Directed by:
Preston SturgesScreenplay:
Preston SturgesCinematography:
Victor MilnerCast:
Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, Eric Blore, Martha O'Driscoll, Janet Beecher, Robert Greig, Luis Alberni (more)VOD (1)
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Barbara Stanwyck sizzles, Henry Fonda bumbles, and Preston Sturges runs riot in one of the all-time great screwballs, a pitch-perfect blend of comic zing and swoonworthy romance. Aboard a cruise liner sailing up the coast of South America, Stanwyck’s conniving card sharp sets her sights on Fonda’s nerdy snake researcher, who happens to be the heir to a brewery fortune. But when the con artist falls for her mark, her grift becomes a game of hearts—and she is determined to win it all. One in a string of matchless comedic marvels that Sturges wrote, directed, and produced as part of a dazzling 1940s run, this gender-flipped battle-of-wits farce is perhaps his most emotionally satisfying work, tempering its sparkling wit with a streak of tender poignancy supplied by the sensational Stanwyck at her peak. (Criterion)
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Henry Fonda is incredibly adorable in the role of a dimwitted rich man, whom a beautiful stranger wants to swindle for money. However, not everything goes as planned and everything turns out differently. Sure, it's a bit cliché, but the performances are so excellent that you simply have to enjoy this comedy, including the absurd repetition of some funny elements.
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