1940 – Katharine Hepburn
The Philadelphia Story
For me, this is classic Hepburn. In fact, if I really think about it, I believe this is the first Hepburn film I ever watched, way back when I was a child. It is a rom-com, and for the most part it has a light-hearted, silly story, but there is a bit of light drama thrown into the mix. And Hepburn is really the one who shoulders the few serious moments this movie has. True, the drama never got too intense, but I think she handled it well.
She plays the part of Tracy Lord, a girl from a wealthy family who is spoken of by those around her as a goddess, a queen, and therein lies that bit of drama I mentioned. She has such a high and haughty nature, that she holds everyone around her, friends, enemies, and her family to a standard of personality so lofty that nobody can live up to her expectations. And she even holds herself to that standard even more strictly than she does others. She is supposed to be like a statue: beautiful and perfect, but without emotions like compassion, empathy, or to a certain extent, love. And eventually those she cares for begin to call her out for her haughty superior attitude. But not to worry. It never gets too deep. Just a few tears that threaten to fall, but never really do.
Hepburn was perfectly cast. She had that face, that posture, that demeanor that, on the surface, seemed to embody those qualities. And it makes the inevitable moment when her walls crumble and she comes down from her tower, beautiful. Her emotions blossom and she gives into love. One minute she could be cold and aloof, then smiling and warm, and finally, angry and acerbic a moment later. She was wonderful, bringing out whatever was needed from one minute to the next. And not only that, she was gorgeous and effusively charming. She was exactly what was required. And she had the ability to keep up with the quick and wit and dialogue of the intelligent script. The wordy banter and fast comebacks rolled off her tongue just as easily as it did for her co-stars, and that’s saying something, as she shared the screen with other powerhouses like James Stewart and Cary Grant. I can absolutely see why she was nominated for Best Actress for the performance.