Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – Special Edition
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths
Issue 101 March 2008
(1 votes, average: 7 out of 10)
click on the stars to submit your rating
Loading …
No, it’s not Ashton Kutcher, thank f**k!
The Lowdown: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play Matt and Christina Drayton, an elderly couple who like to think of themselves as liberal and open-minded. However, their attitudes are put to the test when their daughter brings home her fiancée for them to meet, who happens to be black.
Review: It is impossible to outright dismiss any film boasting such a mouth-watering cast, and while Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner certainly has its fair share of problems, it’s a wholly satisfying experience to see Hepburn, Tracy and Poitier sharing screen time.
Socially conscious but ever so schmaltzy, Stanley Kramer’s plea for racial equality may have struck a controversial chord back in the day (according to the ‘A Love Story Of Today’ documentary, death threats were sent to certain cast members), but just three decades later, much of its power has diminished, leaving an enjoyable but somewhat condescending slice of melodrama. While it’s given a sense of profound poignancy due to Tracy’s diminishing health on screen (he died 17 days after filming), the film does feel a little old fashioned, and quick comparisons to those radical pictures from the same year like The Graduate and Bonnie And Clyde, only serves to highlight the film’s rather straight-laced approach.
This 40th anniversary Special Edition gathers together a trio of introductions from the likes of Steven Spielberg (Kramer’s one of his favourite directors), plus short but semi-interesting snippets from a couple of award shows. The ‘A Love Story Of Today’ 30 minute documentary remains the most worthwhile supplement, featuring flattering anecdotes and approving acknowledgments from admirers and Kramer affiliates.
FILM: 6 EXTRAS: 6
DVD Info:
Certificate: PG
Starring: Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn
Directed By: Stanley Kramer, 1967
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 103 mins
Price: £12.99
Film supplied by:
DnA
Special Features:
Introduction By Steven Spielberg
Introduction By Tom Brokaw
Introduction By Karen Kramer
A Message From Quincy Jones
‘A Love Story Of Today’ Documentary
‘A Special Kind Of Love’ Featurette
‘Stanley Kramer: A Man’s Search For The Truth’ Featurette
‘Stanley Kramer Accepts The Irving Thalberg Award’ Featurette
‘2007 Producers Guild ‘Stanley Kramer’ Award Presentation To Al Gore’ Featurette
Photo Gallery
Scene Selection
