The Awful Truth
USA, 1937,35mm, 91’, bianco e nero
Titolo Internazionale/International title: The Awful Truth
Titolo Italiano/Italian title: L'orribile verità
Regista/Director: Leo McCarey
Nazione/Country: USA
Cast & Credits
Regia: Leo McCarey
Soggetto: dalla pièce omonima di Arthur Richman
Sceneggiatura: Viña Del mar, Sidney Buchman
Fotografia: Joseph Walzer
Scenografia: Lionel Banks, Stephen Goosson
Costumi: Robert Kalloch
Montaggio: Al Clark
Musica: Ben Oakland, George Parrish
Suono: Edward Bernds
Interpreti e personaggi: Irene Dunne (Lucy Warriner), Cary Grant (Jerry Warriner), Ralph Bellamy («Dan» Leeson), Alexander D’Arcy (Armand Duvalle), Cecil Cunningham (Aunt Patsy), Molly Lamont (Barbara Vance), Esther Dale (Mrs. Leeson), Joyce Compton (Dixie Belle Lee), Robert Allen (Frank Randall), Robert Warwick (Mr. Vance), Mary Forbes (Mrs. Vance)
Produzione: Leo McCarey, Ecerett Riskin per Columbia Pictures Corporation
L’orribile verità
Lucy e Larry, dopo anni di vita matrimoniale, si convincono di essersi vicendevolmente traditi e decidono di divorziare. La sentenza di divorzio, complicata dall’affidamento del loro fox terrier, diventerà esecutiva di lì a novanta giorni. Nonostante il divorzio, Larry non abbandona l’idea di tornare con la moglie e cerca di impedire tutti i suoi nuovi flirt. Dopo aver smascherato un «innocente» maestro di canto, si trova a fronteggiare gli attacchi di un ricco e ottuso magnate dell’Oklahoma che si è innamorato di Lucy. Dando sfogo alla sua inventiva, Larry sabota con ogni mezzo la relazione tra i due e, portata Lucy fuori città, all’ultimo minuto dell’ultimo giorno prima dello scadere della sentenza la convince a tornare con lui.
"La scelta di affidarsi completamente alla retorica sofista deriva dalla semplice constatazione che la verità nella coppia (come tutte le coppie sanno) è orribile, mentre i sofismi, come dice gioiosamente la messinscena, sono attraenti, raffinati, ricercati e, appunto, sofisticati. Meglio che stia nascosta la verità orribile (e ovvia) di Lucy e Jerry. A venire mostrati, sottolineati e ammirati siano piuttosto i loro battibecchi, le preziosistiche prestazioni linguistiche, gli arabeschi canori: i loro sofismi". (Bruno Fornara)
The Awful Truth
After years of married life, Lucy and Larry convince themselves to have been unfaithful to each other and decide to get divorced. The decree, complicated by the custody of their fox terrier, is going to be final in ninety days. Despite of divorce, Larry is not giving up the idea of coming back to his wife, so he tries to prevent her from having any new affair. First he unmasks an «innocent» singing teacher, then he faces the attacks of a rich and dull-witted tycoon from Oklahoma who’s in love with Lucy. Giving full rein to his imagination, Larry sabotages by any mean the relationship between the two, and, after taking Lucy out of town, the last minute of the last day before the decree expires, he convinces her to come back with him.
"The choice of relying on sophist rethoric results from the simple observation that in a couple (as any couple knows) the truth is awful, while sophisms, as the whole thing cheerfully suggests, are attractive, refined, elegant, and sophisticated. The best thing is that Lucy and Jerry’s awful (and obvious) truth remains a secret. What must rather be shown, highlighted, and appreciated are their tiffs, their linguistic preciosity, their singing arabesques: their sophisms." (Bruno Fornara)
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Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey (Los Angeles, 1898 – Culver City, California, 1969) è stato tra i più noti registi, sceneggiatori e produttori della Hollywood classica. Ha lavorato per oltre duecento film, diritendo soprattutto screewball comedies (L’orribile verità, 1937) e commedie romantiche (Un amore splendido, 1957, con Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr), in cui ha dimostrato la grande eleganza e il fine senso dell’umorismo del suo cinema. Creatore della coppia Stan Laurel e Oliver Hardy, per i quali ha diretto solamente due cortometraggi ma scritto i copioni di quasi tutti i loro lavori, è stato inoltre il migliore dei registe che hanno lavoro con i fratelli Marx (sua la regia di La guerra lampo dei fratelli Marx, 1933).
