Holiday [DVD] [1938]

Edward Everett Horton as Linda's traditionalist father Mr Seaton and Doris Nolan as Linda's conventional sister Julia - initially Johnny's fiancee - provide the obstacles in the path of the the pair's voyage of self discovery. Brutally broken by the phony world he lives in but eager to aid Johnny and Linda's escape is Linda's dipsomaniac brother Ned (Lew Ayers), proving that theory that many a profound truth was spoken by a drunk. Rounding off a great ensemble cast are Johnny's friends Nick and Susan, who provide a Greek chorus for the battleground of idealism vs convention.

'Holiday' provides a cutting satire of the wealth culture that is as pertinent today as it was sixty years ago and the poignancy of Linda and Ned's oppression offset by her fiesty optimism provides more than enough emotional drive to power the film. Then of course there's the comedy: fast-cracking one-liners, great physical gags, a marvellous array of facial expressions and several acrobatic and musical feats provide something for all tastes, held together by an intelligent script. Hepburn as usual shines with enthusiam and sly wit, Grant is at his most animated, bemused and naive, and Lew Ayers puts in a wonderful performance.

How anyone can say that 'old' films are no longer appealing or relevant to a modern audience is baffling in the face of an offering like 'Holiday.' Upon first viewing it immediately became one of my top 3 films of all time. Having seen it however it becomes obvious why Hepburn was at the time branded 'box-office poison' - no society is tolerant of such a sharp and witty critique of its values as the film provides. Time may have made us more appreciative of 'Holiday's' greatness, but don't fool yourself that this critique doesn't apply to you to!

The story begins with us meeting Johnny Case (Grant), an engaging young man with some interesting ideas about life. At Lake Placid he met Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), fell in love, and proposed to her. Coming to New York City to meet her family, he arrives at a mansion and is shocked to learn that his beloved is one of THE Setons. Julia's father (Henry Kolker) is not sure what to think of his daughter's intended, but Julia's rather unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn) thinks Johnny is wonderful. The problem is that Johnny's big plan is to make his fortune when he is young and then retire (i.e., go on a "holiday"), returning to work again when he gets older, which is heresy to old man Seton. He and Julia will try to teach Johnny the error of his ways, while Linda offers her support. Helping to balance the odds for Johnny are his friends, Nick (Edward Everett Horton) and Susan Potter (Jean Dixon), the chief members of his fan club. Linda tries to keep Johnny and Julia together, but it seems she is the only one in the Seton household who appreciates Johnny on his own terms.

"Holiday" had been filmed in 1930 by Edward H. Griffith with Ann Harding as Linda, Mary Astor as Julia, and Robert Ames as Johnny. Edward Everett Horton played Nick Potter in that version as well, although his wife was played by Hedda Hopper. The screenplay for the 1938 version was done by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman, and it was primarily Stewart who punched up the script version of Barry's revolt against the stuffed-shirts of the world with smart and literate dialogue (Stewart had played the Nick Potter role on Broadway). The result was that the production ended up with some nice ensemble work. Hepburn was under contract to RKO at the time, but bought herself out of her contract to do this film with Cukor at Columbia. Her performance was arguably the most simple and straightforward of any she had done in films up to that point, with all of the pretense and mannerisms stripped away, and the scene where she compares her angular face, with those famous cheekbones, to that of a toy giraffe, is one of the most endearing shots in her film career. Granted, "Holiday" is not going to end up on the AFI's list of Top 100 Films like "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Philadelphia Story," but it is still an enjoyable, solid little filme in which the two stars actually get to do some acrobatics.