Harvey

source: Harvey

Being a practical person, I find comedies like HARVEY a bit of a stretch to swallow--however, I must admit that JAMES STEWART plays Elwood C. Dowd so perfectly that I almost expected to see Harvey myself by the time the film was over. And whether you accept the simple platitudes offered here by screenwriter Mary Chase (as in her play), or not, the gentle fantasy is played for humor by a brilliant cast which makes the whole thin story easy to take. I suspect many will not succumb to the charming portrait of a mild-mannered alcoholic and his 6'3" rabbit friend that JAMES STEWART offers unless they can appreciate that this screwball comedy is really pleading for tolerance and understanding among all of us. The performances make the film, in my opinion, and I can't express anything but admiration for the smooth ensemble work of Stewart, Josephine Hull (priceless in her Oscar-winning role as his scatter-brained sister), Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White and Victoria Horne. It passes the time pleasantly but you have to be in the mood for its quaint charm and whimsical situations.

Spoilers herein. Irish Celtics have a pooka tradition, an understanding of which greatly enhances this story. The pooka only appears in stories, and then as a sort of expandable dramatic troupe. The pooka always appears in the story as a character, with all the other characters in the story but one played by sub-pookas, or other views of the kingpooka. The one non-pooka character is placed in a world between reality and magic, the confusion between which is the point of the story. The normal character here is Nurse Kelly -- note the Irish name. Much more fun to see every character but her as part of a pookatroupe. Nurse Kelly is played by Peggy Dow, one of the most remarkable actresses I've encountered. Possibly the most flat out beautiful woman in a day when that was what mattered most. From Louisiana, educated at Northwestern, she arrived in Hollywood and immediately was put on the starlet track. By one year she was on the cover of Life magazine. By the second year, she had been in nine movies. Then she met her prince (heir to an oil fortune) and left Hollywood. She left abruptly and her place in the next film was haphazardly filled by another beauty, another character named Kelly, Grace Kelly. This first film allowed her to pick up Dow's destiny in a sense. So. In addition to having nearly all the characters in the film be pooka for a character named Kelly, that character then transformed into an actress named Kelly for whom all Hollywood was pooka. It would take Grace five years to find and marry her prince. Interesting, this. Makes you wonder where you stand yourself, doesn't it?

Mary Chase adapted her Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a small town eccentric whose best friend is a six-foot three-inch rabbit named Harvey (whom only he can see). In the lead, James Stewart doesn't deviate from his popular movie persona--that of an amiably befuddled, nervously chattering man with his head in the clouds--and he's forced to carry this heavy whimsy a long way (having his character be a known drunk as well certainly doesn't help; Stewart bumbles about enough as it is). Josephine Hull won a Supporting Oscar for reprising her stage role as Stewart's exasperated sister who wants her brother committed. Stagy, overlong comedy with sentimental trappings congeals on the screen, despite a large number of professional critics who think very highly of it. ** from ****

Another great comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age has James Stewart (Oscar-nominated) going all around town with his imaginary friend Harvey, a six-foot rabbit. Sister Josephine Hull (Oscar-winning) tries to have Stewart committed, but it seems that everyone who tries to reason with Stewart go crazy themselves. Hilarious and intelligent in every way imaginable. A fine piece of entertainment. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A film is like a recipe, you need the right ingredients. Start with a Pulitzer Prize willing play. Cast the perfect screen ensemble. Mix well, bake at 350 degrees, and serve hot. Never mind the B&W. Never mind that young people of the current era (whenever you read this review) will think the look is dated or the actors are of a bygone age. This version of Harvey will never be surpassed. Stewart owns this role the way Eastwood owns the Man with No Name, or Harrison owns Indiana Jones. Have seen this six or seven times and each time I catch some nuance in the script I missed before. Roger Ebert used to say that the mark of a fine film was inverse to the number of times you looked at your watch. I never look at my watch when I watch Harvey. In the grand tradition of Pooka magic, time stops. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This movie might have been cute or funny at one time -- but that time has long passed. This dull exercise in eccentric characters has a few chuckles, but that's it. Of course, Jimmy Stewart is great, but how long can anyone sustain a one-joke movie? Today this might make a good 1/2 hour sitcom, nothing more. And as a point of reference -- I love old movies. But the more I see, I find that the comedies don't wear nearly as well as the dramas. Things people used to find funny often aren't funny anymore. So my advice -- skip this film. If you want more Stewart, see some Hitchcock or Capra. If you want older comedies that are still funny, try anything with both William Powell & Myrna Loy. And if you want older films, try any of the great film noirs.

