Silver Screen Standards: Sylvia Scarlett (1935)

Silverscreen standards: Sylvia Sharlett (1935)

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant starred together in four films, two of which raise baby (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), are now widely acclaimed classics, but their first pairing did so poorly at the box office that it’s somewhat surprising they were able to do the rest at all. Sylvia Sharlett (1935) reunited the stars with director George Cukor for a gender-bending Shakespearean dramedy that absolutely bombed at the box office and threatened to jeopardize Hepburn’s career, but despite its somber debut it’s worth a revisit. I personally love this unusual outing for the couple, partly because of it Forest of Arden sensibilities, but mostly for his portrayal of a delightfully gendered Hepburn, which fuels the enthusiasm of both male and female characters. If you like movies Queen Christina (1933), Victor Victoria (1982) and Orlando (1992), Sylvia Sharlett is a must-see, offering Hepburn fans a uniquely provocative vision of the iconic star.

Hepburn plays the title character, who was originally named Sylvia Snow but disguised as Sylvester Scarlett for much of the film thanks to the criminal activities of father Henry (Edmund Gwenn). Henry’s crimes in France prompt the couple to flee to his native England, while Sylvia still mourns the death of her French mother; She takes on the male personality to shake off the authorities and then keeps it while Henry continues to get her into various kinds of trouble. In London, the pair form a partnership with con artist and crook Jimmy Monkley (Cary Grant) and his partner Maudie (Dennie Moore), but when they fail as thieves they turn into traveling entertainers. Henry falls for the faithless Maudie, who also has an eye for “Sylvester,” and Sylvia begins to regret her disguise when she meets handsome, narcissistic artist Michael Fane (Brian Aherne).

Literary types will quickly recognize the beats of Shakespeare As you Like It and Twelfth Night in the narrative adapted from a 1918 novel by Compton Mackenzie, who also wrote Whiskey galore and The monarch of the valley. Sylvia/Sylvester navigates many of the standard complications of the ‘trouser part’ while enjoying the social and physical freedoms that come with male identity. In her masculine form, she arouses the sexual interest of other women, but craves the attention of a man who mistakes her for a boy. The plot features comic highs and tragic lows for the characters, a choice that adheres to Elizabethan paragons but may have frustrated viewers who were expecting a lighter romantic comedy. It also jumps from moment to moment rather abruptly, leading some scholars to describe it as a mischievous narrative depicting the adventures of a sympathetic villain on the street, as opposed to a clearly structured, coherent plot (think Don Quixote, tom jonesand Barry Lyndon as literary examples that also have significant cinematic adaptations). As Sylvester, Sylvia plays a charming rascal of the prankster sort, but Grant’s Jimmy Monkley embodies the character perfectly. Sylvia’s father, Henry, is a stupid Falstaff, little more than drunken it and incompetence.

The bones of history may be very dated, however Sylvia Sharlett enters daring modern territory with the way Hepburn plays the gendered protagonist. It’s best to ignore the opening scene, where we see Hepburn dressed in very silly pigtails and melodramatically pining for it pauvre maman; It’s a bad, pinned start that doesn’t add anything to the picture. The fun begins with the crossing to England while Henry and “Sylvester” try to keep a low profile and avoid official inspection. Hepburn sports a very short haircut and the strikingly modern look of a boy band heartthrob, giving her permission to behave very differently from the sad Sylvia. Throughout the film we see her male form freeing both Hepburn and her character; she leaps through windows, hops over fences, and flits about, unhindered by skirts or social conventions. Hepburn’s easygoing athleticism shines in these moments, making it frustrating when Sylvia’s feminine attire sinks back into girly tears. Sylvester is feisty, confident, and pretty good at talking his way in and out of trouble; Some of the dialogue hints at Hepburn’s gangster persona in the prison scenes of raise baby (1938). However, most of Sylvester’s problems are romantic in nature, as Maudie tries to seduce him and Michael seems intrigued by the “gay feeling” Sylvester gives him until Sylvia is revealed. Jimmy causes a scare by suggesting he and Sylvester share a bed to keep warm, with the expectation that Sylvester is a “right little hot water bottle”. These scenes induce panic in the normally funny-minded protagonist, but I prefer the lighter-hearted moments of Sylvester’s adventures, when he’s tricking crowds of gullible Londoners or challenging the hecklers during a performance. Confidence and pants look very good on Hepburn, though audiences found the idea of ​​a cross-gender Kate too uncomfortable to appreciate. Perhaps they tolerated it and even enjoyed it with foreign stars like Garbo and Dietrich, but it was a bridge too far for American Hepburn.

While Sylvia Sharlett Hepburn damaged it helped Grant’s rising star significantly, but both would find success with their final on-screen pairing The Philadelphia Story (1940). Hepburn ended her long career with a whopping dozen Oscar nominations and four wins, cementing her legacy as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but it’s fascinating to revisit the lesser-known films of her early years. For more information on her Blockbuster Poison phase, check out the trail Mary of Scotland (1936), A woman rebels (1936) and quality road (1937). raise baby also flopped on its original release, which just goes to show you should never judge a movie by its box office earnings!

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— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen writes our monthly silver screen standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic films on her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifelong learning groups and senior communities. She is the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its continuation Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watchingand she is also co-editor of two books on the works of Jim Henson.