High Society
Published April 24, 2023
Film info
- Title High Society
- Director Charles Walters
- Year 1956
- Run time 1hr 41m
- Genres Romance, Comedy, Music
- Tagline They're all together for the first time!
An all-star musical romp finds Grace Kelly about to remarry when wealthy ex-husband Bing Crosby pops back into her life and tries to win her back. Oscar-winners Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm snoop around as reporters in this Cole Porter-penned musical remake of The Philadelphia Story.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:04 | That is one jerky helicopter shot. |
| 2:35 | Actual Louis Armstrong though! |
| 6:38 | ”Mother, don’t you think Caroline’s old enough to be sent to a good military school?” Siblings, eh? |
| 12:30 | Ugh, describing a husband as your lord and master. Bleurgh. |
| 17:17 | So Spy magazine is like the Daily Mail at this point. |
| 22:29 | That’s quite a welcome, ballet-ing your way into the room. |
| 28:13 | “Elopement, headlines, divorce, headlines.” |
| 41:36 | Ooh, skillz to play the accordion and have a snog at the same time. |
| 48:42 | “I sometimes endure arrogant reporters.” |
| 59:06 | I do think there’s a skill to be honed in putting down a glass and grabbing a refill off a passing waiter without breaking their stride. |
| 1:01:35 | Oh it got a bit jazzy. |
| 1:08:12 | Cute sulky drunk lady. |
| 1:12:36 | I love ‘swelligant’. |
| 1:26:57 | That IS a nice wedding dress. |
| 1:37:24 | “I couldn’t bear a perfect man.” |
Thoughts
I knew a lot of the songs from this but had never pieced them together in context, I’ve not seen this musical before. It’s slightly quirky, helmed by Louis Armstrong who seems to be a sort of musical narrator at times. But of course the stars of the show are inescapably legendary and that carries the whole thing - even if the plot is a bit thin and contrived at times. Lots of fun, though.
Rating: 3 / 5