Most people love this movie, my girlfriend included. It's considered a classic. But I saw this for the first time recently, and this film just did not work for me at all. At all. I found the characters unlikable, I found the story and how it played out to be totally ridiculous, I did not find anything even remotely funny or cute. Worst of all, it just seemed to go on and on and on and never go anywhere. When it wrapped up, I heard the music that indicated to me the film was ending, and I laughed harder than I did for any part of the movie because after all that going on and on and going nowhere, it ended with the result of: STILL having gone nowhere! This film's considered by some historians to be a turning point for Jimmy Stewart with a bravura performance. I never wanted Jimmy Stewart off my television screen so badly. I wanted him locked up within ten minutes, throw away the key, BAM! Movie over. Instead, we have to suffer through inept doctors, screaming family members, Jesse White somehow sold to us as a romantic lead and a whole LOT of drawn-out scenes with Jimmy telling stories of an imaginary rabbit to people who can't decide from one minute to the next if this guy should be locked up in a nuthouse or deified as the Greatest Man Alive. Just dreadful. I'm sorry, but I don't see how this was a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, much less a movie classic.

A wonderful comedy-drama starring the immensely talented James Stuart as kind hearted Elwood P. Dowd, a man who has refused to be ruled by life. The brilliance of this film is the subtlety of the story and the layers of the character. Under the polite veneer of fifties Hollywood conventions, Harvey has a decidedly dark undercurrent, one that deals with alcoholism, loneliness and rejection. Not that this should deter you from enjoying the many comic scenarios that Harvey throws at the viewer during the course of the film, as this is definitely a comedy gem. But the truth and beauty behind what Elwood is saying only make the entire package all the more exquisite, like putting chocolate on a donut. The most beautiful scene I've seen in any film is the scene in which Elwood explains how Harvey has enriched his life, though the people who are listening to the story doubt Harvey's existence, thus doubting Elwood's sanity, the words of his speech, coupled with the delivery of Stuart's performance are so touching and true that even the most jaded audience will be won over into believing Harvey to be real. The enjoyment that Elwood now gets from life, the wonderful times he has, wherever he is, whoever he's with, is the kind of enjoyment everyone strives to achiever from life. This is bygone film-making at it's best; Stuart is such a joy to watch that you'll remember this film for a long time after viewing. With fine support from all the actors, this is one film that truly deserves its classic status.

There are too many aspects of Harvey to analyse. This is a typical example of a film being incredibly deceptive. On the outside the film is a light hearted comedy but when looking at it closely it is very clearly a serious social commentary of it's time, and indeed of the present time (for the same prejudices still exist today). Harvey is a "pooka" ( a mischievous spirit) that manifests itself as a six foot white rabbit. Only Elwood P. Dowd can see Harvey and it is from this that the underlying dark story of an alcoholic's friendship with an invisible spirit blends itself in to comic fantasy. The comic side to the film opens up the subject of prejudice and peoples fear of what is different from themselves. Elwood P Dowd is seen as insane by his sister, niece and the public and yet he is not a killer, he is not an angry or violent man. What he is, however, is a happy, cheerful and exremely pleasant gentleman who takes great pleasure in trying to make other people happy with the aid of a six foot white rabbit. The film's success, in my mind, is entirely on the shoulders of James Stewart who's portrayal of the eccentric Elwwod P Dowd is exceptionally moving and fulfilling. He is surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast and one of the best scripts in movie history. If this does not sound appealing to you, I urge you to watch Dowd's comments regarding Harvey outside the bar. This speech never fails to bring a lump in my throat. Not because it is sad but because it is such an innocent speech (delivered superbly by Stewart). To me, Harvey has a hidden message to the audience, "Elwood P. Dowd does not see life as it is, but life as it should be!! Shoudn't we all see life like this?"