Easy Living (Universal Cinema Classics)

I was unaware of this movie until I watched it on TCM last month. It was such a delightful film that I bought this dvd on Amazon the next day. Jean Arthur is such fun to watch.

No, I wouldn't say this is a great film; nor, is it in the same league as what she was to do in the relatively short career that lay ahead of her. However, it is a delightful relief from the cares of a hard day. In fact, that was the intention of many comedy-makers in 1930's, to give people a break, in those pre-commercial television days, from the worst economic depression in American history. No doubt it could not make much of a dent in the gloom of those facing very real hardship in putting a roof over their head and food on their table, but for those whose suffering was less, it was a tonic. Watch it! No hidden critique of the capitalist system, no meaning that is not on the surface, designed only for a laugh or two. Above all, perhaps, a chance to see one of the most spirit-raising actresses ever to appear on a movie screen Just wanted to say, some years after writing the foregoing paragraph, on seeing the film again, that I am surprised at finding how well I expressed what I feel now. In addition, in the interest of full disclosure, it should now be revealed that, while I was probably a bit too young in 1937, when the film was first released, to recognize the meaning of Love, other than Mother Love, within a few years of that, I knew that the actress and I were soul-mates and would be that way forever. Here it is, three days from 2015, and it is still true. Watching Jean Arthur perform is always a refreshing experience; she communicates a uniquely pleasing quality special to herself. How nice it is, that we have that spirit captured on film, long after she herself turned her back on the Industry.

Jean Arthur never made a better comedy, and that's saying something! With a surfeit of superb set-pieces, and unequalled writing, Easy Living sashays giddily along the avenues of depression American, spewing forth hilarity like so many wildcat strikes. So miraculous is Sturges' touch he almost seems a comic rhabdomancist, as gushers of comedy break forth in a supernormal even surrealist display of the most ribald imagination possible. Backed with the underrated Mitch Leisen's stylish direction this gem of a film just get's better with age. Heroine Jean Arthur, down to her last dime, decides to break open her piggybank - but soft-hearted Jean can't do it - she has to first tie a blindfold around the piggy's eyes before smashing it open! Every math teacher in the world will crack up as Edward Arnold, in his usual role as the great man of business, this time as a prominent banker, spends a fruitless five minutes in the backseat of his limo trying to explain the trap of compound interest payments to shopgirl Jean, who insists she knows arithmetic better than he does and drives him half-crazy when she can't follow his reasoning. And on and on all leading up to the legendary Automat scene with Ray Milland and Jean Arthur creating utter chaos at the food automat. If you like Jean Arthur, or Preston Sturges, and you haven't yet seen this doozy of a screwball comedy - now you can! Don't miss it!

Great movie, delivered on time and in good condition

The movie itself is cute, especially if you like Jean Arthur. It's a screwball comedy that is better in some places than others, but if you can't stand slapstick, take a pass on this one. Most of the physical humor was fairly funny even when it was over-the-top. On the other hand, the visual quality is about 2.5 stars. The graininess of the whole thing was quite disappointing. My experience with buying DVDs and even Blu-rays of the old classics from Hollywood has been very mixed in this respect. This title is more obscure than some, but there are better-known old movies that don't get remastered into something better and I wish they would.

Preposterous. Silly. And yes, stupid. The entire premise rests on misunderstandings that are compounded rather than corrected. None of the characters know what’s really going on. Finding that many stupid people at the same time and place is impossible…I think. Edward Arnold is hilarious at making the wrong assumptions (that could have led to ruin). I enjoyed watching him bluster, thinking that would solve everything. Who knew a fur coat could be so destructive.

I'm so glad this finally came out on DVD. When it was finally announced, I had my advance order in. I tripped over "Easy Living" one afternoon on AMC(back before they had more commercials than HSN), and absolutely loved it. I passed it on to the nice man who turned me on to the work of Preston Sturges & the joys of the first few Nick & Noras, and he loved it, too. With Ray Milland as an unhappy rich young man & Jean Arthur as a working girl who helps him when he's down, plus the always steady Edward Albert, a sparkling & urbane script by Preston Sturges, if you love "Madcap" films, "Easy Living" is right up your parkway and down your boulevard. And, to quote Scarecrow Video in Seattle, Jean Arthur was one of Hollywood's great little "hotties". She was cute as a button, sassy, and sweet as honeydew vinewater. Heck, Ray Milland is at least as funny here as he was in "Lost Weekend" & in "X-The Man With The X-Ray Eyes".

