Twentieth Century

Howard Hawks' third great screwball comedy is not nearly as well known as his other two (1938's Bringing Up Baby and 1940's His Girl Friday), yet it's just as snappy, funny, and cleverly written. Perhaps the reason for Twentieth Century's (1934) banishment to obscurity is the main characters, two aggravating and egomaniacal theatrical types. Producer-director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) makes Lily Garland (Carole Lombard) into a Broadway star, but after a screeching fight, she leaves him for the movies. Years later, and near financial ruin after several flops, Jaffe discovers that he's on the same titular cross-country train as the temperamental Garland and mounts a series of underhanded ploys to sign her to a new play. The train, of course, is loaded with zany weirdoes, from the drunken columnist who follows Jaffe around and speaks like a fallen Victorian poet (using the word "foul" to modify his nouns), to the benign lunatic who covers the train in "repent" stickers. The film's 91 minutes are pitched at a high frequency, and the constant chatter may throw some viewers off, but Hawks was gifted above all at this kind of fast-paced farce, and magically makes it work, aided by a fine screenplay from Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, adapted from the play by Bruce Millholland. Presented with a solid transfer on an extra-less disc, this classic comedy is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (J.M. Anderson)