I Found It At the Movies: 1938—Holiday (George Cukor)

Inspired by Dave Hicks’ excellent blog, I have decided to write about my favorite film for each year from 1926-2008.

1938: Holiday (George Cukor)

Ah, how Cukor pulls this one off for me! There’s as much suspense in this romantic comedy as there is in any mystery or drama I can think of from this period. I don’t want to ruin it for those who haven’t seen it, but suffice it to say, you’re not sure where Cukor’s taking the story until almost the very last second.

I guess I also have a thing about conformity. The way that this film deals with familial pressure and the pressure to conform affects me in a very personal way. In fact, it affects me as deeply as any film from the thirties.

This is one of those years where it’s absolutely no contest for me. Holiday is my desert island film. Brilliant, I think, but more important, just an extremely personal film.

What moviemakers can learn: When making a comedy, or even a romantic comedy, consider adding drama and suspense. It can round out certain comedies and add a dimension to them that makes them satisfying on almost every level. Just like doses of comedy can lighten drama and make it a little more palatable.

Other contenders for 1938: From this year, I also really like Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby, but not near as much as the Cukor. And, I love Jean Renoir’s La bête humaine though I can’t say it affects me in the same deeply personal way as Holiday.

After living in Los Angeles for seven years, Jeffrey Goodman returned to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana to direct The Last Lullaby. Co-written by the creator of Road to Perdition, and starring Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, The Last Lullaby was filmed entirely in and around Shreveport and financed by 48 local investors. Goodman is now at work, raising money for his next feature, Peril.