Quality Street Review
Quality Street is drawn from a play by J.M. Barrie, for whom lightness and whimsicality are bywords. Playing Barrie can be a difficult task, especially if, unlike his +Peter Pan, the material is not set in a make-believe world. Finding the right balance between reality and artifice takes quite a bit of doing, and is even more difficult to achieve onscreen than on-stage. This adaptation takes a much too direct approach, starting with the casting of the no-nonsense Katharine_Hepburn in a role that requires an actress whose strength is more subtly presented. Hepburn isn't bad, but she tries too hard in places and seems a little at sea in others. That she often succeeds in spite of this is tribute to her considerable talent and skill, and there are quite a few moments where she pulls great laughs from the viewer, almost by sheer force of will. Even if not ideally cast, she is fascinating and fun to watch. Franchot_Tone is a bit bland, though he looks quite good and is certainly believable. Fay_Bainter and Joan_Fontaine are similarly wan, but satisfactory. Much better is the physical production, with sets, costumes and photography that are a joy. If Quality falls a little short of the mark overall, it's still a very pleasant diversion. Craig Butler, Rovi
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