The Asheville Film Society will screen The Front Page on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.
![](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/THE-FRONT-PAGE2050-1100x684.jpg)
The Front Page
Movie Information
In Brief: Fresh from All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Lewis Milestone tackled the job of bringing Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's 1928 Broadway hit newspaper comedy The Front Page to the screen. Nothing could be more different. All Quiet had been naturally cinematic, but The Front Page was set mostly — in the play, completely — in the press room of the criminal courts building of Chicago. Adding some exteriors and a few other locations was hardly going to keep it from turning into a photographed play, but Milestone was a major stylist and an innovator, so he loaded the film with moving camera (sometimes oddly) and rapid cutting. There was nothing stage-bound about his film. In fact, as cinema it's more effective than its more famous remake, His Girl Friday (1940) — and it's also much ruder, because of its pre-code status. The story is the same — conniving, unscrupulous newspaper editor (Adolphe Menjou) trying to keep his star reporter (Pat O'Brien) from quitting by (among other things) getting him tangled up in an irresistible story about a condemned man (George E. Stone) about to be hanged as part of a politician's bid to win an election. For the first time in years, the film is available in a really solid transfer that makes it far more detailed and impressive. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke originally published on Sept. 15, 2015.
Score: | |
Genre: | Newspaper Comedy |
Director: | Lewis Milestone |
Starring: | Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien, Mary Brian, Edward Everett Horton, Walter Catlett, Mae Clarke |
Rated: | NR |
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.