Christopher Strong

Trailer—Christopher Strong

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Monica and Harry are on a scavenger hunt organized by her aunt Carrie. The final challenge is to find a man who has been married over 5 years and is still faithful or a woman over 20 who has never had a love affair. Monica goes to fetch her father Sir Christopher Strong (Colin Clive) who is faithful to her mother. Harry gets into an accident with Lady Cynthia Darrington (Katharine Hepburn), an adventurer flier. She had never found love. The problem is that the meet-cute is actually between Harry and Lady Darrington. There is no chemistry with Christopher. The story needs to manufacture a way for the car accident to be between Sir Strong and Lady Darrington. At least that way, there is a chance for this tragic romance to build. As it stands, it's all rather unseemly. One does not root for this relationship. It could be solved if he's a widower. This movie is still an interesting star vehicle for the up-and-comer Katharine Hepburn. It's only her second film and she outshines everybody.

Christopher Strong is a rather short and underbaked movie. The film starts out with a young woman and her boyfriend participating in a treasure hunt where they have to find a woman over twenty who has never had a love affair and a man who has been married over 5 years who has never had an affair. The woman brings her father, the titular Christopher Strong, along and her boyfriend finds a career driven aviator Cynthia Darrington, who will cop to being over twenty and having had no boyfriends. There is an immediate attraction between Christopher and Cynthia and the bulk of the movie is devoted to the eventual consummation of their love affair and the consequences that follow. This was only Hepburn's second movie, but Darrington is a classic Hepburn role, independent, honest, and tomboyish. Colin Clive is really too young for the role he was meant to play and has ridiculously little chemistry with Hepburn. They barely register as a couple at all. Unless you're a fan of one of the stars or an Arzner completist, this pre-code film isn't really worth your time.

Chiefly of interest as one of Katharine Hepburn's early RKO films, "Christopher Strong" is worth a look for her fans, yet other than that, it's pretty much just another melodrama. Hepburn plays a feminist flier who falls in love with the married man of the title, played by Colin Clive. Lots of tears and hand-wringing follows as the affair deepens. I like Hepburn in the role, she is always interesting to watch, but even now (as she did back then) she seems a bit too arch to really connect to the audience. I have no idea why she falls for Clive in this one. The man is as stiff as a board and not that attractive. Helen Chandler's performance as Clive's troubled daughter fascinated me. Chandler herself was an alcoholic, and she is unnervingly right for her role. Billie Burke also stars as the wife who Clive cheats on. It's a pre-code so we even get a bedroom scene of sorts, but the film reaches a very post-code solution by the end. All in all, a decent melodrama from Arzner, and a striking Hepburn (she wears the moth suit in this one) performance, but not really anything great here.

Christopher Strong is a film of clichés- daring, independent woman meets devoted, trustworthy husband of kind, albeit prudish wife. He's never cheated on his wife, she's never been in love. Will a clandestine affair ensue? Oh, gee, the suspense might leave you hanging. But before you write this one off, remember that it stars the incomparable Katharine Hepburn in one of her first screen roles. And she is divine. I love Kate when she's strong and brash and carelessly independent. She breathes life into what would be a tired role in any other actress's hands. Her performance makes you believe at once in the worldliness and naiveté of an aviatrix who's never known love before. The ending is rushed and lacks credibility. It feels forced, as though they had to give some closure to a rather untidy relationship. It would have been better without the closure. But through it all, you believe in Hepburn; even in the final moments, you believe that maybe she regrets her irreversible decision after all. It's not an original look at adultery, but Kate's performance gives you an interesting view of the other woman- one who is brave but scared, happy but miserable.

This was one collaboration that drew attention. Lesbian film director Dorothy Arzner and film actress Katharine Hepburn. For God sakes, both women wore pants in town when it was seen as scandalous. Anyway, the legendary Kate plays a female aviator much like Amelia Earhart who falls in love with a married man known as Christopher Strong or Sir since he is titled. I loved the old black and white films especially since I think they provide so much more than today's films. Anyway, Kate's character and Strong have an affair. I love the scene where she wears that silly costume. Kate's role as the other woman could have been scandalous back then if it wasn't so obvious to the Strong family. Billie Burke better known as Glinda, the good witch in the Wizard of Oz, plays Lady Strong. I loved Katharine Hepburn and I think a lot of people did whether they were colleagues, friends, relatives, or whatever. I think she would become the other woman in the Spencer Tracy relationship in reality. Oh well, the film is worth watching if just for that costume.

Intriguing early flight scenes -especially as a woman flier challenged to set a distance record - then an altitude record. Exquisite cinematic techniques in the final scene which made up for the schmaltzy scenes scattered throughout. Fascinating scene of a man and a woman in bed together - but showing only her hand draped over the bedside clock (showing 3:20am) With the dialog unmistakeably depicting lovers..wow ! the Hayes office must have sizzled about it . Since I missed the opening sequence - I didn't yet realize it was a Hepburn movie - so it was a guessing game a few moments until that deep voice and quirky angular face resolved my question. Some trite arguments about life, love and marriage but I love Billie Burke so I handled it. Guys: please try to stay for the end- its worth it -- I cooked breakfast while it was on. Thanks TCM! Happy B-day Kate ! 8/5/05

CHRISTOPHER STRONG (RKO Radio, 1933), directed by Dorothy Arzner, with a haunting score by Max Steiner, began production as "A Great Desire." Starring Katharine Hepburn in her second feature film following her successful debut in A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1932), it pairs her opposite Colin Clive for the only time. Set in England, she plays Lady Cynthia Darrington, an enthusiastic aviatrix (possibly inspired on Amelia Earheart), who is over 21 and has never had a lover or an affair because she makes no time for it. All that changes when she meets Sir Christopher Strong (Colin Clive), whose life is not only absorbed in his political career, but with his wife (Billie Burke) and his single adult daughter (Helen Chandler) who has a married lover (Ralph Forbes), but becomes her husband after he is finally granted his divorce. CHRISTOPHER STRONG is particularly interesting mainly because of some pre-production code stuff, and seeing Kate playing "the other woman" on screen for the only time who meets her dismal climax, something not common in a Hepburn movie. There is even a "bedroom scene" which camera focuses mainly on Kate's hand by the lamp while the viewer only hears some mono dialog exchange between her and Chris before she turns off the lights, leaving something to the viewer's imagination. By today's standards, this is nothing compared to what Hollywood would make of this particular scene today. I won't reveal any more about the plot, but this is early Kate Hepburn as the liberated woman with carefree ideas that come back to punish her. Maybe casting Hepburn in this type of role was RKO 's way of trying to develop her into a tragic heroine like MGM's own Greta Garbo. Worth a look, however, especially seeing Colin Clive in something other than that as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, his most famous performance(s) in Universal's FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). CHRISTOPHER STRONG, which formerly played on the American Movie Classics cable channel prior to 2001, can be seen occasionally on Turner Classic Movies. It was once available on video cassette through the Nostalgia Merchant and RKO Home Video, but presently, it's out of print. Look quickly for future Warner Brothers actress Margaret Lindsay appearing in a small role as a girl who wants to get Cynthia's autograph. Not a box office success when released, but better roles for Kate in 1933 would soon follow with MORNING GLORY and LITTLE WOMEN. (**1/2)