The Front Page

This 1974 third film incarnation of the classic stage play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur isn't the best--that honor still belongs to 1940's His Girl Friday--but it's not without merit, owing to the perfect casting and inspired performances of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Director Billy Wilder, working from a script co-written with longtime collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, wisely keeps the story in its original time and place--Prohibition-era Chicago--where Lemmon plays a cynical reporter whose impending marriage to beautiful Susan Sarandon has persuaded him to give up the newspaper game and sever his ties to scheming, tyrannical editor Matthau. But when a convicted murderer escapes from jail on the eve of his execution, the reporter can't resist chasing after one last scoop. Wilder, a comedic director with few peers, doesn't imbue his version with the crackling pace of its predecessors, but he sustains interest by lavishing attention on the raucous squabbling of the two principal characters. Sarandon, not yet the brilliant actress she would become, seems a trifle ill at ease in a conventional ingénue role, but a daringly cast Carol Burnett contributes a show-stopping turn as the jaded streetwalker sympathetic to the nerdy killer. Raucous and bawdy, Wilder's The Front Page attempts to duplicate the excitement generated by the original stage play, and while it falls somewhat short, the effort isn't entirely wasted. Featuring a newly remastered widescreen transfer, but no extras, this is a strong optional purchase. (E. Hulse) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 13, 2019—Kino Lorber, 105 min., PG, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1974’s The Front Page features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras include audio commentary by film historians Michael Schlesinger and Mark Evanier, and interviews with first assistant director Howard G. Kazanjian and Billy Wilder assistant Rex McGee (22 min.) and costar Austin Pendleton (10 min.). Bottom line: while not as good as the 1931 original, Wilder’s remake is still a fun romp.]