Ball of Fire (DVD)

I have watched this movie many times over the years and every time I see it I find something else to enjoy about it. The premise has been likened to Snow White and the Seven Drawfs, seven bachelor's living in a New York mansion who are writing an encyclopedia covering a wide range of topics. Each professor brings their own area and knowledge to the project. Gary Cooper who I absolutely adored was the grammar expert. A chance visit by a refuse man looking for answers to a quiz he is entering bring an entirely new realm of word phrasing they have never heard. Realizing how cut off and far removed they are from the mainstream, the words he is speaking sound like a foreign language. Gary Cooper's character decides he must go out into the real world and observe this jive way of speaking as to be able to rewrite his entry in the book they are compling. He meets Sugarpuss O'Schae A nightclub singer and asks her along with others to help him rewrite and understand this new way of speaking. What follows is absolutely delightful and entertaining! All of the professors are instantly smitten by her. She is reluctant to get involved in their project, but it turns out the police are looking for her in connection to her gangster boyfriend. But they start to grow on her as well, especially Gary Cooper who suddenly falls in love. This formidable actress blows all of the stuffy cobwebs out of their dreary lives and brings a ray of sunshine. The veteran actors playing the professors are endearing especially the only one who was previously married and has at least some knowledge of females. Enjoyable scenes where she teaches them to dance and unknowingly brings Gary Cooper under her spell are priceless. Drummer Gene Krupper makes an appearance, and watching Gary Cooper pretending not to know how to fight is worth watching just for that scene alone. You instantly think you of him as Will Kane in High Noon or his performane in Sargeant York and realize what a talented actor he is. From playing strong tough guys who never back down to this version of him as a softie is enjoyable indeed. I believe it was directed by Billy Wilder who may have had a hand in some of the dialogue as well. Overall a 5 Glittering Star movie with 2 outstanding actors! CORRECTION: Howard Hawks directed this film, Billy Wilder co-wrote the script. Sorry for the incorrect statement.

Ball Of Fire has always been one of my very favorite Screwball Comedies, and it is wonderful to see it finally on sale for a quite affordable price. It is actually a delightful twist on Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Gary Cooper plays professor Bertram Potts, who is one of seven other scholars who are writing a new, updated encyclopedia. When the group realizes that there is a whole other universe of terms known as "slang", which they are not familiar with, they decide to visit a bawdry nightclub. It is there where Bertram meets Sugarpuss O'Shea, played by a very alluring Barbara Stanwyck, who is actually a burlesque queen who opens his eyes and mind to a whole other world. Unfortunately, Sugarpuss just happens to be the girlfriend of a gangster played by Dana Andrews who is on the lam from the law. Once Cooper and Stanwyck spend some quality time together, as she schools him about the hip terms and styles of "slang', it is not very long before sparks fly between the two, and they fall in love with each other. The group of professors decide to keep Sugarpuss in hiding from both the law, as well as from her mobster boyfriend Andrews. As one could well imagine, this scenario plays out to a somewhat complicated but truly hilarious result. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, and includes an excellent screenplay written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, snappy direction provided by Howard Hawks, and excellent performances by all supporting players. Stanwyck has never looked sexier, and Cooper displays his usual high quality of acting, especially impressive as he transforms from a rather stuffy professor, to a hip swinger, in order to keep up with Sugarpuss, as well as away from the mob. The film is 111 minutes long, in black and white, and the transfer to dvd is very good to excellent! As I previously mentioned, this baby is Screwball Heaven! MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! SMRZ!

