Customer Reviews

The Trouble with Harry [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This review refers to the Widescreen DVD edition of "The Trouble With Harry"(Universal/Alfred HItchcock Collection)..

Harry Walker is a real pain to the residents of a quaint but very picturesque little town in New England. The trouble with Harry is..that he is dead! The residents including Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick and Shirley MacLaine(in her first feature film role), don't seem too shook up about his apparent murder, some don't even notice the state Harry is in, the trouble is what to do with the corpse! These quirky folk, are trying to get rid of Harry, thinking they might be the ones responisble for his death. Through a series of very comical misunderstandings, poor Harry's body, is buried, dug up, cleaned up and returned to the "scene of the crime" several times, as they try to hide him from the local sherriff. And what's more, during this hard day's work, friendships, bonds, and even a lasting love is formed between the characters. It's an adventure in the lighter side of death as only Hitch can do it!

"The Trouble With Harry", may not be one we may consider to be a Masterpiece, by the master, but it is one that will surely have you smiling and recognizing the Hitch touch throughout. It definately displays his morbidly fun sense of humor, and his distinctive direction and attention to details is apparent throughout the film. The cast is marvelous, especially Edmund Gwenn. Check out and listen to his mumblings, as he hides out watching a parade of passerbys stumbling over the corpse. Also a very young Jerry Mathers("Leave It To Beaver") shows his talent and gift for comedy early on.

Looking for Hitch....An eye for art?...Check out who is passing by the artwork display in front of the General Store.

Universal has given this 1955 film a very nice transfer to DVD. The woodsy area that most of the story takes place in, shows off the beautiful colors of the season. The anamorphic widescreen picture is clear and takes in all that Hitch intended for us to see. The sound is good. It is clear and distinct in DD 2.0 (MONO). There are captions in Englilsh, subtitles in French and may also be viewed in French and Spanish. Extras include the entertaining and very informative documentary "The Trouble With Harry Isn't Over" and includes several interviews. There is a photo gallery and more.

A must have for fans, and a wonderful look at the lilghter side of Hitch....enjoy....Laurie

recommended reading:
Hitchcock's Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the C

Hitchcock was hardly a one-note director. He functioned in a variety of modes, and while the various films he made possessed a family resemblance to one another, they are not monolithically the same. If one only allows him or herself to enjoy the out-and-out suspense films like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, this could very possibly be a film that will not bring pleasure or enjoyment. But if, instead, the viewer is able to be open to something a little bit different, this film can be a source of unexpected delight.

I first saw this film as part of the revival of the "Five Missing Hitchcock" Films in the early 1980s, the others being THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (the Jimmy Stewart version), REAR WINDOW, ROPE, and VERTIGO. While VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW were the two films causing the biggest stir, I was pleasantly surprised by THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY. Hitchcock has always vacillated between comedy and suspense, with some films containing more, and others less, of the former. Except for MR. AND MRS. SMITH, however, this film comes the closest of any of his films to pure comedy.

The trouble with Harry, of course, is that he is dead and won't stay buried. The other trouble is that a vast number of individuals may have had a motive for killing him. But how and why he died is decidedly unimportant. Instead, his corpse provides the basis for a series of mildly complicated situations, as his body is shifted and moved and brooded over.
This movie was the extraordinarily cute Shirley MacLaine's film debut, and she is enormously fetching in it. John Forsythe plays the male lead, but the woodenness of his performance mars his performance somewhat (for the uninitiated, he later was the voice of "Charlie" on CHARLIE'S ANGELS). Several reviewers have noted the presence of the Beaver, Jerry Mathers. Edmund Gwenn, who as he often does, nearly steals the film as Captain Wiles, appears here in his first Hitchcock film since portraying incongruously but magnificently an assassin in FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT in 1940.

Hitchcock filmed THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY on location in Vermont, the most recognizable shots being in one of my favorite towns in America: Craftsbury. I have stayed in inns in Craftsbury on three separate occasions during the fall foliage season (this film was shot with the leaves changing), and I can testify that it is every bit as lovely, albeit a touch more developed, as it appears in this film.

By the way, I'm in love with Harry's tie. The fifties was probably the best decade for ties, with wonderful designs.

This film isn't for everyone, but if you are willing to be flexible, and not be disappointed when this turns out not to be REBECCA or THE BIRDS, then I think most viewers will find a great deal to enjoy and smile about.

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is a morbid [dark] comedy, full of witty dialogue and offbeat performances. It is a masterpiece of dreary atmosphere(set in a beautiful fall country setting)and wonderful realization. It is endearing and feel-good, morbid and dark, and funny yet subtle, too. Alfred Hitchcock does good with this film. Edmund Gwenn is perfect, John Forsythe is intelligent, Mildred Natwick is endearing, Shirley Maclaine is wonderfully offbeat, Jerry Mathers is cute, and Mildred Dunnock is marvelously bland. The soundtrack is very whimsical and sets the mood perfectly. I recommend it to everyone. Also, if you can get hold of the novel of the same name by J. Trevor Story, it is excellent also with many funny additions.

Shot in a blaze of Autumn colors in Barre and Craftsbury Common Vermont, "Harry" is Hitchcock's black comedy. The story opens with young Arnie Rogers ("The Beaver" Jerry Mathers) discovering a corpse lying in a open field. He runs home tells his air-head mother Jennifer (Shirley MacLaine) what he found. Jennifer thinks she did Harry in, but so does Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) and Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick) and as a result, Harry gets buried and dug up so many times we lose track. The film is about how these diffident denizens of a small Vermont town relate, gradually revealing more and more about themselves. The dialog is wonderful, but you have to like films that move slowly with lots of conversation, if you do, you will love "Harry." The photography is magnificent, the beauty of Vermont pours through. Vermont still looks just like it did when "Harry" was filmed, fantastic.

