Kitty Foyle

Starring: Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, James Craig, Eduardo Ciannelli, Ernest Cossart, Gladys Cooper, Odette Myrtil, Mary Treen, Cecil Cunningham, Walter Kingsford
Directed by: Sam Wood
Rating: Passed
Genre: Drama, Romance
1940

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A driven woman (Ginger Rogers) falls in love with a wealthy man (Dennis Morgan), but family drama threatens to keep them apart.

Review:

Tim: Kitty Foyle felt like a very typical 1940s film. It depicts the life of a working girl, but it's so caught up in romance and drama that it feels like a very stylized, Hollywood interpretation of what it meant to be part of the working class during this time. That's not bad necessarily, but the movie feels like it views the subjects through a lens of privilege, like no one really understands the reality of characters they are portraying. Sam Wood is an accomplished director and he ensures that this a good movie. However, it never felt special to me- it felt expected. That's fine, this is a good movie, but it's one that I believe was somewhat overrated at the time.

The story follows Kitty Foyle as she tries to navigate a love triangle. She's loved Wyn Strafford for most of her life, they were even married. Unfortunately, his family refused to accept her into their high society life, which ended their marriage and their relationship. She tried to move on and potentially has a future with Mark, a good guy and doctor, but he doesn't have much wealth at his disposal. In the film, she's faced with a few decisions that will drastically alter the course of her life. This is all fine, Dalton Trumbo did some decent work on the script. I wouldn't say I was ever fully invested in these relationships. I don't think I liked Wyn as much as I was supposed to, nor did Mark totally win me over, either. I disliked that so much of the film was about Kitty in response to the two men in her life, but this was 1940 and that's what Hollywood produced back then. I suppose there was a decent amount of interest in seeing where the story ended up, but I can't say I had a rooting interest in anyone or anything.

I do appreciate that the film tried to show some level of depth in the story. It doesn't quite accomplish this, though. There are scenes where the realities of Kitty's life are shown, but these are mostly the comedic ones. The drama is saved for the relationships. There are some powerfully dramatic moments- especially one in a hospital near the end. Wood doesn't quite make these as powerful as they could have been, but it allows the film to be more than a lightweight thing. There's some substance here, even if there were missed opportunities to dig deeper.

Ginger Rogers is the chief reason to see this film. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Kitty Foyle. I've always somewhat struggled with Rogers. I don't know if I've ever truly loved a performance of hers. And yet, when I think back to films like Vivacious Lady or Monkey Business, I admit she has talent and is enjoyable to watch. She gives a good performance here, no doubt, but I'm not sure I ever truly loved it. I didn't feel much of a connection with her character. She didn't make me like Kitty, nor want to root for her outside of the fact that it's obvious we're supposed to. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe her performance feels too theatrical at times. Maybe she doesn't quite project enough believable emotion. I don't know. However, I don't want to suggest she's not good- she absolutely is. I'm not sure I saw enough here to give her Best Actress, but I admit that she carries most of the film and she does it well.

Dennis Morgan was fairly solid as Wyn. I wouldn't say I loved his performance, nor did I especially care about his character. He does come across as charismatic and sells the charm of his character. James Craig was fine, too. He makes a good contrast to Morgan's character, but I found Craig mostly boring. His character is actually pretty interesting- how he spends their first "date" was one of the highlights of the movie for me. It was such an unexpected scene. But yeah, overall, Craig didn't wow me at all. The rest of the cast was fine, but they don't take up much space in the film.

I enjoyed Kitty Foyle, absolutely. It's a good movie. I can even see why Rogers won Best Actress. What surprises me is that this film was nominated for a total of 5 Academy Awards- Best Picture (what?), Best Director (I like Sam Wood, but really?), Best Writing, Screenplay (maybe), and Best Sound, Recording (sure). I just don't see it being at that level. This one didn't connect as much with me, although I acknowledge it has more strengths than weaknesses. I'm glad I watched it, and it gave me more data points so I can figure out how I feel about Ginger Rogers. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Monkey Business, Swing Time, Vivacious Lady; Goodbye, Mr. Chips