Alice Adams
by George Stevens
Our Price: $23.81
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $12.00 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Evelyn Venable, Frank Albertson, Fred MacMurray, Fred Stone, Katharine HepburnDirector: George Stevens
Brand: Alice
Cinematographer: Robert De Grasse
Editor: Jane Loring
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Writer: Booth Tarkington
Writer: Dorothy Yost
Writer: Jane Murfin
Writer: Mortimer Offner
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-01-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
DVD Reviews of Alice Adams
DVD Review: A mediocre film carried by a marvelous performance...
Summary: 3 Stars
I've spouted off a few times about my feelings towards Katharine Hepburn being an overrated actress. You know what's funny is that the more films I see with her the more I question why I ever criticized her in the first place. Sure, she is not my favorite actress out there, and I do feel quite a bit of `Nicole Kidman stigma' about her legend status (Kidman is another actress who I really enjoy yet consider hugely overrated because of her rabid fan base that refuses to acknowledge any flaws), but I must admit that she was one amazing actress and deserves a lot of the praise she has received.
Yes, I'm eating crow right now.
So, of all the wonderful performances I've been blessed with recently, one that stands out as superior and unforgettable for me is Hepburn's `Alice Adams'. This is one of those performances that totally carries the film (beings that the film itself is rather mediocre) and completely sells a character for the audience. Casting Hepburn as an underprivileged dreamer was inspired, beings that it is not a character she often played, and it gave her a chance to embrace all that made adolescence so tragically beautiful.
She is such a charming presence here, reminiscent of her younger sister Audrey, who I always considered the more graceful and charming of the two.
The film tells the story of young Alice who only wants to fit in with her `upper crust' friends and neighbors. When she meets the wealthy Arthur she decides to play up her social standing to impress him, but it is a lie she really can't substantiate. Her mother is quick to force Alice's father to do something about it, causing him to sever ties with his boss and friend in order to provide a better life (and more opportunities) for her daughter.
The script is full of holes, from the strangely awkward `secret formula for glue' to the odd way that Arthur seems naïve to Alice's obvious embellishments; and the ending itself is completely preposterous. Really though, Hepburn makes it all work somehow. The film is a forgettable mess, but her performance is outstanding to say the least. She really captures the devilish jitters that come with trying to be something you are not, only to have that something be the one thing you really don't need to be to get what you want. It's a beautifully awkward performance, which carries with it so much natural light and chemistry.
Fred MacMurray is also well used, if not a bit of a prop for Hepburn to use as she sees fit. Ann Shoemaker is the only supporting player that really carries her own weight. She actually develops a rich and beautifully tailored character. I thought that Frank Albertson was memorable, but his character was hollow and undeveloped (that whole side-plot with the money seemed uneven and underwritten). Fred Stone was terrible here, and Charley Grapewin wasn't any better. Their final moments (and their whole storyline really) were the worst aspects of the film for me.
And yet, I still say that this is a film you should see. Hepburn makes it very, very worth it. Many films around this time suffered from the studio's influence, and so it is hard to find films that really worked on every level (outside of some marvelously crafted foreign films), but it is still worth your time getting to see some of these older films, if not for a better understanding of cinema as a whole.
Description of Alice Adams
BASED ON A NOVEL BY BOOTH TARKINGTON.A PRETENTIOUS SOCIAL CLIMBER, ALICE ADAMS, SUFFERS THROUGH VARIOUS TRAVAILS BEFORE FINDING A MODEST, DECENT MAN WHO LOVES HER.Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Adam's RibWarner Brothers; Release date: 2000-09-19; DVD
Best price: $9.02
Price in other shops:
Tracy & Hepburn the Definitive CollectionWarner Brothers; Release date: 2011-04-12; DVD
Best price: $24.93
Price in other shops:
The Women (Keepcase)by Claire Boothe Luce
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-06-14; DVD
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
Little WomenWarner Brothers; Release date: 2010-08-10; DVD
Best price: $6.70
Price in other shops:
Summertime (The Criterion Collection)HVC; Release date: 1998-09-09; DVD
Best price: $19.41
Price in other shops:
Suddenly, Last SummerSony; Release date: 2000-08-15; DVD
Best price: $4.29
Price in other shops:
Katharine Hepburn Collection (Morning Glory / Undercurrent / Sylvia Scarlett / Without Love / Dragon Seed / The Corn Is Green)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-29; DVD
Best price: $26.44
Price in other shops:
HolidaySony; Release date: 2006-12-05; DVD
Best price: $6.83
Price in other shops:
Philadelphia StoryWHV; Release date: 2010-11-09; DVD
Best price: $5.35
Price in other shops:
Bringing Up BabyWHV; Release date: 2011-02-08; DVD
Best price: $6.29
Price in other shops: