'Spitfire' was one of those films where expectations for me before watching it were mixed. Like Katharine Hepburn a lot, consider her one of the best actresses of her generation, and love a lot of her films, actually dislike not many of them. Robert Young and Ralph Bellamy have also been very good elsewhere. The story did sound really bizarre, not always a bad thing overall but is when it goes overboard, and the near-universal panning further added to my doubts.
After watching, with it being one of the Hepburn films not yet seen, my feelings on 'Spitfire' are mostly negative. While not considering it quite as dreadful as reputed. A few good points but the main reason to see it is if you want to see as many Katharine Hepburn films as possible if curious. It is though one of her worst films and contains one of her worst performances (general consensus on both counts), Young and Bellamy have also been represented far better elsewhere.
It has its moments as said. It looks pretty good, very handsomely designed and the way it's shot is not too static and is quite elegant. The score is lush and haunting without being too melodramatic or bombastic, big traps for this kind of film.
The best performance comes from Bellamy (though he has been a lot better in much better written roles), who at least tries to bring some dimension to his dull part and at least fits.
Unfortunately that can neither be said for either Young or Hepburn, especially the latter. Young is bland and only has one or two expressions throughout the film, but the woeful miscasting of Hepburn is one of 'Spitfire's' biggest flaws (and it is not just because she is completely out of place within the setting). It is such a mannered and overripe performance that never endeared and actually got really irritating fast, have seen plenty of brilliant performances from her but there have been ones that have not missed the spot and this was a career low for her. The direction is pedestrian and seemed very restricted.
Really didn't care for any of the characters and it was impossible to root for them. They have little personality or development and the way they act towards each together and their decision making frustrate annoyingly rather than intrigue or be worth relating to. Hepburn seldom had a character this annoying than the one she has here. The script is quite dreadful, with no wit or sophistication whatsoever and the silliness and weirdness gets excessive. Any sentimentality is hard to stomach and sometimes it was like we were being talked down to or treated like idiots. The story is lifelessly paced and paper thin structurally, as well as being even more bizarrely executed than how its premise sounded on paper. It never really makes sense either, is hideously contrived, feels really choppy and it was like it didn't know what it wanted to be.
On the whole, not even such a great actress like Hepburn can save this major misfire. 3/10
After watching, with it being one of the Hepburn films not yet seen, my feelings on 'Spitfire' are mostly negative. While not considering it quite as dreadful as reputed. A few good points but the main reason to see it is if you want to see as many Katharine Hepburn films as possible if curious. It is though one of her worst films and contains one of her worst performances (general consensus on both counts), Young and Bellamy have also been represented far better elsewhere.
It has its moments as said. It looks pretty good, very handsomely designed and the way it's shot is not too static and is quite elegant. The score is lush and haunting without being too melodramatic or bombastic, big traps for this kind of film.
The best performance comes from Bellamy (though he has been a lot better in much better written roles), who at least tries to bring some dimension to his dull part and at least fits.
Unfortunately that can neither be said for either Young or Hepburn, especially the latter. Young is bland and only has one or two expressions throughout the film, but the woeful miscasting of Hepburn is one of 'Spitfire's' biggest flaws (and it is not just because she is completely out of place within the setting). It is such a mannered and overripe performance that never endeared and actually got really irritating fast, have seen plenty of brilliant performances from her but there have been ones that have not missed the spot and this was a career low for her. The direction is pedestrian and seemed very restricted.
Really didn't care for any of the characters and it was impossible to root for them. They have little personality or development and the way they act towards each together and their decision making frustrate annoyingly rather than intrigue or be worth relating to. Hepburn seldom had a character this annoying than the one she has here. The script is quite dreadful, with no wit or sophistication whatsoever and the silliness and weirdness gets excessive. Any sentimentality is hard to stomach and sometimes it was like we were being talked down to or treated like idiots. The story is lifelessly paced and paper thin structurally, as well as being even more bizarrely executed than how its premise sounded on paper. It never really makes sense either, is hideously contrived, feels really choppy and it was like it didn't know what it wanted to be.
On the whole, not even such a great actress like Hepburn can save this major misfire. 3/10