Imagine a modern-day telling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by plugging in a band of wacky intellects learning slang from a lively stripper who’s on the run from her gangster boyfriend. Unbelievable? Certainly not to the once-in-a-lifetime talents from the Golden Age of Hollywood that brought it to the screen. Ball of Fire rises to the top of the 1940s screwball comedy genre because of an ingenious plot penned by the brilliant writing team of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder and the delightful fusion resulting from the boyish charm of Gary Cooper and sizzling vitality of Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck glows in this sparkling gem as bawdy nightclub entertainer Sugarpuss O’Shea. In “Drum Boogie,” her opening nightclub number, Stanwyck displays amazing vibrancy and delicious effervescence. She was an Oscar nominee for Best Actress of 1941 for this performance, and she should’ve won out over Joan Fontaine, the winner for Suspicion. Stanwyck also had two other huge successes that year, with The Lady Eve and Meet John Doe, making her Oscar loss even more perplexing. This DVD of Ball of Fire has all you’ll ever want – great sound, superior picture quality, a hilarious yet romantic story, top-notch screen stars and a bevy of memorable character actors. It makes going to the movies right in your own home an experience that’s bound to delight any fan of Old Hollywood.

Diese aus Spanien importierte DVD ermöglicht ein wunderschönes Wiedersehen mit dieser ausgezeichneten Komödie im Screwball-Stil aus dem Jahr 1941. Gary Cooper und Barbara Stanwyck bieten ein superbes Paar: er, der verkopfte Professor Bertram Potts, der sich der Sprachwissenschaft verschrieben hat, sie, die Nachtclub-Sängerin Sugarpuss O'Shea, die Potts zunächst lediglich benutzt, um ihrem Geliebten, dem Gangster Joe Lilac (Dana Andrews), behilflich zu sein. Potts lebt mit sieben anderen Professoren seit 9 Jahren in einer Art Elfenbeinturm, um eine allumfassende Enzyklopädie zu erstellen. Bei der Thematik “Slang“ sind Sugarpuss' Kenntnisse umwerfend: nicht nur Cooper erliegt Stanwycks Charme, sondern auch die anderen, an die 7 Zwerge erinnernden Professoren. Neben jenem Märchenmotiv ist auch die Analogie zu Pygmalion unübersehbar. Stanwyck und Cooper sind in diesem Film von Howard Hawks (Drehbuch u.a. Billy Wilder) m.E. unschlagbar und nehmen den Zuschauer auch noch 75 Jahre später gefangen. Sugarpuss erkennt ihre wahre Liebe zu Professor Potts, die “7 Zwerge“ nutzen ihre gebündelte Intelligenz, um die Schurken zu überwinden (zwar nur eine Nebenrolle, doch wie immer toll gespielt: Dan Duryea) und schlussendlich liegen sich die Richtigen in den Armen. Barbara Stanwyck und Gary Cooper spielen das so authentisch und sympathisch, dass es eine wahre Freude ist, den Beiden zuzuschauen! Der s/w-Film liegt im Format 4:3, sowohl in englischer als auch in spanischer Sprache vor, die Untertitel (ausblendbar) ebenfalls. Ich finde die Bildqualität für einen Film jener Zeit sehr gut, ebenso die englische Sprachversion. Die Untertitel sind gelbgefärbt (gewöhnungsbedürftig, ermöglicht aber das schnellere Lesen), bleiben aber stehen, auch wenn die Szene wechselt - solange nicht erneut gesprochen wird. Das empfand ich etwas hinderlich. Und bei dieser Fülle an Sprachwitz und Anspielungen kommt man aus dem Lesen gar nicht mehr heraus. Da kommt schon die Würdigung der darstellerischen Leistungen etwas zu kurz, so dass man danach den Film gleich noch einmal schauen muss, diesmal jedoch ohne Untertitel, um sich auf die Schauspieler fokussieren zu können. Fazit: genial guter, erfrischender, zeitloser Kino-Klassiker!

Wonderful acting by Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck exemplary.

tres bien merci!!

I was so worried that this dvd would not play in English, as the package referred to both English and Spanish, but I simply pressed play and all was well. It's wonderful to have a dvd of this classic movie.

Film très amusant avec la grande Barbara Stanwyck qui est comme d’habitude parfaite !