His Girl Friday - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

The phrase "battle of the sexes" describes countless romantic comedies, but the sexes have rarely battled so wittily, so caustically, and so deliciously as in the 1940 classic His Girl Friday. Director Howard Hawks' timeless male-female redo of the acclaimed Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur play The Front Page redefined the romcom as a game of psychological warfare as it places the man and woman on a level, almost equal playing field and lets them butt heads, jockey for supremacy, and manipulate each other to a fare-thee-well. It's quite possibly the fastest-talking film ever produced, and its literal breathless pacing, expert plotting, and seamless weaving of social and political themes into all the madness keep us transfixed throughout. And when it's all over, we're both exhausted and exhilarated.

That's what great films do, and there's no question His Girl Friday stands as one of the greatest comedies Hollywood has ever churned out. Taking The Front Page, a biting portrait of two hard-boiled newspapermen who bicker like a husband and wife, and transforming it into a romantic comedy about an ex-husband and ex-wife whose bickering masks plenty of sexual tension was genius, but executing it to perfection takes enormous talent. Hawks deserves the lion's share of credit, and of course actors Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell earn enormous plaudits for their electric performances, but screenwriter Charles Lederer often gets lost among those giants. Sure, Lederer borrows heavily from the terrific dialogue crafted by Hecht and MacArthur, but he also puts deft spins of his own on the material to make it the primo battle of the sexes - and a sexy battle at that. You can't just put a woman in a man's part, trade trousers for a skirt and call it a day. Lederer crafts a complete character for Russell, and his contributions should not be overlooked.

Crackerjack journalist Hildy Johnson (Russell) arrives at the newsroom where she used to work to inform her former boss and former husband Walter Burns (Grant) she's about to marry mild-mannered, milquetoast accountant Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and to implore Walter to stop badgering her with ceaseless telegrams and phone calls about getting back together. Walter feigns delight over the union, but plots to sabotage it and manipulate the seemingly savvy Hildy back into the newspaper's fold and into covering what could be the story of the century - the impending execution of downtrodden cop-killer Earl Williams (John Qualen), who swears the shooting was accidental. Whether the governor will issue a stay or commute Earl's sentence is up in the air, and the courtroom pool reporters breathlessly await any word.

Complications multiply in both the case and Hildy's relationships with Walter and Bruce, resulting in a frenzy of comic and dramatic activity. All of it is impeccably orchestrated by Hawks, a cinematic maestro with an ear for the rhythm of dialogue and a flawless sense of pacing. The ebbs, flows, highs, and lows of the verbal exchanges are truly awe-inspiring and require a laser focus to follow and absorb. Hawks, who cut his comic teeth on such classic screwball romps as Twentieth Century and Bringing Up Baby and would later helm such terrific farces as Ball of Fire, I Was a Male War Bride, and Monkey Business, perfectly balances tense, serious scenes and displays of honest emotion with all the lunacy.

Walter and Hildy are certainly attracted to each other, but what they're really hot for is the next scoop. When a juicy lead is dangled before them, they both visibly salivate. Hildy especially falls hook, line, and sinker for the thrill of breaking a big story. Her eyes light up, there's a spring in her step, an urgency to deliver, and a burning desire to beat her competitors. And the fact that in this version of the tale she's a woman in a man's world raises the stakes. Hildy pals around with the guys (and to their credit they treat her as an equal), but uses her femininity to her advantage when necessary. She's a tough cookie and street-wise dame, but also harbors an underlying softness. She says she wants to settle down, but does she really? Could she ever? Hildy may not know the answer, but Walter does.

In her 1977 autobiography Life Is a Banquet, published posthumously, Russell recalls how she was far from Hawks' first choice to play Hildy. "Hawks...had tried to get Ginger Rogers, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur," Russell wrote. "He'd asked every leading woman in town before [Columbia Pictures studio chief] Harry Cohn...stuck him with me." To quote an old Huey Lewis and The News song, we're so happy to be stuck with you, Roz. Her zippy performance, which should have received an Oscar nomination, oozes confidence, and she and Grant percolate like a pot of strong coffee, often improvising quips and bits of business. "Cary loved to ad lib," Russell wrote, "...[and] I enjoyed working that way too. So in His Girl Friday we went wild, overlapped our dialogue, waited for no man. And Hawks got a big kick out of it." As do we.

