3. Woman of the Year
Movie three of Summer Under the Stars is Woman of the Year, the first Tracy-Hepburn pairing.
It's definitely a delightful film, and an interesting commentary on the issues women have with having a career and a family. Just like Kate herself, the film is slightly ahead of its time.
They play writers at the same paper -- Hepburn is Tess Harding, a political columnist and intellectual, and Tracy is Sam Craig, sportswriter. The two clash over the usefulness of sports during the wartime and have a bit of a feud. But they finally end up at a ballgame together, which surprisingly Tess enjoys. She persues him through gifts -- a new hat, I believe, is one of them -- and they finally wind up getting married.
The marriage does not turn out to be what Sam was looking for -- on his wedding night, a Austrian refugee shows up to talk to Tess. He finally gets his gang over to distract everyone. Tess does not turn out to be the typical wife, especially at the time of the film -- she speaks many languages, doesn't stay home and darn his socks, and doesn't always think of him. She also adopts a Greek refugee -- and when telling Sam about it, she makes him think that she's pregnant! Sam says his mother would come from Wisconsin for it -- she didn't make it to the wedding -- and then is disappointed that she's already got a kiddy in the hallway.
Tess is then named "America's Outstanding Woman of the Year." Just as they are leaving, Sam realizes that they will be leaving Chris alone and decides to stay home to mind the baby, much to Tess's dismay. Sam later brings the baby back to the orpanage, and leaves Tess.
Tess is left alone, and finally realizes, after her mentor gets married, that marriage is a partnership and that she hasn't been keeping up her end of the bargain. She tracks Sam down at the home by the river that he has always wanted, and makes him an awful breakfast. (One of the more memorable sections of the film is when the waffle iron keeps overflowing.) Tess tells him that she finally heard the words in the wedding vows -- love, honor, cherish, and obey -- and that she'll give up her job. Sam, naturally, doesn't believe her, and says that he doesn't want Tess Harding but he doesn't want Mrs. Sam Craig either. He wants her to be Tess Harding-Craig. (Say it with me: Aww...)
Despite being from the 1940s, I thought this movie was very relevant today. It brings up issues that are still discussed today, specifically women balancing marriage and a career. Hepburn so embodied this -- in real life as well as an actress -- being so different than other women of her day. I don't know if the ending is what we'd want today -- I believe that women can have a career and make breakfast -- but it's a movie after all!
It's definitely a delightful film, and an interesting commentary on the issues women have with having a career and a family. Just like Kate herself, the film is slightly ahead of its time.
They play writers at the same paper -- Hepburn is Tess Harding, a political columnist and intellectual, and Tracy is Sam Craig, sportswriter. The two clash over the usefulness of sports during the wartime and have a bit of a feud. But they finally end up at a ballgame together, which surprisingly Tess enjoys. She persues him through gifts -- a new hat, I believe, is one of them -- and they finally wind up getting married.
The marriage does not turn out to be what Sam was looking for -- on his wedding night, a Austrian refugee shows up to talk to Tess. He finally gets his gang over to distract everyone. Tess does not turn out to be the typical wife, especially at the time of the film -- she speaks many languages, doesn't stay home and darn his socks, and doesn't always think of him. She also adopts a Greek refugee -- and when telling Sam about it, she makes him think that she's pregnant! Sam says his mother would come from Wisconsin for it -- she didn't make it to the wedding -- and then is disappointed that she's already got a kiddy in the hallway.
Tess is then named "America's Outstanding Woman of the Year." Just as they are leaving, Sam realizes that they will be leaving Chris alone and decides to stay home to mind the baby, much to Tess's dismay. Sam later brings the baby back to the orpanage, and leaves Tess.
Tess is left alone, and finally realizes, after her mentor gets married, that marriage is a partnership and that she hasn't been keeping up her end of the bargain. She tracks Sam down at the home by the river that he has always wanted, and makes him an awful breakfast. (One of the more memorable sections of the film is when the waffle iron keeps overflowing.) Tess tells him that she finally heard the words in the wedding vows -- love, honor, cherish, and obey -- and that she'll give up her job. Sam, naturally, doesn't believe her, and says that he doesn't want Tess Harding but he doesn't want Mrs. Sam Craig either. He wants her to be Tess Harding-Craig. (Say it with me: Aww...)
Despite being from the 1940s, I thought this movie was very relevant today. It brings up issues that are still discussed today, specifically women balancing marriage and a career. Hepburn so embodied this -- in real life as well as an actress -- being so different than other women of her day. I don't know if the ending is what we'd want today -- I believe that women can have a career and make breakfast -- but it's a movie after all!
posted by Rebecca at 7:15 PM
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