Mr. und Mrs. Smith (1941)

Mr. und Mrs. Smith: Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. With Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond, Jack Carson. A couple who have been married for three years are shocked to learn that their marriage is not legally valid.

“Yes, this is an Alfred Hitchcock film, albeit a very different one. The Master of Suspense crosses over to the screwball comedy genre in the 1941 film u0026#39;Mr and Mrs Smithu0026#39;. Itu0026#39;s an interesting, yet ultimately flawed exercise.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHitch filmed u0026#39;Mr and Mrs Smithu0026#39; primarily because of his desire to work with the lovely Carole Lombard. She herself desperately wanted to work with Hitch, though not in a suspense film. He obliged with this piece, also starring comedy regular Robert Montgomery.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe somewhat convoluted plot has Montgomery and Lombard as husband-and-wife David and Ann Smith. One fine day Lombard questions Montgomery over the dinner table with the line u0026#39;If you had it all to do over again, would you still have married me?u0026#39; His reply of u0026#39;Honestly, nou0026#39; is not what she had been expecting. Coincedentally, on the same day David and Ann discover that, due to a technical glitch, they arenu0026#39;t really married after all. Like all, screwball set-ups, havoc quickly ensues.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe problem with Mr and Mrs Smith is that too many jokes simply fall flat on their face. The film does not have enough gags that truly work, with only a few moments that gain a genuine smile. Also, Lombardu0026#39;s character is also portrayed at many times as being unnecessarily cruel. Overall, Lombard and Montgomery play their roles very well, Lombard shines as usual, but the magic just isnu0026#39;t there. There a few good scenes, and probably the funniest is when Montgomery tries to make Lombard jealous in a restaurant.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s remarkable that this is a Hitchcock film- it feels so American in style. A fun side point to note is that this film contains possibly the first Italian u0026#39;Pizza-Pastau0026#39; joint in America ever to be put on film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s a tragedy that Carole died the following year in a plane crash. She was a great comedic actress who may have blossomed into one of Hitchcocku0026#39;s u0026#39;cool blondesu0026#39; in a suspense film. She certainly had the potential.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e6/10”