The Lady Eve

Al Bridge, Arthur Hoyt, Barbara Stanwyck

In 1941, Barbara Stanwyck was offered two screwball roles equally suited to her tart intelligence, deft comic timing, and undeniable sex appeal, and it's a photo finish as to which was funnier--showgi...( read more  read more... )rl-on-the-lam Sugarpuss O'Shea, the title character in Howard Hawks's Ball of Fire, or con artist Jean Harrington a.k.a. Lady Eve Sidwich, the delirious fulcrum for this classic Preston Sturges comedy. Under Sturges's typically antic microscope, the collision between the gold-digging Harrington and the very rich, very hapless brewery-heir-turned-herpetologist Charles Pike (a wonderfully callow, guileless Henry Fonda) yields ample opportunity for the writer-director to skewer issues of class and sex; as always, Sturges is bold in pushing the censors' envelope, capturing a palpable erotic heat between the canny Jean and the literally feverish Charlie, who, after a year up the Amazon, is instantly smitten by the mere sight of her shapely ankles (in hindsight, a precursor to her subsequent effect in Double Indemnity). To give away the plot machinations driving the farce would spoil the fun, beyond confirming impersonations, mixed signals, and misunderstandings as the turns in a consistently rollicking ride that makes good use of Charles Coburn and screwball character veterans Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, and Eric Blore. --Sam Sutherland

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90% liked it

Critics

100% liked it

Unrated, 93 min.

Directed by: Preston Sturges

Released: February 25, 1941

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DVD Released: October 16, 2001

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Top Flixster Reviews


  • April 13, 2009
    "I wonder if now would be the time to tell you about Herman..."

    As much as I admire Sullivan's Travels for its social conscience and Unfaithfully Yours for its unusual darkness of tone, The Lady Eve is my favourite of the Preston Sturges movies I've s... ...( read more )
  • April 9, 2009
    babs' best film!!
  • January 9, 2009
    I loved this movie, Barbara Stanwyck totally won me over with her sexy, witty and cunning role, definitely want to see more of her!. And Henry Fonda, what a silly goof.

    I'm usually not a fan of romantic comedies, but I'm happy to make an exception here!

    ...( read more )
  • October 6, 2008
    One of the cleverest romantic comedies of all. "I need him like the axe needs the turkey." Flawless
  • January 4, 2008
    It's extremely difficult for me to choose my favorite Barbara Stanwyck movie so far, but this one is it -- so far. In addition to being a knockout beauty, Stanwyck has got to be one of the most talented actresses I've ever seen.

    This is an excellent comedy in the screwball r...

    ...( read more )
  • June 13, 2009
    I think that I may have heard of this movie but I don't think that I've even seen it, but I'd like too!. . . I've always been a fan of Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda!. . .

Critic Reviews


View more The Lady E... reviews at RottenTomatoes.com
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A movie like The Lady Eve is so hard to make that you can't make it at all unless you find a way to make it seem effortless. Preston Sturges does a kind of breathless balancing act here, involving rom... full review

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