Leo McCarey (Los Angeles, 1898 – Culver City, California, 1969) was a film director, screenwriter and producer. During his lifetime he was involved in almost twohundred movies, especially screewball comedies (The Awful Truth, 1937) and romantic comedies (An Affair to Remember, 1957, with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr), where he demonstrated his great elegance and his fine sense of humour. He teamed Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy together for the first time: he only officially appeared as director of the duo shorts, but wrote many of the screenplays. He is also the best among the directors who worked with Marx Brothers (Duck Soup, 1933).
Filmografia / Filmography:
Society Secrets (1921), Publicity Pays (1924), Young Oldfield (1924), Stolen Goods (1924), Jeffries Jr. (1924), Why Husbands Go Mad (1924), A Ten Minute Egg (1924), Seeing Nellie Home (1924), Sweet Daddy (1924), Why Men Work (1924), Outdoor Pajamas (1924), Sittin' Pretty (1924), Too Many Mamas (1924), Bungalow Boobs (1924), Accidental Accidents (1924), All Wet (1924), The Poor Fish (1924), The Royal Razz (1924), The Rat's Knuckles (1925), Hello Baby! (1925), Fighting Fluid (1925), The Family Entrance (1925), Plain and Fancy Girls (1925), Should Husbands Be Watched? (1925), Hard Boiled (1925), Is Marriage the Bunk? (1925), Bad Boy (1925), Big Red Riding Hood (1925), Looking for Sally (1925), What Price Goofy? (1925), Isn't Life Terrible? (1925), Innocent Husbands (1925), No Father to Guide Him (1925), The Caretaker's Daughter (1925), The Uneasy Three (1925), Hold Everything (1925), His Wooden Wedding (1925), Charley My Boy (1926), Mama Behave (1926), Dog Shy (1926), Mum's the Word (1926), Long Fliv the King (1926), Mighty Like a Moose (1926), Crazy Like a Fox (1926), Bromo and Juliet (1926), Tell 'Em Nothing (1926), Be Your Age (1926), Should Men Walk Home? (1927), Why Girls Say No (1927), Jewish Prudence (1927), Eve's Love Letters (1927), Don't Tell Everything (1927), Sugar Daddies (1927), Should Second Husbands Come First? (1927), The Way of All Pants (1927), Flaming Fathers (1927), Pass the Gravy (1928), Blow by Blow (1928), Tell It to the Judge (1928), Should Women Drive? (1928), Should Married Men Go Home? (1928), That Night (1928), Do Gentlemen Snore? (1928), Habeas Corpus (1928), We Faw Down (1928), Freed 'em and Weep (1929), Liberty (1929), Wrong Again (1929), When Money Comes (1929), Why Is a Plumber? (1929), The Unkissed Man (1929), Hurdy Gurdy (1929), Madame Q (1929), Dad's Day (1929), The Sophomore (1929), Red Hot Rhythm (1929), Wild Company (La seduzione del peccato,1930), Let's Go Native (Nel regno della fantasia,1930), Part Time Wife (1930), Indiscreet (1931), The Kid from Spain (Il re dell'arena,1932), Duck Soup (La guerra lampo dei fratelli Marx,1933), Six of a Kind (I sei mattacchioni,1934), Belle of the Nineties (1934), Ruggles of Red Gap (Il maggiordomo,1935), The Milky Way (La via lattea,1936), Make Way for Tomorrow (Cupo tramonto,1937), The Awful Truth (L’orribile verità,1937), Love Affair (Un grande amore,1939), Once Upon a Honeymoon (Fuggiamo insieme,1942), Going My Way (La mia via,1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (Le campane di Santa Maria,1945), Good Sam (Il buon samaritano,1948), You Can Change the World (1951), My Son John (L’amore più grande,1952), An Affair to Remember (Un amore splendido,1957), Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (Missili in giardino,1958), Satan Never Sleeps (Storia cinese,1962).
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