Ball of Fire
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Movie Reviews of Ball of Fire
Movie Review: Stanwyck and Cooper light up the screen with shades of "Pygmalion" and "Snow White"
Summary: 4 Stars
A burlesque performer on the lam becomes the unexpected muse for a strait-laced professor in Billy Wilder's sparkling 1941 comedy, BALL OF FIRE.
When a group of stuffy bachelor professors are compiling a new encyclopedia, they find trouble writing about modern slang. Professor Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper) scouts the streets of New York to find willing people to help in their research. A visit to a nightclub reveals Sugarpuss O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck) performing the rousing "Drum Boogie". Potts realises that here is the ideal expert who can lead him through the difficult world of the modern speech. But Sugarpuss is being pursued by the police...and the Mob!
Cooper and Stanwyck give off a splendid chemistry here after previously being paired in Frank Capra's Meet John Doe earlier in 1941. Legend has it that Lucille Ball was originally mentioned for the role of Sugarpuss, but it's hard to imagine anyone being better than Stanwyck, who gives a spirited performance (for another slice of Barbara in a similar role, be sure to see the hilarious Barbara Stanwyck: Lady of Burlesque).
The other professors are played by legendary character actors S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, Richard Haydn, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, Tully Marshall, Aubrey Mather and Leonid Kinskey.
So great to see BALL OF FIRE firmly on DVD. This has been issued as part of the new MGM Movie Classics series along with three other Gary Cooper titles (Casanova Brown, The Wedding Night, and The Adventures of Marco Polo).
(Single-sided, single-layer disc).
Movie Review: Ball of Fire
Summary: 4 Stars
Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck star in this romantic comedy. It's a good movie but hasn't aged as well as His Girl Friday. Coop is in a group of eight professors commissioned to write an encyclopedia. They've been at it for nine years & still have a ways to go. The opening scene illustrates their knowledge of many things. Coop is studying slang & a conversation with a trash man makes him realize how far out of date he is. The slang in this movie fires at a furious rate. To get more up to date he goes to a "boogie" club where the cats are jumping! Stanwyck is the burlesque type of entertainer there in a revealing (1941 mind you) costume. Her slang is fast & furious too. But her boyfriend, portrayed by Dana Andrews, is in trouble & she has to go on the lam to hideout from the d.a. She decides to hide out with the professors because that's the last place the authorities would look for her. Of course Cooper & Stanwyck fall in love, got to ditch the mobster boyfriend & stay alive long enough to get married.
With all that being said, as much as I like Gary Cooper, I felt he wasn't right for the role. He's a great actor & he's cast against type here. His role as a meek bookworm professor doesn't quite come off. Barbara Stanwyck as the burlesque lady comes off wonderfully well. Dan Duryea has a featured role as one of the henchman & is not only good in the role but also displays a flair for comedy. And it goes without saying Stanwyck not only changes Cooper, she also affects the whole bunch of professors.
The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actress (Stanwyck), Best original Story ( Billy Wilder, who also co-wrote the screenplay), Score & Sound Recording. The movie is directed by the great Howard Hawks who also did His Girl Friday. The movie requires a certain amount of suspension of believability in order to go along with it. But is that so bad? Actually Hollywood has always done that, haven't they?
Movie Review: Has A Lot Going For It
Summary: 4 Stars
Wow, what a cast! Let's see, there's Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Haydn, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Dana Andrews, Allen Jenkins and more! Classic film fans know all these names. Also, when you have directors and writers such as Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder behind the film, you know it's probably a winner.
What's more, it's a fun movie, fun to see and especially fun to hear. Stanwyck is her usual fascinating self, but in this movie it's the men - the seven old bachelors and the younger Cooper in the "club" - that are the most entertaining.
Because the story dealt with a bunch of encyclopedia writers trying to find out the latest slang words, the dialog in here is really funny. The expressions of the day are dated and humorous and there are so many you can't count them all. Some are stupid; some are hilarious...which is what you get with most comedies anyway. Not every line hits the mark, but a lot do in this one.
Tack on some action and some romance and it's corny-but-cute film , entertaining all the way. This has been a tough DVD to find, but it's finally available, which is good news to anyone who needs a laugh!
Movie Review: Ball of Fire
Summary: 4 Stars
Aw shucks. It's Barbara Stanwyck and The Coop. Forget the rip off lack of extras and the definitely shoddy/mushy quality of the copy: it's The Miss for Heavens' sake! It's about great film and great acting, about one of filmdom's most under-rated -Barbara Stanwyck- and and one of it's often over-rated - Gary Cooper (very good, yes, but compared to La Stanwyck: give me a break!!). This is an enduring bit of whimsy, an intelligent and witty film. I first saw it in 1966, when I was 14 years old. Decades later, I find it is still delightfully fresh and timeless. I waited for a decade for this copy to become available on dvd; forgive me for being grateful!Movie Review: Great Film! Cooper, Stanwyck & the Professors...
Summary: 4 Stars
I paid with a gift card once and now I am Gift Card Recipient...sheesh.
Anyway... Great film.
Very excited to see it will be released to DVD on May 22, 2007.
Very concerned that the specs the film is COLOR! As it was not filmed in color... please do not tell me this wonderful film has been colorized!
I am hoping this listing as color is an error and we will all be happy with the DVD. If it is color....not sure if I will purchase it after waiting so long.