Father of the Bride (1950)

How sad is this?

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Father of the Bride is a classic tale of what one might suffer when planning a family wedding. And people who have planned their weddings or been in one can cherry pick many comic foils that you may see in this film.The story is about just that. .A simple tale which happens in about every family. Proud papa, Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracey) is now faced with the upcoming preparations of his daughter, Kaye's (Liz Taylor) wedding. It is Murphy's Law running downhill from then on. Expenses keep mounting, families fight over the trivial matters of Wedding dates, reception costs and mounting invitation lists. And from a hot mess, we create the perfect beautiful wedding. Liz Taylor always looked stunning as a bride and you will not be disappointed.A lot of people prefer the remake starring Steve Martin because this event is set in 1950, But it is a classic to be enjoyed because everything that is "old" never changes. So enjoy the show and hope you are the one to catch the bouquet.

First, a word about the main difference between this original story and the Steve Martin remake. The Steve Martin remake is a fine movie, but it is a comedy. The original is, in my view, a real story told with humor. I like both films, but in my view they are not really the same story.If you watch Spencer Tracy's films in order, you'll see him age rapidly in the second half of the 1940s. And here he has completed the transformation into a father figure...in this case a sort of "Father Knows Best" type of father. Yes, Tracy is getting older here, and that phase of his career is perhaps my favorite. This role was perfect for him, and he plays it marvelously. It is this Tracy I remember best.Joan Bennett plays Tracy's wife to a par. Perfect.I'm not a fan of the younger or the older Elizabeth Taylor, but at this age she was a gem, and this is one of her most endearing screen performances.You'll also recognize a number of character actors and actresses, including Billie Burke, Leo G. Carroll, Moroni Olsen, and Paul Harvey. I didn't recognize Russ Tamblyn as one of the sons, although it is a rather minor part.The plot here is simple -- all the real excitement, second thoughts, and planning of a wedding. That's what I mean about this being a real story. Done with light humor, but not a comedy. And excellent film and one deserving of a spot on your DVD shelf.

There's an old saying that the best ideas are the simplest. This is only partly true. The best ideas often stem from a basic concept, but one which yields wide-ranging and elaborate results, and then only if pulled off properly. Father of the Bride has a simple idea at its heart – a straightforward romantic comedy, told from the point of view of someone on the periphery of the romance. However that idea provides the basis for a neatly structured picture that is both funny and endearing.The screenplay, by the fantastic but rarely lauded husband-and-wife writing duo Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, tells a story on two levels. The actual events of the picture of chart the romance and wedding of a young couple, and this is more or less all that actually takes place on screen. However, the device of a voice-over narrative, as well as set-pieces such as the engagement party shown entirely from Spencer Tracy's position as involuntary butler, make this undoubtedly his story. The voice-over was a popular feature of thrillers around this time, but here it serves as a comical inner monologue and commentary. Telling the story through the father's eyes ultimately allows Goodrich and Hackett to make this a tale not of romantic love but of family and paternal affection, and one that is more moving than dozens of run-of-the-mill romcoms.Director Vincente Minnelli was perhaps an odd choice for this project. Having had his biggest successes with musicals, his flowing, flamboyant style could have been a bit over-the-top for such a small-scale real-world setting. However Minnelli's tendency to lead the audience in a certain direction, and his skillful control of elements within the frame bring a lot to Father of the Bride. He is careful to always keep the wedding story going, often literally in the background, while putting Spencer Tracy in the foreground to give us his expressions and reactions. Usually the background goings-on are very busy, helping them to balance out, as well as giving a better comedy effect as Tracy grumps about before the camera. In the scene where the Bankses meet the Dunstons, Minnelli begins successive shots with a close-up of Tracy's martini glass, to give the whole scene the overtone that he is getting more and more drunk as he speaks. One of Minnelli's brightest ideas is to shoot the chaotic wedding rehearsal in one long take from a distant high angle. Not only does this allow the comedy to unfold naturally, it introduces us to the setting but in a slightly detached way. This gives all the more contrast and intensity to the following nightmare sequence, which is all done in close-ups with dozens of cuts.In the titular role Spencer Tracy gives a typically engaging yet understated performance. This kind of thing was really Tracy's forte. He is essentially a comedy character, since it's his grouchiness and his bewilderment that underlie most of the funny bits. But he's not a wild comic – he's also very believable and very human, and more importantly someone we can like and sympathise with. Although Joan Bennett plays her role completely straight and very reserved, it makes sense for the two of them to be a screen couple. And while Katherine Hepburn had the best chemistry with Tracy and it was always nice to see them on screen together, Bennett is the more appropriate actress here, because she is more sedate and will not threaten to upstage Tracy, whose movie it is after all.And Elizabeth Taylor, a huge star even then and arguably the female lead, ultimately has a fairly marginal role both in the script and on the screen. Some commentators bemoan this fact, and even prefer the 1991 remake to this original as a result. And yet it is all organised in such a way – the Goodrich/Hackett screen writing, Minnelli's direction, Tracy's acting – that brings a depth and poignancy to the father-daughter relationship despite Taylor's minimal participation. Take moments such as Tracy's relieved smile as the camera pulls away with him from the young lovers' reunion after their argument, or his frantic searching for his daughter so he can say goodbye before she leaves for the honeymoon. They don't distract from the general pattern of this being the father's story, and yet they reveal his true feelings, sometimes better than many a conventional scene between two people who love each other.

Father of the Bride (1950)**** (out of 4)A father (Spencer Tracy) is shocked when his daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) informs him that she's going to be married in three months. That shock soon turns to horror for the father when he realizes how much work is going to have to be done in order to pull off the perfect wedding. This here is a wonderful little film, although I hesitate to call it a comedy since the film's main goal isn't necessarily laughs but just making a slice of life story. I think the majority of the credit has to go to the wise casting of Tracy as the father since by this time he was best known for his heavy roles. The actor was always able to pull off comedy but I think casting him as the father, with his everyman type of persona, was just a masterful piece of casting and the actor doesn't disappoint in the role. I love the way he plays the part so natural and I'm glad he doesn't go over the top to get the laughs. Most of the laughs are just genuine little chuckles because the film doesn't try to force the viewer to laugh at stupid set ups but instead just gives us natural laughs as they come across in the story. Tracy does a wonderful job at playing someone who gets in over their head and has to deal with one problem after another while trying to remember that it's all for the good of his daughter. Taylor also shines in her supporting role. Her beauty is certainly on full display but, unlike many stars of today, her talent is also on display. Joan Bennett adds great support as Tracy's wife. I love the pacing of the film and I think Minnelli made the wise choice of making the film seem like we're just peeking in on this family. There's almost a strange, documentary like feel to the movie, which is another major plus. In the end, there's enough charm here for two movies with Tracy once again leading the way with his Oscar-nominated performance.