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Summary: The Speedy Press.
Review: HIS GIRL FRIDAY was directed by Howard Hawks and stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. What more needs to be said? Back in the day, when you had a combination like that you knew a movie was going to be good (unlike today when an all-star cast doesn't guarantee anything). I have yet to see a film that Grant made that wasn't good and HIS GIRL FRIDAY is one of his finest performances. Instead of the bumbling buffoon that Grant usually plays, in HIS GIRL FRIDAY he plays Walter Burns, a fast-talking newspaper editor who writes for the people instead of the big business and political corporations that support it. Russell portrays Hildy, one of the best writers in the business and Burns' ex-wife. The verbal bombardment between the two is some of the best ever captured on film. Nevertheless, all that wit is spoken so naturally that it feels completely normal and ordinary. Howard Hawks was one of the best directors and made great films in all genres from Westerns to comedies to the fast-paced roller coaster that is HIS GIRL FRIDAY. Hawks made a lot of great films in his career, but HIS GIRL FRIDAY ranks as one of the top five Hawks films of all time. The movie is not only full of verbal intelligence, but it's full of action as well. Of course, the action here isn't the "let's-blow-up-another-building" action of the modern movie era. The action in HIS GIRL FRIDAY is, well, simply action: the stuff that makes for great drama. Nobody is still in HIS GIRL FRIDAY, everyone is moving in a motion that resembles real life. That makes HIS GIRL FRIDAY a film great for any day.
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Summary: Thanks to the other amazon reviewers ...
Review: for warning me about which version to get. I bought the columbia classics version which was digitally remastered. The picture and sound quality are both excellent. There are a couple of versions out there. Luckily, I read the reviews here and didn't get duped into buying the cheap poor quality dvd. The movie itself is my favorite comedy of all time next to Some Like It Hot. This was one of my favorite roles by Cary Grant. The chemistry with Rosalind Russell was very smooth and Ralph Bellamy played his part well as the stuffy insurance salesman...Remember GET THE COLUMBIA CLASSICS VERSION. It's an extra ten bucks but excellent quality.
Rating: 
Summary: Double Warning - Great Movie - Bad DVD
Review: I read a review about the bad DVD quality of the version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY produced by D3K films. I made sure I bought a different DVD of the movie from a company called Alpha Video. This was also an incredibly bad rendition of this classic movie. The contrast of the movie was so poor that you could not see the faces of the actors. It was also poorly framed. DON'T BUY THIS VERSION EITHER!
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Summary: The worst reviewer on Amazon.com?
Review: Well, maybe not, but as one who tries to be a serious critic, Steve Y comes pretty close to just plain bad. One assumes where a person feels he can bragg about two undergrad degrees [big deal], an MA [shrug] and a JD [non-ABA school perhaps?] perhaps there may be a bit of something strange going on. Witness the spectacle of his bragging about advanced degrees AND being an insurance agent [!]. All of this would be fine, but dumbo's poor "reviews" posted throughout Amazon tend to stink up the place with barely literate expositions as to why Battleship Potemkin is worth three stars [!] not five. A reviewing train wreck, Steve Y is one reason "why" Amazon.com can be an entertaining place to visit!
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Summary: Get the "Cary Grant on Film" version! D3K gets 0 stars!
Review: This is one on my favorite movies of all time. The dialog is fast, funny and SMART. Plus, the gender treatment is fascinating, and not dated in the slightest. But . . . WARNING! Avoid the D3K DVD at all costs. It is truly the most horrendous digital transfer I have ever encountered. The picture is fuzzy and the dialogue almost incomprehensible. I have a five-year-old VHS copy of a TV broadcast of the movie that has much better sound/picture quality. To make things worse, the feature menus on the DVD are poorly designed, so that you cannot tell what you are selecting. And the makers had the audacity to have a whole menu with the credits for production of the DVD. I can't believe how mad I got trying to use this DVD. Luckily my friend had another version I could compare (and eventually buy). The "His Girl Friday/Cary Grant on Film" version is superb in comparison: Dialog is crisp, picture sharp. It has a bonus documentary, Tony Curtis introduction and the trailer. And IT COSTS LESS than the D3K. This version is a winner.
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Summary: That's what Archie Leach said before he cut his throat !
Review: Virtuoso performances by Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell highlight this screwball comedy masterpiece. Studio heads were appalled at the ad-libs they heard in the dailies "He looks like er...that fellow in the movies, Ralph Bellamy." They wondered if there was a madman in charge. (There was. His name was Howard Hawks) Adapted from the 1928 play and film "The Front Page", the madman realized that it would be much funnier if Hildy was female and, for good measure, about to leave not only the newspaper but also her dashing but um...slightly unethical ex-husband to marry a dullish Mama's boy (played to perfection by Bellamy) in order to finally lead a 'normal life.' Of course she's leaving on the 3 o'clock train so there's still time for Walter to concoct some insane scheme to stop Hildy from making a terrible mistake and win her back. Now if you're wondering how one can leave an EX-husband, or how hanging an innocent man to win an election, kidnapping old ladies, or framing a sweet simpleton for 'mashing' with the help of a blonde bombshell albino could possibly be funny "She ain't no Albino, she was born right here in this country!" Or if you simply want to roll on the floor laughing, watch this film. In an age where film schools tell their students to turn off the sound and only watch the images to judge if the director has done his job (In what? Ignoring the writer?), where words are considered 'barriers', wit a 'defense mechanism' and intelligence in cinema feared as a turn off to the 'demogragraphics' of modern audiences ---Watch this film! And leave the sound on. You won't want to miss a moment of Cary (born Archie Leach) Grant.
