Most of the story that follows moves at a decent pace, and although there are never any big laughs, there is some good material. It never really hits high gear, but once you get used to the pace, most of it works well enough.

It does slow down quite a bit towards the end, as things run out of steam, and this keeps the movie from being better. A grand climax in the screwball tradition might have made it a very good movie. Instead, as it is, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is a pleasant, generally amusing, slightly above-average romantic comedy.

Even the talents of Lombard, Montgomery and Raymond can't really save this Hitchcock screwball comedy-curio. Some scenes are priceless - the scene in the Florida Bar where Robert Montgomery tries to make Carole Lombard jealous, and the scene where Carole Lombard gets Gene Raymond drunk are of the first rank - but more often than not the comedy falls flat. Whilst the plot of a comedy shouldn't have to bear too much scrutiny it should have its basis in truth, and unfortunately, here the characters fail to convince; in fact they become rather irritating and dislike-able. With Hitchcock directing and such a stunning ensemble of actors on show this has all the feel of a missed opportunity - its sum never fulfilling the promise of its parts. Shame. Though maybe worth watching just to see Lombard et al, strut their stuff.

The most surprising entry from the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock is his 1941 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Hitchcock claimed he made the film as a favor to lead actress Carole Lombard; Mr. & Mrs. Smith is the only screwball comedy the famous suspense director ever made. Starring along with Carole Lombard is Robert Montgomery; the pair plays a married couple who find out that their marriage is unofficial, and instead of going through the legal paperwork to make their union legal, they question each other and their feelings. Out of his element, Hitchcock put forth a classic comedy that oddly still feels like a Hitchcock film, a true treat for the serious fan as they wade through Hitch's body of work.

Elite New York couple Ann Smith (Carole Lombard) and David Smith (Robert Montgomery) have enjoyed an affectionate, loving, wedded bliss for three years. After individual visits from their lawyers, however, they learn that a municipal technicality prevented their union from being legally recognized. What should be a simple fix, turns into a possible breakup for the couple as they start to wonder how much in love with each other they truly are. The day the couple was told of the technicality, David commented over breakfast that if he were to start his life over, he would never marry. Despite his love for his wife, David feels as though an immense amount of sacrifice of himself has taken place due to his marriage to his wife. That comment has stuck with Ann as she decides what to do about her defunct marriage to her husband. Ann decides that a separation is in order and she begins to live the life of a single woman, even re-adopting her maiden name. As Ann enjoys her new life and freedoms, David sets his sights to stop at nothing to win back the devotion of his wife. Winning back Ann's hand becomes much more difficult as she begins dating other men. As David becomes increasingly more disgruntled with life without his wife, he begins to realize that maybe he wouldn't remove his wife from his life if he had the chance to do it again.

As a fan of classic cinema, I was both surprised and embarrassed to realize that this was the first film I had seen of classic star Carole Lombard. I was happy to change that status and finally see her of a film; I found Lombard's acting exceptional and engaging, and cannot wait to see more of her work. This film is a lot of fun with the slight nods to silent cinema it seems to employ. The ways in which Mr. & Mrs. Smith plays out like a silent film, prove to be a perfect match to the plot of men's and women's relationships of the 1940's. As Lombard gains independence, she enjoys life without her husband more, therefore illustrating the liberation of women in the 40's. Although Mr. & Mrs. Smith has a very Howard Hawks feel to it, it is also clear that there are many aspects recognizable as Hitchcock touches. For instance, this journey through Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, I have grown quite fond of the way in which the auteur films faces. That same unique way faces are filmed are present in this film and are fun to watch. Sure, the film is a comedy, therefore Hitchcock touches are few and far between, but the film doesn't feel foreign to fans of Hitchcock and one can see his touches in it throughout the film. Fans of Hitchcock must see this film, if for no other reason, just to see the famous suspense director trying his hand at comedy; although, if given a chance, one won't be disappointed with a Carole Lombard film, either.

Because it is somewhat unique in Hitchcock's works, there has been a continuous attempt in recent years to upgrade public opinion about MR. AND MRS. SMITH. Hitchcock explained to Francois Truffault in HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAULT that he always wanted to work with Carole Lombard, and she prevailed on him to do this film with her. But that does not really explain the choice of material.

