Publication Date: Friday Feb 19, 1999

Top-notch, by George

Legendary stage and film director George Cukor would be celebrating his 100th birthday this summer, but the Stanford Theatre isn't waiting to throw him a party. The George Cukor film festival runs through May 7, a 12-week retrospective astounding in its breadth of topic and genre.

More than a festival, this is an homage to a career that spanned three long and strong decades. Pitch a tent and enjoy the rewards of the substantial impact George Cukor made on cinematic history.

Why Cukor? George Cukor was a comic ironist, much like Frank Capra and Preston Sturges. But while Capra focused on comedies of manners and Sturges concentrated on witty moral comedies, Cukor specialized in the comedies of sexual manners.

Unlike the hedonistic films of the pre-Production Code early '30s, Cukor's films relied on the manners of a monogamous America. Films such as "Holiday" (1938) and "A Philadelphia Story" (1940) reflect this freshly scrubbed approach, an appealing antidote to today's shock-value, instant-gratification cinema. Though eminently entertaining, Cukor's films aren't limited to a trademark style. The term "Capraesque" is often used in reference to anything that Capra touched. No such term can be applied to George Cukor.

That's a blessing in disguise. Cukor's reputation as a competent interpreter of well-written scripts expanded his horizons. From the well-mannered comedies of the '30s and '40s to classic adaptations such as "Little Women" (1933) and "David Copperfield" (1934) to movie musicals such as "A Star is Born" (1954) and "My Fair Lady" (1964), Cukor succeeded with a multitude of genres. His professional specialty was adaptations of Broadway plays, and his stage experience was a valuable asset. But his professional confidence allowed him the freedom to dabble.

No director working today can claim either the length or variety of Cukor's track record. Even legendary films without his name in the credits have Cukor's stamp on them. He quit direction of "The Wizard of Oz" after just three days and was fired as director of "Gone With the Wind" after a series of unpleasant disagreements with uberstar Clark Gable.

George Cukor was best known as a woman's director and was the darling of screen actresses. He gave Katherine Hepburn, a temperamental 23-year-old stage actress, her first big break in the 1932 tearjerker "A Bill of Divorcement." Hepburn caused a sensation before she ever uttered a word, thanks to Cukor's suggestion that she enter the screen by walking down a staircase and uttering a small sigh. He elicited similar superb performances from the likes of Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo.

Cukor's homosexuality was a factor. In the male-dominated era that was Hollywood of the '30s-'60s, Cukor understood the distinction between male and female sexuality and identity. Films such as the delightful Hepburn-Tracy vehicle "Adam's Rib" (1949) gave fresh meaning to the idea of a male-female partnership. As husband-and-wife lawyers with diametrically opposed strategies, the female was allowed a smart and sharp personality and the screen time to prove it.

Amusingly, but not surprisingly, Cukor's work never chose sides. He was an observer of the female-male condition, carefully poking and provoking but never providing the answers. The battle of the sexes would remain just that in Cukor's hands, but all the more engaging for its captivating on-screen treatment.

George Cukor's films have held up surprisingly well, perhaps because the times have finally caught up with his refreshing sensibility. The Stanford festival offers a well-rounded selection of over three dozen films, shown in roughly chronological order. Series highlights, and personal favorites, include "The Women" (1939), a glorious bitch-fest of women with nothing but men on their minds, and "Gaslight" (1944), a brooding mystery of profound paranoia. Sit back and enjoy a master at work.

See our movie listings for schedule and other information.



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