Michael_Elliott Twentieth Century (1934)*** (out of 4)Screwball comedy has John Barrymore playing a play producer who makes a star out of Lily Garland (Carole Lombard) but she leaves him after three years of fights. Soon after she's a major star in Hollywood while he's broke and luck would have it that the two end up on the same train and he'll stop at nothing to sign her for his next play. TWENTIETH CENTURY is a film I really enjoyed, although I didn't love it as much as many people do. Perhaps this is just do to my thinking that Howard Hawks wasn't always the perfect person for comedy. Yes, I know many consider him a master of the genre but I've never fully bought into his comedy skills. With that said, there's no question that the two leads do a remarkable job with their performances and it's their work that makes this film as special as it is. I think Barrymore was downright superb in the part of the producer. Much like the director, when one thinks of Barrymore they don't think of comedy but he actually does a very good job in his over-the-top way. I really enjoyed how far out there the actor was willing to go for a laugh and I think he delivered especially with his line delivery. Lombard is also exceptionally good here and I thought she handled both sides of her character about as good as you could hope for. I really enjoyed her early scenes where she's playing the weak pre-star who is getting pushed around by Barrymore. She's also superb when it comes time for her to be the diva and give the orders. The two really do have a wonderful chemistry together and contain a spark that sets the film off. Both Roscoe Karns and Walter Connolly are also very good as is Etienne Girardot as the crazy man going around putting stickers all over the train. The dialogue is extremely fast and I thought the entire cast did a good job at delivering it. TWENTIETH CENTURY is considered a masterpiece by many and while I wouldn't go that far, there's still no question that it contains charm, laughs and two great performances.

earlytalkie Here is yet another classic film that, up to now, I have never seen. John Barrymore was not noted for his comic performances, yet he is so damn funny here your sides ache from laughing. Carole Lombard had her first great comic performance in this laugh-a-minute film, which highlights the love-hate relationship between a Broadway producer and his greatest female star. There are also some great character people in this, like Walter Connely and Charles Lane, billed here as Charles Levison. This comedy is based on a stage play, but the dialouge goes by so fast that you hardly notice this fact. This film is considered by many to be the first "screwball" comedy. It was made for a depression-era audience, yet it's comedy resonates well today. A must-see.

Cyke 109: Twentieth Century (1934) - released 5/3/1934, viewed 8/10/08.John Dillinger shoots his way out of an FBI ambush in Wisconsin. The Three Stooges unleash their first short, 'Woman Haters.' BIRTHS: Shirley MacLaine.DOUG: Next up is Twentieth Century, directed by Howard Hawks and based on the play by Charles Bruce Millholland. I'm a bit surprised this movie didn't receive any Oscar love. It just seems like that kind of movie. The perfectly cast John Barrymore plays Broadway director Oscar Jaffe, and gives a performance that is so over-the-top it crosses over into parody. Jaffe is always hunched over like a gargoyle, his hair is constantly a mess, his eyes frequently threaten to fly out of his head and hurt someone, his fingers are always twisted and deformed, and he speaks constantly in indulgent, operatic monologues. The film begins with his "discovery" of a young ingénue played by Carole Lombard, whom Jaffe rechristens as Lily Garland. Under Oscar's guidance, Lombard goes from promising young starlet to spoiled diva in nothing flat, and is soon jetting of to Hollywood to get away from her needy, demanding boss. Lombard couldn't possibly get by with a straightforward performance opposite Barrymore here, so instead she goes for trying to be just as big of a drama queen as him, which fits the material. Contract Player Alert: Seeing Walter Connelly and Roscoe Karns as Oscar's loyal, exasperated underlings was a pleasure (we just saw them both a few days ago in It Happened One Night). They ground the movie, so the audience can keep one toe in reality amongst all these preening lunatics. In the end, I didn't really dig the movie; all this ham acting can get tiresome after a while, and nobody really learns anything by the end.KEVIN: Howard Hawks directs a great cast and a great script, but at the end of the day, Twentieth Century just made me itch. John Barrymore ditches his usual aged dramatic persona and hams it up for the role of the self-important and egregiously over-the-top lunatic stage director Oscar Jaffe. Although it was sometimes hilarious to watch this crazed jerk do his thing, he came off as extremely one-note after a while. I laughed quite a bit, especially whenever Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns were on screen, but most of the time I wasn't sure how seriously to take the material. This was especially tricky with Carole Lombard, who most of the time I couldn't tell if she was playing the part for laughs or if she is supposed to be a more serious foil for Barrymore. **SPOILER** I didn't find it very funny that the main characters end up right back where they started. He's an even more self-important jerk than before, and his hamminess has rubbed off on her, so now I can't imagine they'll get anything done on stage ever. **END SPOILER** Maybe I was in the wrong mood to truly enjoy this movie, but it certainly won't go down as one of my favorites for this year.Last film: Tarzan and His Mate (1934). Next film: The Thin Man (1934).

mountainkath As far as comedies go, this film isn't anything special. What is special is John Barrymore. As many other reviewers have noted, his performance in Twentieth Century is just brilliant.There were some parts of this film that weren't that interesting to me, but I was transfixed by Barrymore. Yes, his performance as Oscar Jaffe is over the top, but that's precisely the point.Carole Lombard doesn't quite keep up with Barrymore (who can?), but her performance is also excellent. She may not keep up with the master, but she's certainly not overshadowed.While I thought the storyline of this movie was pretty run of the mill, it was the performances by Barrymore and Lombard that make it something special. Fans of classic movies should see this movie simply to see John Barrymore at his best.