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My Man Godfrey | Year: 1936 Classification: Drama Directed: - Gregory La Cava Actors/Actresses: - William Powell - Carole Lombard Powell and Lombard at their best! Wow! This movie is better than all the Thin Man movies put together. It's a classic comedy...you'll laugh out loud at this one! Carole Lombard steals the show as the forlorn girl who falls for the new "forgotten man" turned butler Godfrey [William Powell]. They have great screen chemistry! I'd consider this the quintessence of a 1930s film. Galmourous women in beautiful gowns by Travis Banton, art deco settings, and about a rich, upper class wealthy family of eccentrics. Criterion did an excellent job restoring the film, the settings really are fabulous! The screenplay is just classic. This is what comes to mind when one hears the words "classic movie". Beware, though, after seeing this movie, you'll fall in love with Godfrey, too! Screwball Classic Carole Lombard received her only Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as madcap heiress Irene Bullock. Lombard runs into Godfrey (William Powell) at the city dump looking for a forgotten man to help her win a society scavenger hunt. In appreciation for his help in winning the hunt, Lombard convinces Powell to join her family's household as the family butler. Unknown to Lombard, Powell isn't as down on his luck as she assumed. Powell, on the other hand, couldn't have landed with a nuttier bunch. Lombard's older sister Cornelia (the delightfully evil Gail Patrick) is determined to find out Godfrey's secret even if it means ruining his reputation. Godfrey is such a good butler and a decent chap to boot, that Irene can't help herself from falling in love with him. Godfrey still smarting from a past romance gone sour ignores Irene's advances. Instead of turning her away, her feelings for him only increase. Gregory La Cava ably directed this film and set the standard for the screwball comedy genre. The performances of Lombard and Powell are perfect, as are those of the supporting cast, including Alice Brady as the more than slightly daft Bullock family matriarch, Eugene Paulette as the exasperated father (a role he would practically trademark in future comedies), and Jean Dixon as the sharp-tongued maid Molly. A wonderful comedy featuring classic performances by screen legends Lombard and Powell. The Gold Standard for DVDs My Man Godfrey, for me, represents all that's admirable about the DVD format. Visually, it sparkles, literally so in the opening credits. My 15-year-old VHS copy is good, but pales next to the DVD transfer. The inclusion of a vintage trailer from so old a movie was a welcome surprise. The newsreel footage gave historical context. The radio broadcast was icing, just lain fun. The commentary is urbane and inciteful. Yes, I listened to it all. A word of advice about commentaries: Self-described historians do the best. Their commentaries are like fine classroom lectures on your favorite subject. Directors seem to ad lib haltingly, as if they'd rather be somewhere else but can't pass up the dough. If picking a movie for it's commentary, make sure the director is dead. That goes for actors and crew also. Buy My Man Godfrey at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on My Man Godfrey Search with the Priority Search Engine on My Man Godfrey This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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