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Summary: "What did I treat you like? A water buffalo?"
Review: Walter Burns: I still wish you hadn't done that, Hildy.
Hildy Johnson: Done what?
Walter Burns: Divorced me. It makes a man feel he's not wanted.
Hildy Johnson: Oh, now look junior . . . that's what divorces are FOR! Many films eventually are forgotten as the years go on. Yet, the quality ones like Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday" not only are still remembered but still hold up remarkably well to this very day. Watching Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant work their magic in this production is proof positive that good films will always remain good films regardless of their age. Reporter Hildy Johnson (Russell) plans to leave her job as a reporter in order to settle down with insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). However, Hildy's boss and former husband, Walter Burns (Grant), does not want to lose her so he offers her the juicy assignment of covering the upcoming hanging of convict Earl Williams (John Qualen) to get her to stick around. Hildy accepts the job but the gets more than she bargains for when she encounters the escaped Williams who takes refuge with her. "His Girl Friday" is, more than anything else, a showcase for Russell and Grant. Given a wonderful script to work with, the two leads use their natural charisma to vividly bring to life their respective characters. The art of the verbal quip is refined like never before here as Russell and Grant trade one-liners so deftly and so amusingly that you will be constantly smiling at their playful and witty exchanges. "His Girl Friday" is also a reminder of just how rare it is to find a modern film that has the same type of sharp dialogue. When the medium evolved to showcase spectacle over substance, less concern was directed towards the quality of a screenplay and countless films have suffered for it. Thankfully, there still are films from the past like "His Girl Friday" to remind us that there was a time when Hollywood recognized the value of good writing.
Rating:
Summary: THE funniest movie ever made!
Review: 'His Girl Friday' was released in 1940 (Actually, it was released on January 18th to be exact, which was Cary Grant's birthday). It was based on the play 'The Front Page' by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. 'The Front Page' was actually first made into a movie in 1931 (keeping the title of the play). It has a big change. The Character played by Rosalind Russell in 'His Girl Friday', was actually a man in the original story. The film is directed by Howard Hawks, and it has a very fast-paced story, which is hilarious, all the way through. The basic plot of the story, is that Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) has just recently divorced Walter Burns (Cary Grant), and she tells him that she will no longer be working with his newspaper. So as to she can get married again, to another man, Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy, in a great role), and live a much more peaceful life than the one she has been living in the newspaper reporter business. Before she leaves, she agrees to covering one more story. But Walter does everything he can to make sure this isnt her last story, and that she doesnt re-marry. The DVD presents the movie to us, in a very good looking print, with good sound aswell. It comes with some nice extras, such as a few featurettes (although short) of the lead stars. With other little things too. Easily, in my opinion (and I know a lot of others) the funniest movie ever made. Maybe Howard Hawks' best movie, with a great, great cast. Very highly recommended. PLEASE NOTE: Living in the UK, I obviously own the Region 2 release from Columbia. Checking through, it appears to be the same as this Region 1 release.
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Summary: One of my top 10 favorites
Review: Senior year in Cinema class, our teacher made us read "The Front Page" (the play HGF is based upon)as extra credit in addition to watching this classic flick. Oddly enough,in the play, the Hildy character isn't a woman, but a man, best friend to the editor that doesn't want him to get married and quit. Both versions work, but I think I like the movie version better. Walter Burns (Cary Grant) in Hildigard "Hildy" Johnson both work for the Post (he's editor, she's a reporter). They're also divorced. The opening sequence shows Hildy visiting Walter's office to break the news that she's not only quitting "the newspaper game", but she's also getting remarried to a guy named Bruce (Ralph Bellamy). Not only does Walter not want to lose his best reporter, he can't stand losing Hildy to someone else. He does everything in his power to prevent them leaving for Albany on the 6:00 train- from having Bruce get mugged, and then framed (twice), he convinces Hildy to write one last article. A man named Earl Williams is going to be hanged for shooting a cop, and the Post believes he's innocent. But as Hildy follows her end of the bargain, Walter keeps changing the rules and moving the goalposts to prevent her departure. Hildy's fellow reporters also lay odds on wether or not a "swell reporter" like Hildy would give up the thrill of the game to "darn socks for a guy in the insurance business". An excellent cast and wonderful chemistry between Russell and Grant makes this film a 5-star one to own. There aren't too many extras to rave about, but still a movie any classics fan should have.
Rating:
Summary: A marvellous play with words
Review: This is one of those films which are just pure fun strength derived from the dialogues and delivery. Howard Hawks directs this brilliant satire on newspapers and journalists with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell playing the lead and notably supported by Ralph Bellamy. Grant in particular appears to be rhoroughly enjoying himself. The scenes with the prisoner and his girl friend - the only non-comic characters in the film - are a little jarring though. But thankfully, they appear for only a few minutes in the film leaving the field open to Grant and Russel to weave magic under the able direction of Howard Hawks. A must see.
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