My favorite of Hitch's films and one of my all-time favorites. Made the year I was born (1955), Harry endeared himself to me upon my very first viewing. From the delightful characters to the gorgeous Vermont scenery, Harry is a true classic. I cannot think of a more enjoyable film. If you have not seen Harry, you owe it to yourself to do so: it is a treat.

Hitchcock was always funny, even in his darkest and most suspenseful films, but in this movie he decided to pursue all the comic possibilities lurking in what could have been a horror scenario: a corpse that won't stay buried, feelings of terrible guilt, innocent people falsely incriminated, the usual Hitchcock bag of tricks except that here it's all played for laughs. Something else worth mentioning is that without a single nude scene or crude word, this film manages to be sexier and more outrageous than anything on the screen in this free-and-easy era when film-makers keep trying to one-up eachother with outrageous shock effects. Some of the double-entendres make you laugh with sheer disbelief that they ever got past the censors. At the risk of spoiling a great laugh line, I have to mention one -- "She's a well preserved woman, and preserves have to be opened sometime!"

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY was a radical departure for Hitchcock, and proved to be a lukewarm success with audiences. Upon re-examination, we can see some of the magic that Hitchcock was trying to achieve with this delicious black comedy.

Set in the colorful expanse of New England in the glowing hues of autumn, the story is about the troublesome corpse, Harry. Everyone in the sleepy locale believes that he or she may have had a hand in bringing about his demise, but no-one really cares what happens to him. His nonchalant wife (Shirley MacLaine) is already flirting with the handsome artist (John Forsythe) and the rest of the "suspects" also have more important things on their minds. But Harry has a way of popping up...in the most improper of places and circumstances!

Shirley MacLaine made her auspicious film debut inn the role of Harry's wife (after being spotted subbing for Carol Haney in a performance of Broadway's "The Pajama Game"). Her performance shows what greatness was to follow (acclaimed, award-winning and nominated performances in THE TURNING POINT, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, IRMA LA DOUCE and THE APARTMENT).

Mildred Natwick and Edmund Gwenn, as the older lovers, are fantastic and give sly, comedic performances. The film also featuresc a pre-"Leave It To Beaver" Jerry Mathers.

The DVD includes the featurette "The Trouble with Harry Isn't Over", the trailer and art gallery.

The transfer itself is pretty great, although they could have managed to touch up a few pretty obvious scratches. The film itself is funny, made more so by the knowledge the viewer has that Hitch is pulling the strings. But John Forsythe's lead performance and some weak early scenes involving him and Shirley MacLaine keep it from being one of the master's strongest outings (which of course still makes it superior to most). My real problem with the DVD are the extras. They just seem sloppy and tossed together. The "theatrical trailer" is actually a bad circa 85 ad for the MCA release of the VHS with the most cheesy voiceover. The recommendations section includes a listing for "The Torn Curtain". And the documentary is put together in such a slipshod manner that it mentions Edmund Gwynn once, and only in passing, to say that it was a good cast. Wondering about Mildred Natwick? You won't get any information here -- she doesn't even merit a mention in the Cast and Filmmakers section. In fact, more time is spent on the actor who "played" Harry rather than any other actor save Forsythe and MacLaine. And, by the way, what's Shirley MacLaine doing that's so important that she can't sit down for an interview? The only real positive about the doc is that it devotes a section to Bernard Herrmann.

The trouble with Harry is, among other things, that he won't stay buried. It's a bizarre concept, and I imagine that a lot of people will find this movie to be strange. The humour is dark and a little dry, and it's not what an unsuspecting viewer might expect from Alfred Hitchcock. Personally, I like the film, because the humour appeals to me, as do the performances. John Forsthye, Shirley MacLaine, Edmund Gwenn, and Mildred Natwick make a great foursome trying to dispose of the corpse that just won't go away. A very young Jerry Mathers shows up, too, as MacLaine's son, and it's amusing to see him in this film. If you like your humour a little dark and dry, and you can deal with a Hitchcock film that is not typical Hitchcock, than this film is for you. However, if you can't go for that, than this film is probably one that you should skip.

Dark, charming, and funny without being sentimental or nihilistic, "The Trouble with Harry" is a good example of Hitchcock's skill in walking the fine lines without tripping. This is a grandly underrated movie, possibly the only completely successful film of its type. Imagine the recent flick "Amelie" worked around a murder...wthout losing any of its remarkable magic.

I only have two quibbles with the film, none substantial enough to take even a fragment of fifth star away. First, John Forsythe seems a tad miscast Just a tiny bitty tad. The problem might simply be seeing him through the haze of his later television acting career. It's probably just my problem. I never find him to be a sympathetic or believable character (yet, to make up for that, Shirley MacLaine is great).

The second issue is that the story is supposed to be set in Vermont. I live about twenty minutes from Vermont and up close it never looked as much like northern California as it does in this film. Where are the trees...and the mountains? Oh well, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is set in a nearby New Hampshire that looks like a stretch of WWI battlefield trench on a rainy day. Northern California is more flattering for sure. As a crotchety native New Englander, I'll gripe: why is it that in the movies set in Florida or Southern California those places are always made to look like some sort of Paradise-on-Earth (whereas in fact both locations are pretty hellish. I know, I've been there), and New England--a dag-darned charming place outside of the cussed cities--is never given its due? It's either wrongly expansive, big-sky West Coast or, worse, creepy Stephen King-ish Witch Haven. So help me, there isn't a single creepy abandoned Victorian mansion anywhere around the region!