Jean Arthur has to have been one of the most charming actresses ever to grace movie screens. Her charming innocence in the midst of an unexpected cascade of good fortune provides the driving engine of this film. Supported by the elegant Ray Milland and veteren character actors like Edward Arnold, Luis Alberni, Franklin Pangborn, and William Demarest she really can't go wrong. But what really makes this a standout comedy is perfect pacing. The movie never lags: one event feeds perfectly into the next as the simple (if very odd) act of throwing an expensive fur coat off the roof leads to a chain of ironic absurdities that may end up toppling a financial empire. This is the 1937 film. Accept no others.

If you happen to be having a dull evening sitting at home, sit back and watch this great screwball comedy: Easy Living. This is one of Jean Arthur’s funniest along with the young Ray Milland.

Il y a un problème de code Pays, et le DVD n'est pas utilisable en France. J'ai renvoyé le DVD il y a plus d'un mois et toujours pas de remboursement.

I so very thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I am collecting quite a few of these old favourites and they are just gorgeous on the large television screen. Really glad about my current purchases.

Compré este clásico de cine porque hace muchos años lo tenía en video pero la cinta era de poca calidad. Da gusto ver la película con tan buena imagen y sonido como ofrece este DVD. I bought this classic film because I saw it years ago on videotape, but the sound and picture were terrible. Seeing it on DVD with such good sound and picture made it that much more enjoyable.

Weil Amazon auch in diesem Fall Rezensionen zu unterschiedlichen Produkten mischt, der Hinweis: Die folgende Rezension bezieht sich auf die DVD von Universal Cinema Classics (US Import). »Easy Living« (1937) ist weit mehr ein Preston-Sturges- als ein Mitchell-Leisen-Film. Kein Zweifel, dass Regisseur Leisen hier kompetente Arbeit leistet, doch die spezielle Mitchell-Leisen-Eleganz, die man vor allem in seinen Filmen der 1940er Jahre findet, fehlt hier und wäre auch fehl am Platze. Denn Sturges’ Drehbuch liefert eine sehr überdrehte und ins Burleske reichende Story. Der Ausdruck ›Screwball Comedy‹ passt für diesen Film hervorragend. Edward Arnold spielt den reich gewordenen Finanzspekulanten Mr. Ball, der die Angewohnheiten seines Herkunftsmilieus noch nicht abgelegt hat. Seine übertriebenen Sparsamkeitspostulate bringen sowohl seine Frau als auch seinen Sohn gegen ihn auf. Im Streit mit seiner Frau wirft Ball den Pelzmantel seiner Frau vom Dach ihres Hauses. Der Mantel landet auf dem Kopf der einfachen Angestellten Mary Smith (Jean Arthur). Nach einer ersten, von Missverständnissen geprägten Auseinandersetzung erklärt sich Ball bereit, Marys durch den Mantel ruinierten Hut umgehend zu ersetzen (den Mantel schenkt er ihr sowieso). In dem Luxus-Hutgeschäft, das die beiden aufsuchen, wird Mary für die Geliebte der Millionärs gehalten, woraus sich eine ganze Kette weiterer Missverständnisse ergibt, die Ball schließlich an den Rand des Ruins treiben werden. Jean Arthur, die in späteren Filmen oft etwas altjüngferlich wirkt, ist glänzend besetzt. Ihre offensiv-unverständige Art verleiht der Figur der Mary Smith etwas Einzigartiges. Auch der Rest des Ensembles ist großartig, allein Ray Milland wirkt etwas steif. Sturges’ Drehbuch sorgt nicht nur für schräge Charaktere und eine Story voller bizarrer Wendungen, sondern liefert auch exzellente Dialoge voller Wortwitz, die ab und an durchaus mal in den Nonsens kippen. Auch guten alten Slapstick gibt es reichlich. Im Hintergrund der Geschichte bemerkt man die Auswirkungen der Weltwirtschaftskrise der 1930er Jahre: Als einfache Angestellte lebt Mary in ärmlichen Verhältnissen und verfügt nicht über genug Einkommen, um täglich ausreichend zu essen. Doch Sturges ist ein unbeirrbarer Propagandist des American Way of Life, bei dem sich die Dinge zur Not auch ins Märchenhafte wenden. Und die Reichen – und sogar die Finanzspekulanten – haben bei Sturges natürlich ein großes Herz für jedermann. Wenn man ihm diese Blauäugigkeit nachsieht, kann man mit dieser klassischen Screwball Comedy sehr viel Spaß haben. Zur DVD: Bild- und Tonqualität des Films sind nicht zu beanstanden. Optionale Untertitel gibt es in Englisch und Französisch. Die »exclusive introduction by Turner Classic Movies host and film historian Robert Osborne« ist bemerkenswert uninformativ und absolut verzichtbar. Zu beachten ist: Regionalcode 1.