Lombard, of course, is best recalled for her wonderful daffiness in screwball comedies like NOTHING SACRED, TRUE CONFESSIONS, and MY MAN GODFREY. Her co-star, Robert Montgomery, had been in many delightful comedies (PETTICOAT FEVER, PICADILLY JIM) too. But both performers had been in dramatic films. In this period Montgomery (fresh from his great performance as Danny in NIGHT MUST FALL) had made RAGE IN HEAVEN with Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders, and Lombard did VIGIL IN THE NIGHT with Brian Ahearn. They were both highly capable of dramatic performances.

So why couldn't they have sought a more typical Hitchcock screenplay? My suspicion is that Hitchcock chose to make a "screwball comedy" as an experiment. He did that frequently when he felt like stretching his abilities, and sometimes the results were not too good. When it was a technical experiment like ROPE or DIAL "M" FOR MURDER he still had the strength of the film script to fall back on if his nine minute shots or his use of three dimensional film did not quite work wonders with the audience. But when he tried humor, he had less success.

Hitch's sense of humor is not bad - but it works best when he uses it sparingly. In THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956), Hitch sets up a delayed joke involving Hillary Brooke and another actor coming to visit their friends Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day in London. Stewart and Day leave their flat because they are going to try to rescue their son (in the hands of the kidnappers). They apologize and tell Brooke and her husband they'll be back presently with their son. Brooke and her husband look confused as they leave. The remainder of the film, and the melodrama in the embassy is played out. Final scene shows Brooke and her husband have fallen asleep waiting for them. Day, Stewart and their son come in, wake up Brooke and her husband, and proceed to act as though nothing has happened for three or four hours.

That is an example of when the Hitchcock humor works. But then comes his full scale "black comedy" THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, and the viewer has mixed feelings. Individual moments work, like the manipulation of the dull sheriff Royal Dano. But one finds most of the humor about moving a dead body fairly unimaginative...surprisingly so from Hitch.

MR. AND MRS. SMITH is not a black comedy, but it's type of bedroom farce situation would have been better handled by Ernst Lubitsch or Leo McCarey or Preston Sturgis. The joke is that the surface-warring Smiths are really in love, but discover that their marriage was illegal. Montgomery had said he'd marry Lombard again if he had to (prior to the discovery of the illegal marriage), but instead of rushing Lombard off to any nearby church or justice of the peace he hesitates. And Lombard wonders what kind of man she has been illegally married to. So she turns to his partner Gene Raymond, who is interested in her.

There are some interesting moments in the film (Hitchcock has to be of interest always). The scene where Montgomery pretends to be talking to the pretty woman sitting next to him (incurring the ire of her date) is good, culminating in Jack Carson trying to stop a bleeding nose on Montgomery by using a "cold" knife as a cauterizing instrument. There is also a funny moment when Lombard and Raymond, on a trip to an amusement park, get stuck on a ferris wheel on top of it during a heavy thunder storm. But these moments are far and few. As a romantic comedy it is mediocre, despite it's stars and (unfortunately) because of it's director. Hitchcock must have realized it too - until THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY he never attempted a straight comedy again, and (as mentioned before) THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY was not a romantic comedy but a "black comedy".

It's unfair to look over this film because it is not a true Hitchcock film. It's still a great film, and a great screwball comedy. It is very funny and contains at least two of the funniest scenes I've ever seen, the one where Robert Montgomery plans to have premarital sex with Lombard, thinking she doesn't know that they aren't married, and the restaurant scene, where Montgomery pretends to talk to a really pretty girl who's sitting next to him. You can just barely see Hitchcock in this film - there are a few marvelous camera movements and angles that seem like Hitchcock was sighing, saying, "God, I'm bored!" The two leads, Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery, are wonderful. Everyone else, Gene Raymond as Jeff and Jack Carson as Chuck (he's especially hilarious; I wish he had had even more scenes!), and everyone else, too, is constantly hitting bullseyes.

Unfortunately, in the last 20 or 30 minutes of the film, it begins to fall apart, after the plot moves to Lake Placid. First off, it's begins to grow tiresome. Lombard is starting to come off as unnecessarily cruel. The faux drunken mumblings of Montgomery aren't as funny as they're supposed to be. Jeff's parents are getting in the way. At least the final scene makes up for some of that! 8/10.