SYLVIA SCARLETT (George Cukor, RKO, 1935)

What do you do when you start watching a film and you realize it isn't that good?  Even with a classic film it sometimes is hard to push through and view the entire thing.  This is the case with SYLVIA SCARLETT (George Cukor, RKO Pictures, 1935) as the film was particularly hard to follow narratively, the performances were scattered and the film is just old enough that stylistically it doesn't compare favorably with other films made shortly after in the years to follow.  The film does have Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn as it's two stars though, the first of four films pairing these two greats.  And while the two of them are often great, this film doesn't offer many times for these two to shine.

There is one thing the film does very well, particularly looking back almost eighty years since its release.  I am not sure if it is the persona of Hepburn that determines the role of Sylvia or if the script dictated her portrayal.  But the wholehearted attack on gender roles and sexuality this film takes is amazing.  This attack is multifaceted and takes on many aspects.  Let me begin with Hepburn.

The most obvious physical change would of course be her hair and makeup.  She goes under a radical transformation in cutting her hair entirely in a men's fashion.  The makeup applied to her in the role is done well and contributes to her deceptively being very boyish.  Her costuming helps as well and this is no doubt aided by her slender figure.  The most striking aspect of Hepburn in this role is her movement.  She moves just like a man does, totally different from all the other women in the film.  All the tricks of hair and makeup are great but it's the movement that makes her convincing.  And this effective portrayal of a man blurs the gender lines in the film.

Also blurring things is an underlying tone of sexuality to the film, particularly one of homosexuality.  I counted three instances of same sex kissing, unheard of in classical Hollywood studio era films.  What further muddles this same sex kissing is the pairings.  Maudie (Dennie Moore) kisses Sylvia but Sylvia has a penciled mustache.  The audience knows its girl kissing girl but the mustache and dress alters the landscape.  Next Michael (Brian Aherne) kisses Sylvester.  Definitely not a heterosexual moment but allowable because the audience knows Sylvester really is a girl.  Finally when Sylvia reveals herself she is kissed by Lily (Natalie Paley).  Again, girl kissing girl but the manner of the kiss and it's particular moment in the narrative make it allowable. (Lily is forgiving Sylvia for an earlier slight)  

Lily of course has the line of the film, cementing this blurring of genders.  When meeting Sylvia she coyly states "were you a girl dressed as a boy or are you a boy dressed as a girl"?  This statement of confusion sums up exactly what the film is saying.  Sylvia is blurring gender lines and the audience is supposed to buy into whichever role Hepburn is playing at the time.  The film entirely belongs to Hepburn and her performance is strong.

The film is not good and is rather tedious to watch.  But there are some fantastic moments within and the undertones that are broached are remarkable.  And of course you get Grant and Hepburn.