8 of 10
Cinematography by William H. Daniels
James Stewart
Josephine Hull
Peggy Dow
Victoria Horne
Jesse White
William H. Lynn
"Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years, doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it."
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| Harvey 8 of 10 |
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| Directed by Henry Koster Cinematography by William H. Daniels James Stewart Josephine Hull Peggy Dow Victoria Horne Jesse White William H. Lynn |
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| Harvey is one of my favorite old-time films, mostly because of Jimmy Stewart. His portrayal of Elwood P. Dowd is magnificent; he is innocence personified. Dowd was one of the first loveable, simple-minded "nuts," a character that quickly became a Hollywood staple and produced the likes of Forest Gump, Raymond Babbitt, Jerry Fletcher, David Helfgott and Juniper Pearl. But Stewart's depiction is still the best. Although many actors can be simultaneously crazy and likeable, very few can be as convincingly crazy and likeable. They tend to come off as a little wild-eyed, and over the top. But Stewart is note-perfect. Interestingly enough, he is also a lot less crazy than the standard Hollywood nut, which might be why he is so believable. (Film is all about subtlety, after all, even though very few seem to realize that.) But Dowd sees perfectly clearly how much better off he is with Harvey than he was before. And he's glad he's a nut. And he's able to really help people, in spite of his craziness. But the real key to the whole film, in my mind, is that he's not actually a nut. Which leaves me wondering: what exactly is Harvey? Now, I don't know what the writer had in mind, and I don't know what the director had in mind. They talk about him being a "pooka," which is kind of like a leprechaun, almost. But I have my own opinion. I think Harvey is an angel. So there. "Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years, doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." |
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