Bringing Up Baby
Directed by Howard Hawks
- comedy
- romance
The story
David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances, he meets Susan Vance, and the duo have a series of misadventures which include a leopard called Baby.
What it’s like
Crisp black-and-white studio photography with bright, even lighting and fast, flowing camera moves that keep up with rapid-fire banter, the frame often packed with rumpled suits, flying hats and a leopard loping through an art-deco apartment or a rural Connecticut estate. The sound is quick, overlapping dialogue delivered at breakneck speed, with snappy screwball timing and a brassy, bouncy score that punctuates the chaos rather than soothing it. The vibe is frantic, sunny and giddy, the kind of screwball lark that suits a lazy Saturday afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or an evening when you want to laugh out loud without thinking too hard. Its pacing rarely lets up, and the emotional register is bright and teasing, following two strong-willed people who spar and misunderstand each other until they slowly, reluctantly, find common ground. Intensity is very low: there is no violence or gore, only slapstick tumbles, mild peril and a few suggestive jokes. It suits anyone who wants classic, gentle silliness, sharp dialogue and a playful romance with a wild animal for company.
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