Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

I love old movies...especially when they are as good as "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner". The film is wonderful because it was the last film made by one of Hollywood's greatest duos, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Having Sidney Poitier rounding out the cast didn't hurt either.

This film was made while Spencer Tracy was dying. He had to put his entire salary in escrow in order for the film company to allow him to do the film.So why did Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy agree to do this film, without immediate payment? Well, because it's a film about forbidden love, about a well-to-do young white woman falling in love with a black doctor...it's a film about loving someone no matter what society thinks, or what the rules are. (probably a little difficult for todays young people to imagine the scandal of an inter-racial marriage)

This is something Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn knew a great deal about. What makes this film outstanding is, by the end of the film you realize, Kate and Spencer are not even acting they are relaying their feelings about each other, through the film. Once you catch that, the drama of the final few scenes is just unparalleled and Spencer's final speech, about his love for Kate (Christina), can drive even the most twisted soul to tears. If you watch Kate's face when Spencer recites the line, 'screw what the rest of the world thinks about your love'...those are real tears. Watch Spencer Tracey as he paces back and forth on the terrace near the end of the film. He realizes he is about to begin one of the last scenes he will ever film.

I am not sure how many times I have seen this movie, but just thinking about it today makes me want to watch it again... I really should buy a copy, I have rented it so many times.

Now don't groan, but this is not really what I was planning on posting about when I wrote the title to this blog...I looked out today just before supper and was quite surprised to see a dinner guest. An uninvited dinner guest. A guest who had to prepare his own supper and was certainly not welcome at my table...a black and white guest (this is what started the whole old movie thing) Take a peek...and no I am not predjudiced but there are some things I just can't tolerate. I have however chosen to be quite passive with my guest and hope that if I ignore him he will leave...

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