Sylvia Scarlett is not as bad as many claim it is. However at the time some of the ideas in the movie such as cross dressing where not considered appropriate and/or funny in 1936.
Hepburn plays Sylvia Scarlett, living with her father in France at the beginning of the film. After her mother's death, her father tells her that he's gambled away all of their money and that the only hope they have lies in his profiting off of the lace Syliva's mother leaves her.
Refusing to stay behind, Sylvia decides to go with her father to England dressed as a boy. Cutting her hair very shortly and dressing in men's slacks and jackets, she passes along as a very young boy.
Grant, aka Jimmy Monkley, a cockney scoundrel and thief, joins the father/daughter(son) team and they soon begin a series of cons (everything from Hepburn pretending to be a poor penniless French lad to get charity, to trying to steal from Monkley's friend Maudie (who happens to work as a maid in a rich home).
After a series of misfortunes as con artists, the three, joined by Maudie, decide to go on the road and perform as roadside performers.
On the road, Hepburn meets and falls for Michael Fane. He's very attracted and drawn to her as a boy, but when she reveals she's a girl, he simply cannot stop laughing at her.
Natalie Paley plays Fane (Brian Ahrene's) cruel girlfriend.
There's a great scene where Paley is torturing Sylvia's father (who is drunk and in a stupor thinking Maudie is cheating on him) and Hepburn comes right up to her and smacks her in the face. Very funny in my opinion.
After Sylvia reveals herself to Fane she gives up dressing like a boy, while her father goes mad after Maudie leaves him suddenly.
Hepburn and Grant are now on their own until they find Paley's character trying to drown herself. Hepburn and Paley did the actual stunts and the current almost knocked them out to sea in reality.
Monkley and Paley's character take off together while Fane and Scarlett go after them, at the same time finding that they have real feelings towards each other.
The movie as a whole isn't the greatest, but there are individual scenes that are very good, and Hepburn is great throughout it, even if just to look at. The New York Times remarked back in 1936 that Hepburn was "better looking as a boy."
Hepburn plays Sylvia Scarlett, living with her father in France at the beginning of the film. After her mother's death, her father tells her that he's gambled away all of their money and that the only hope they have lies in his profiting off of the lace Syliva's mother leaves her.
Refusing to stay behind, Sylvia decides to go with her father to England dressed as a boy. Cutting her hair very shortly and dressing in men's slacks and jackets, she passes along as a very young boy.
Grant, aka Jimmy Monkley, a cockney scoundrel and thief, joins the father/daughter(son) team and they soon begin a series of cons (everything from Hepburn pretending to be a poor penniless French lad to get charity, to trying to steal from Monkley's friend Maudie (who happens to work as a maid in a rich home).
After a series of misfortunes as con artists, the three, joined by Maudie, decide to go on the road and perform as roadside performers.
On the road, Hepburn meets and falls for Michael Fane. He's very attracted and drawn to her as a boy, but when she reveals she's a girl, he simply cannot stop laughing at her.
Natalie Paley plays Fane (Brian Ahrene's) cruel girlfriend.
There's a great scene where Paley is torturing Sylvia's father (who is drunk and in a stupor thinking Maudie is cheating on him) and Hepburn comes right up to her and smacks her in the face. Very funny in my opinion.
After Sylvia reveals herself to Fane she gives up dressing like a boy, while her father goes mad after Maudie leaves him suddenly.
Hepburn and Grant are now on their own until they find Paley's character trying to drown herself. Hepburn and Paley did the actual stunts and the current almost knocked them out to sea in reality.
Monkley and Paley's character take off together while Fane and Scarlett go after them, at the same time finding that they have real feelings towards each other.
The movie as a whole isn't the greatest, but there are individual scenes that are very good, and Hepburn is great throughout it, even if just to look at. The New York Times remarked back in 1936 that Hepburn was "better looking as a boy."
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