Twentieth Century

In this 1934 screwball comedy, John Barrymore plays Oscar Jaffe, a superstar Broadway producer who takes a seemingly talentless actress (Carole Lombard) under his wing and makes her a star. Before long, the pair becomes romantically involved but their relationship, both professional and personal, is doomed by his obsessive need for control -- he goes to Howard Hughes-like lengths to track her every move -- and her understandable need for freedom. Eventually, she abandons Jaffe and, while he endures five consecutive flops, she becomes a huge Hollywood star. Desperate and suicidal, Jaffe puts on a disguise, jumps on a train (which the film is named after), and spends the rest of the film scheming to get his superstar (who is also on the train) back.

Released only two years after Scarface, Twentieth Century was one of Howard Hawks' first major sound films. Although it hasn't received the same attention as some of Hawks' other classics, Twentieth Century anticipated the string of successful screwball comedies he would make in the following decade, including His Girl Friday, Ball of Fire, and arguably the greatest screwball comedy of all, Bringing Up Baby. While it's not quite as manic and energetic as those films, Twentieth Century is essential viewing for any self-respecting fan of the genre.

Other than a few off-putting ethnic stereotypes, almost nothing in the film feels dated. Some might complain that the two central performances are a little too theatrical but this is entirely appropriate -- given the characters' theatrical preoccupations -- and it's also key to the movie's charm.

To its credit, Twentieth Century is more entertaining and witty than just about any modern comedy I can think of, with the exception of a few films directed by people who have clearly seen and studied the film closely. Absurdist behind-the-scenes comedies such as Tootsie and Rushmore immediately come to mind. In fact, with his egomaniacal, my-way-or-the-highway directorial style, Oscar Jaffe is basically the Max Fischer of his generation.

Imitated by these films and many more, Twentieth Century is obviously an influential work. Barrymore's character is a slightly friendlier, male version of All About Eve's Margo Channing...but 16 years earlier, while Carole Lombard's cutthroat rising-star Lily Garland echoes that film's title character, Eve Harrington.

The transfer is good but with most of the imperfections you'd expect from a 70 year old film. Still, the quality is consistent with most of the other Sony releases from this period.

The only feature on the disc is a trailer for You Were Never Lovelier, a Rita Hayworth-Fred Astaire vehicle from 1942, and trailers for 2 Richard Quine films that Sony is also releasing on DVD next week: My Sister Eileen and Strangers When We Meet (starring Kirk Douglas, "the man who could not resist temptation"). Of particular interest, My Sister Eileen features a youthful Bob Fosse (credited as Robert Fosse) in a key supporting role, dancing up a storm with his co-stars.

While it would be nice if Sony pulled together some special features for more of their classic releases, you can't argue with a great film on DVD and this certainly fits the bill. -- Jonathan Doyle