I Was a Male War Bride
Dir: Howard Hawks
UK, 1949, 105 minmins, DCP
Cast: Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan, Marion Marshall
A deconstruction – and a reinvention – of Cary Grant’s screen persona? Confined in a sidecar, chair and bathtub, he is the virile, bemused French captain who hates, loves and marries the self-assured American lieutenant, and faces his final humiliation to become a war bride in order to follow his spouse back to the USA. In quirky, farcical humor through wordplay and near-absurd circumstances, Hollywood master Howard Hawks’ masterly control of camera and composition, with an air of spontaneity in Grant and Sheridan’s performance that recalls His Girl Friday (1940), turns the screwball comedy genre upside down with gender role reversal in a mixture of innuendos against confinements, nightmarish bureaucracy – and the studio censorship regime.
8/12 (SUN): Film talk with Kiki Fung
Hong Kong Arts Centre Louis Koo Cinema (Venue)
Tai Kwun
Chinese Subtitles
Post-screening talk
Remarks
1. Screenings at Broadway Cinematheque are available at Broadway Cinematheque and website of Broadway Circuit only. For related ticketing information, please refer to www.cinema.com.hk.
2. Screenings at Emperor Cinemas iSQUARE, Emperor Cinemas Times Square and PREMIERE Elements : tickets are available at URBTIX till 5pm one day before respective screening, after which tickets will be available only at the box office of the respective venue on the day of screening, subject to availability.
3. Screenings at HK Arts Centre and M+ Cinema : tickets are available at URBTIX outlets until one hour before the screening, after which tickets are available at URBTIX website and mobile app. On-the-day tickets will also be available at the Self-service Ticketing Kiosk of the respective venue, subject to availability.
4. Unless otherwise stated, all films (except English-speaking films) are subtitled in English.
5. While it is the HKIFFS’s policy to secure the best possible print of the original version for all its screenings, the HKIFFS appreciates its patrons’ understanding on occasions when less than perfect screening copies are screened.