Grant is at his brilliant best - sly, boisterous, fun-loving - and Bellamy as the bland Bruce makes a fine foil for both him and Russell. (The character of Bruce was invented by Lederer to provide additional romantic tension.) Bellamy played much the same part opposite Grant and Irene Dunne three years earlier in another classic romcom about a divorced couple, The Awful Truth, but in this case the familiarity doesn't breed contempt. Bellamy embraces his lot as perennial also-ran and turns in an effective quiet performance that stands out amid all the noise.

And then there's the unsung supporting cast, a bunch of fabulous character actors who create their own rhythms and cadences to fit into this comic concerto. Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Roscoe Karns, Frank Jenks, Regis Toomey, John Qualen, the hilarious Billy Gilbert, Helen Mack, Alma Kruger...the names may or may not be familiar, but classics fans will surely know their faces. Some only appear in a couple of scenes, others are omnipresent but don't have many lines. All make the most of their parts and contribute mightily to the look, feel, and success of the whole.

His Girl Friday may be 86 years old, but it remains fresh as a daisy. All the pieces snugly interlock in this well-crafted film that's so much more than the sum of its parts and far from a typical romcom. Astute observations about political corruption, journalistic ethics, gender roles, and the plight of the working class add substance and gravity to all the zany goings-on. But in the end, His Girl Friday is all about the laughs and priceless interplay between Grant and Russell. They make quite a pair, and once you see them square off and lock horns, you'll want to see them do it over and over again.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 4K UHD edition of His Girl Friday is packaged in a standard Criterion clear case. Three discs - one 4K UHD disc of His Girl Friday, one standard Blu-ray disc of His Girl Friday, and one standard Blu-ray disc of The Front Page (1931) - are included. An eight-page, 9-1/4" x 13" newspaper featuring an essay on His Girl Friday by film critic Farran Smith Nehme, an essay on The Front Page by film critic Michael Sragow, cast and crew listings, transfer notes, and photos from both films and a 1928 stage production of The Front Page is tucked inside the front cover. Video codec for the 4K UHD disc is 2160p/HEVC H.265 with Dolby Vision HDR and audio is LPCM mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu with music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

According to the liner notes, "His Girl Friday is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on the 4K UHD disc and 1.33:1 on the Blu-ray. Undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35 mm original nitrate camera negatives." "New" is a relative term. This is the same 2160p/HEVC H.265 transfer with Dolby Vision HDR that graces the 4K UHD disc in the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 collection from 2024. The image exudes the same vibrancy, same grain structure, and same degree of shadow detail. Even the chapter stops are the same. The only difference I could detect was in the bitrate range. The Criterion transfer boasts a slightly higher bitrate (averaging between 85 and 90 Mbps) than the Columbia Classics transfer, which averages between 75 and 80 Mbps. That increase raises clarity and contrast just a smidge, but not enough to merit a double dip or even provide a noticeable difference, unless you're doing a side-by-side critical comparison. If you plan to upgrade from Blu-ray (and I hope you do), either this Criterion disc or the Columbia Classics rendering of His Girl Friday will serve you well visually.

Because the two transfers are nearly identical, my colleague M. Enois Duarte's video review of the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 disc applies to this Criterion edition. Here is his take on the video quality: "The Howard Hawks screwball comedy breaks the story first on the Ultra HD newspaper with an impressive and lovely HEVC H.265 encode that bests the 2017 Criterion Collection release, boasting a notable uptick in overall clarity and resolution. The fine textures in the fabric and stitching of the costumes are more apparent, particularly in Cary Grant's suit, while the background information is sharper and clearer to make out. Although slightly darker overall than what would be initially expected, the Dolby Vision HDR presentation nonetheless shows an improved contrast and brightness balance, especially the cleaner, more brilliant whites in the outfits. Black levels are richer and inkier throughout, but occasionally, a few minor instances of crush can engulf the finer aspects of the clothes and darker corners of the press room. Specular highlights add a welcome punch and shine to the various light fixtures and a tight, crisp sparkle in the reflection of the glassware. Presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, the native 4K transfer is awash in a noticeable, stable layer of natural grain, giving the digital video an attractive film-like appeal."

