atlasmb Sandwiched between two more typical Hitchcock directorial offerings ("Foreign Correspondent" and "Suspicion"), 1941's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" is a screwball comedy based upon an unlikely premise and teased to the limits of credulity and beyond. So far beyond that the screwball formula fails and the film falls flat. Though it is tempting to hypothesize that romantic comedies were so far out of Hitchcock's wheelhouse that his direction failed, the blame should be given to the screenplay.It is said that Hitchcock strayed so far afield because he wanted to work with Carole Lombard (Ann Smith). And that he directed the film as written because he recognized his limitations in the genre. He certainly had a (dark and mischievous) sense of humor and the story could have used more of his sensibilities. One has to wonder if wartime concerns for his homeland left him distracted or somewhat alienated from comedy.The film starts with the happy title couple enjoying one of their tiffs with playful give and take and humorous teasing. David Smith (Robert Montgomery) is later notified that their marriage is not technically legal. Viewing it as comical, he plans to inform his wife later, but she learns of the technicality first. Initially she downplays the news, but her humor quickly turns to suspicion and then anger. And this is where the film turns from comedy to comedy failure. From that moment on, her actions are that of a woman bent on revenge, with no intentions of continuing her marriage. Within twenty-four hours, she goes out with another man and makes no attempts to reconcile.This is not to say that there are no humorous elements in the remainder of the film. It's just that are undercut by the film's prevailing dark tone.The film is firmly rooted in the mores of its time, which is something of an annoyance for modern viewers. Concern over "What will the neighbors say?" is a common theme in many films, but here it feels inflated to an unnecessary level, especially since there is no reason to believe any "neighbor" would ever be aware of the glitch.This could have been a marvelous film, considering the talents of Lombard and Montgomery. One can imagine an alternative script that would have been lighter in tone, with both character's actions escalating to limits of silliness. Then Lombard's fire would have been channeled into a comedic battle of wits and wills. And Montgomery would have been less a victim and more a combatant.

jc-osms Despite some neat touches, this Carole Lombard feature proves that Alfred Hitchcock was right to stay in the suspense thriller rather than screwball comedy genre. Not that some of his best films don't feature some arch humour (think "The 39 Steps" or "The Lady Vanishes" but a Hitchcock film devoid of thrills is like a bird without wings, in other words it won't fly.The storyline is typical of its type, a married couple learn that by a fluke they aren't actually married and before you know it are frantically competing to make the other jealous, Lombard even threatening to marry "husband" Montgomery's best pal and business partner, played by Gene Raymond, before it all unsurprisingly resolves itself happily ever after for the would-be warring couple. There are some likable things in the movie, the nice use of locations such as a pizzeria, funfair and snow lodge, some typically coarse directorial humour over the dining table, Miss Lombard's effervescent performance and some minor directorial flourishes from Hitchcock, like the on-high shot on the fun-fair's big-wheel ride or the last scene when Lombard surrenders back to Montgomery, oddly prescient of Grace Kelly's murder scene in the years later "Dial M For Murder", but on the whole the movie lacks sparkle or even a spark.Montgomery just moons about and Raymond's character for all he's trying to steal his best friend's girl is very bland,a mummy and daddy's boy, leaving Lombard to try to carry the movie on her own, but it's beyond both her and Hitchcock's talents and more or less plods along to its predicable conclusion.As a Hitchcock fan, I was intrigued to see a film of his I'd not seen before, but in truth, there was little to identify it as one by the Master and it's not one I'll be returning to anytime soon.

edwagreen Routine fanfare with famed director Alfred Hitchcock, who attempts to make a comedy in this 1941 farce.Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard play a couple, who have a spat and later learn that their marriage is invalid.When Montgomery hesitates to marry Lombard, the fun starts with her throwing him out of the house, as he spends the rest of the film trying to win her back. Things become complicated when his partner,played by a lively Gene Raymond, attempts to take advantage of the situation and get Lombard for himself. Raymond is highly effective here and is memorable is his drunken scene.A fine supporting cast enriches the film with Jack Carson, a buddy of Montgomery, always at the health spa, attempting to give advice, as well as Philip Merivale and Lucile Watson, as Raymond's ultra- conservative parents from the south, both of whom are caught up in the various situations.With it all, it's pretty much routine.

jdeamara This screwball comedy has a naughty little premise behind it. A man discovers he isn't legally married and decides not to tell his wife. He'd rather be with her as if she were his mistress and have sex without the benefit of marriage. He finds the idea to be thrilling and exciting. Why he does isn't addressed. Perhaps the idea of defying society's conventions, or maybe the idea of gaining more power over his wife; a man can easily dump a mistress at any time; a wife, there's a long, messy divorce to deal with. Also, there's the sexual element behind it too; presumably sex with a mistress is more thrilling than sex with a wife.The wife finds out and dumps the husband for trying to turn her into that kind of woman. She dates his law partner, a true Southern gentleman who's entirely prim and proper and would never think of touching a woman before marriage. In the end, the wife finds their relationship unfulfilling, especially when he does not resort to violence to protect her honor. She dumps him and turns back to her hubby, a "real man." It's interesting that the movie ends with the husband getting exactly what he wants, sex with his wife before marriage. In effect, despite his wife's long protest, he wins; he now takes her as his mistress. This is a sex comedy where the man entirely gets his way; his sex dream is realized.Questions this film asks: does one really have to wait for marriage to have sex? Is it better to have a wife or a mistress? The film also offers insight into the different social standards of the higher and lower class, especially in the scene at the upscale nightclub where Montgomery is embarrassed to be with low-brow Jack Carson and the two low-brow dames Carson brings with him.Overall, the cast is good, though the three principles all show signs of premature aging. It's interesting to watch movies of the early 40s and see what's become of stars from the late 20s and early 30s. Some are still stars, like Montgomery and Lombard. Others are fading to character status like Gene Raymond. He's almost unrecognizable in dyed black hair as the type of character Ralph Bellamy plays so well in films like "The Awful Truth" and "His Girl Friday"; it's a far cry from Raymond's leading man days of the early 1930s. Saddest of all is to see what happened to another leading lady of the late 20s, Betty Compson. A star from the great 1928 film "The Docks of New York," she's truly unrecognizable here as the beat-up, low-class hag Gertie.Norman Krasna's script is serviceable, with a number of truly funny lines and scenes, mostly avoiding the sort of cliché-riddled, unfunny, idiotic cuteness that makes the 1943 film "Princess O'Rourke" so intolerable, a film for which Krasna inexplicably won the Academy Award for best screenplay. The first half of the film is the best half, before the focus shifts to Lombard and the boring Raymond. Hitchcock is serviceable too, though anyone could have directed this film. Obviously, Hitch didn't have the gift of an Ernst Lubitsch when it came to sex comedies. Neither did anyone else, and at least Hitch here makes no pretense as to having the "Lubitsch touch," unlike Billy Wilder, who failed numerous times in trying to recreate it, in movies like "Sabrina"(1954). "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" does deal with some domestic themes that Hitch is particularly fond of though, namely the battle of the sexes and the husband getting his way in the end.