Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: John Barrymore, Carole Lombard
They don't make 'em like they used to. Take the great Howard Hawks, add the incomparable John Barrymore, and for good measure mix in the divine Carole Lombard, and you get Twentieth Century, one of the major works of the screwball comedy era. While not among my personal favorites of the genre, I can't deny that Twentieth Century is a masterfully put together film, one which manages to have Hawks' signature high energy even though the narrative is almost claustrophobically contained, and one which finds a way to allow both the lead actor (in one of his last great roles) and the lead actress (in one of her first great roles) to play the "crazy," scene stealing half of the romantic pairing and make that work. While not really embraced at the time of its release, it has since rightly become recognized as one of the era's finest.