Here's where the 2024 Columbia Classics Vol. 4 release and this Criterion edition really differ. The Criterion liner notes state "the monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm original soundtrack negative." The source tracks may very well be identical, but their presentation sets them apart. Criterion, as per their norm, employs the LPCM format, while the mono audio on the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 disc is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio. For me, the DTS-HD MA track on the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 disc is the clear winner, and by a wide margin. The simple reason? Dialogue.

The rapid-fire exchanges between Grant and Russell and the mumbled interplay between the pool of reporters at the courthouse are the source of so much vital information, humor, emotion, and atmosphere that missing any of it severely compromises enjoyment and involvement. The Criterion track lets us down in that department. While the ambient effects in the newsroom and other locales are strong - the tap-tap-tapping of typewriter keys, ringing phones, and slamming doors - they often compete with the dialogue for supremacy and obscure isolated words and phrases, especially when they're asides, throwaways, or muttered under the actors' breaths. The Columbia Classics track does a far better job prioritizing the dialogue, so even when the actors are talking over each other or their lines dovetail, we never miss a word. As a result, I found myself far more involved and engrossed while watching the Columbia Classics disc. His Girl Friday is frenetic enough without the added stress of straining to decipher the dialogue, which I spent a lot of time doing when I viewed the Criterion disc.

Sonic accents like gunfire, alarm bells, and sirens are crisp, and no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude, but despite the uptick in fidelity, the Criterion track delivers a less enjoyable aural experience. I appreciate hearing the subtleties that help immerse the viewer in the settings, but for me, dialogue reigns supreme, and the Columbia Classics disc rightly emphasizes that critical component.

All the extras from the 2017 Criterion Blu-ray have been ported over to this release. No new supplements are included. All the special features are housed on the respective Blu-ray discs of His Girl Friday and The Front Page, depending on which feature they pertain to. Some, but not all, of the supplements are also included on the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 4K UHD release.

His Girl Friday

• Featurette: "Hawks on Hawks" (HD, 10 minutes)
• Featurette: "Lighting Up with Hildy: 45 Years with His Girl Friday" (HD, 25 minutes) 
• Featurette: "On Assignment: His Girl Friday" (SD, 9 minutes) 
• Featurette: "Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook" (SD, 3 minutes)
• Featurette: "Funny Pages" (SD, 3 minutes)
• Featurette: "Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop" (SD, 3 minutes)
• Vintage Radio Adaptation (60 minutes) - This truncated adaptation of His Girl Friday was broadcast on September 30, 1940 and features Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in the roles created by Russell and Grant.
• Trailers (SD, 4 minutes) - A 90-second teaser and 3-minute trailer are included.

The Front Page

• The Front Page (1931) (HD, 101 minutes) - The complete, restored film, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Pat O'Brien and Adolphe Menjou, is presented in 1080p.
  
• "Restoring The Front Page" (HD, 24 minutes)
• Featurette on Screenwriter Ben Hecht (HD, 26 minutes)
• Vintage Radio Adaptations (91 minutes) - Two radio adaptations of The Front Page are included. The first (59 minutes) was broadcast in 1937 and features columnist Walter Winchell and actor James Gleason in the lead roles. The second (32 minutes) was broadcast in 1946 and allows actors Pat O'Brien and Adolphe Menjou to reprise their film roles.

If you don't own the Columbia Classics Vol. 4 set that includes His Girl Friday in 4K UHD, then the Criterion 4K UHD edition of this all-time classic comedy could prove to be a worthy upgrade. The video transfer is a definite step up from the 2017 Criterion Blu-ray (although it's identical to the Columbia Classics 4K rendering), but the robust audio occasionally obscures bits of dialogue and requires more concentration to understand and digest all the fast and furious exchanges. Pound for pound, I prefer the Columbia Classics disc, but if the expense and girth of that set turns you off, the Criterion disc, especially when you factor in its substantive supplemental package that includes the 1931 version of The Front Page, is a worthy alternative. Recommended.