Take The Philadelphia Story and turn into a bubbly musical mostly played for laughs, and it still works. That's High So, that's High Soci, that's High Society! The original was an acting showcase, but this one has its own great performances. I don't normally think of Grace Kelly in terms of comedy, but she's hilarious in this. Though it doesn't push on its themes quite as hard as the work it's based on, it's still the story of a perfect socialite needed to break her own mold and daring to be flawed in public, so self-reinvention is at the heart of it, for both the character and the actress. And then there's the relationship between the mother and the younger daughter that's a scream, and perhaps a look at how the elder was raised to become who she is. Crosby and Sinatra glide through the film effortlessly as shades of themselves. Celeste Holm is very sympathetic. Lots of cracking lines, and pleasantly sung songs. One of my favorite bits, however, is Louis Armstrong and his band as a sort of Greek chorus with the ability to guide the events emotionally. Great conceit. So while High Society is a remake, the tone is so different that it doesn't feel like a repetition. I liked both for their own virtues.
I saw this movie before seeing "The Philadelphia Story" that it is based on, so I could not stop myself from comparing the latter to this one. I noticed in another comment someone mentioned lines from the original were lifted as is and put into this movie, and honestly that does not bother me in the slightest. So many of those incredible one-liners were so perfect, why shouldn't they be in both stories? I believe both movies were impeccably cast; Katharine Hepburn (whom I usually am not so fond of, but she was excellent in TPS), Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart were some of the top powerhouses of the 30s and 40s, and to see them all come together so beautifully and hilariously in TPS was a revelation. Yet, for me, that doesn't take away from the brilliance of this incredible cast-name bigger stars in the 50s than Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, and to have them all in one picture, singing and dancing together! They were Sensational! I also enjoyed the lighter tone of this movie; it made the ending so much more enjoyable
Tracy choosing to re-marry Dexter instead of marrying George was easier to rejoice over in this one because in TPS C.K. Dexter Haven was an alcoholic and a bit abusive to Tracy
Nothing's going to compare to the original, and this movie is always weaker when it just lifts passages straight from the script, but it's still got that great 1950s MGM musical charm. The VistaVision and Technicolor almost makes the whole film seems like it takes place in a dollhouse, elegant and fantastical.
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Siskoid
Take The Philadelphia Story and turn into a bubbly musical mostly played for laughs, and it still works. That's High So, that's High Soci, that's High Society! The original was an acting showcase, but this one has its own great performances. I don't normally think of Grace Kelly in terms of comedy, but she's hilarious in this. Though it doesn't push on its themes quite as hard as the work it's based on, it's still the story of a perfect socialite needed to break her own mold and daring to be flawed in public, so self-reinvention is at the heart of it, for both the character and the actress. And then there's the relationship between the mother and the younger daughter that's a scream, and perhaps a look at how the elder was raised to become who she is. Crosby and Sinatra glide through the film effortlessly as shades of themselves. Celeste Holm is very sympathetic. Lots of cracking lines, and pleasantly sung songs. One of my favorite bits, however, is Louis Armstrong and his band as a sort of Greek chorus with the ability to guide the events emotionally. Great conceit. So while High Society is a remake, the tone is so different that it doesn't feel like a repetition. I liked both for their own virtues.jwagoner0507
I saw this movie before seeing "The Philadelphia Story" that it is based on, so I could not stop myself from comparing the latter to this one. I noticed in another comment someone mentioned lines from the original were lifted as is and put into this movie, and honestly that does not bother me in the slightest. So many of those incredible one-liners were so perfect, why shouldn't they be in both stories? I believe both movies were impeccably cast; Katharine Hepburn (whom I usually am not so fond of, but she was excellent in TPS), Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart were some of the top powerhouses of the 30s and 40s, and to see them all come together so beautifully and hilariously in TPS was a revelation. Yet, for me, that doesn't take away from the brilliance of this incredible cast-name bigger stars in the 50s than Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, and to have them all in one picture, singing and dancing together! They were Sensational! I also enjoyed the lighter tone of this movie; it made the ending so much more enjoyableWell did you evah ;)
Hippiemans
First time I saw Grace Kelly, been enchanted ever since. :-)goellnerd
I love Katharine Hepburn, but I would sooner watch this than The Philadelphia Story every time. The songs! The costumes! It's all so charming.TomServo
Nothing's going to compare to the original, and this movie is always weaker when it just lifts passages straight from the script, but it's still got that great 1950s MGM musical charm. The VistaVision and Technicolor almost makes the whole film seems like it takes place in a dollhouse, elegant and fantastical.Also, Louis Armstrong. So there's that.
meerkate
It's really not bad at all - as long as you don't compare it to the original.nicolaskrizan
lesser then the predecessorhttp://beyond1001movies.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/backtrack-high-society-1956/