Harvey (1950)

Regisseur:

Henry Koster

Drehbuchautoren:

Mary Chase (play)
Mary Chase (screenplay) ...

Premierendatum:

13. Oktober 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Komödie | Drama | Familienfilm | Fantasy

Werbezeile:

The Wonderful Pulitzer Prize Play... becomes one of the Great Motion Pictures of our Time!

Plot:

Elwood P. Dowd is a mild-mannered, pleasant man, who just happens (he says) to have an invisible friend resembling a 6-foot rabbit.

Plot Keywords:

Clock | Imaginary Friend | Sibling | Hidden Character | Fantasy

Filmpreise:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

A true classic which will last forever

Besetzung

James Stewart	...	Elwood P. Dowd
Josephine Hull	...	Veta Louise Simmons
Peggy Dow	...	Miss Kelly
Charles Drake	...	Dr. Sanderson
Cecil Kellaway	...	Dr. Chumley
Victoria Horne	...	Myrtle Mae Simmons
Jesse White	...	Wilson
William H. Lynn	...	Judge Gaffney (as William Lynn)
Wallace Ford	...	The Taxi Driver
Nana Bryant	...	Mrs. Hazel Chumley
Grayce Mills	...	Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet (as Grace Mills)
Clem Bevans	...	Mr. Herman Schimmelplusser
übrige Besetzung in alphabetischer Reihenfolge:
Gino Corrado	...	Eccentric Man (scenes deleted)
Jack Curtis	...	(scenes deleted)
Ida Moore	...	Mrs. McGiff (scenes deleted)
Billy Wayne	...	Man in Car (scenes deleted)

Alternativ:

Mein Freund Harvey (Österreich) (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

104 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Schwarzweiss

Seitenverhältnis:

1.37 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Altersfreigabe:

Australia:G | South Korea:All (2003) | Canada:G (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #14694) | Germany:12

Drehorte:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Firma:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Dies und das:

At the suggestion of James Stewart, the director changed many shots to make them wider so that "Harvey" would be in the frame.

Pannen:

Filmfehler: In the daytime scenes at Chumley's Rest, shadows are seen of the actors and props that clearly go against the dominant natural light.

Dialogzitate:

The Taxi Driver: ...I've been driving this route for 15 years. I've brought 'em out here to get that stuff, and I've drove 'em home after they had it. It changes them... On the way out here, they sit back and enjoy the ride. They talk to me; sometimes we stop and watch the sunsets, and look at the birds flyin'. Sometimes we stop and watch the birds when there ain't no birds. And look at the sunsets when its raining. We have a swell time. And I always get a big tip. But afterwards, oh oh...
Veta Louise Simmons: "Afterwards, oh oh"? What do you mean, "afterwards, oh oh"?
[...]

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)

A true classic which will last forever

There are too many aspects of Harvey to analyse. This is a typical example of a film being incredibly deceptive. On the outside the film is a light hearted comedy but when looking at it closely it is very clearly a serious social commentary of it's time, and indeed of the present time (for the same prejudices still exist today).

Harvey is a "pooka" ( a mischievous spirit) that manifests itself as a six foot white rabbit. Only Elwood P. Dowd can see Harvey and it is from this that the underlying dark story of an alcoholic's friendship with an invisible spirit blends itself in to comic fantasy.

The comic side to the film opens up the subject of prejudice and peoples fear of what is different from themselves. Elwood P Dowd is seen as insane by his sister, neice and the public and yet he is not a killer, he is not an angry or violent man. What he is, however, is a happy, cheerful and exremely pleasant gentleman who takes great pleasure in trying to make other people happy with the aid of a six foot white rabbit.

The film's success, in my mind, is entirely on the shoulders of James Stewart who's portrayal of the eccentric Elwwod P Dowd is exceptionally moving and fulfilling. He is surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast and one of the best scripts in movie history.

If this does not sound appealing to you, I urge you to watch Dowd's comments regarding Harvey outside the bar. This speech never fails to bring a lump in my throat. Not because it is sad but because it is such an innocent speech (delivered superbly by Stewart).

To me, Harvey has a hidden message to the audience,

"Elwood P. Dowd does not see life as it is, but life as it should be!!

Shoudn't we all see life like this?"