Posted on 12/04/2009 5:46:07 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Stewart plays to empty space for practially the whole of it, in fact he insisted that the scenes were wide enough to encompass what would have been the rabbit. The original idea was to shoot him alone.
‘If Hollywood is that talented, come up with something new...’
You answer your own question.
Spielberg should keep his filthy hands off that movie.
Got research for an historical movie. Freepers would love it. It's about citizenship, bravery, and it's true.
And played UP to a nine-foot rabbit - wasn’t he 6’4’ or something himself? I love that movie.
“In this world, you must be oh so clever or oh so pleasant. I’ve tried clever. I recommend pleasant.”
Yes he was. A tall man. And one we should all admire.
The line actually was, Oh so SMART or oh so clever. I actually remembered it as being, Oh so SERIOUS, or oh so clever. I have it on DVD, so I’ll have to check it out.
Another poster said Harvey was 9 feet tall. He was actually 6’2”, not including his Ears of course. The fact that Stewart’s Character looked up when talking to Harvey was just for effect.
You never actually saw Harvey in the movie. An advertising poster showed the shadow of Harvey through the opaque window of an office door, but it was not in the Movie.
I just watched The Wizard of Oz with my grandson last week. It was probably my 20th viewing over the years. There is no way to improve upon that movie.
It's a good story well told, the writing was clever, the music, lyrics, and singing were top notch, the acting superb, cinematography was beautiful, the directing and editing were tight (not a dull or unnecessary moment), the sets and wardrobes, holy cow!
Those monkeys still scare me.
Last wk I saw a stage version of Harvey in nearby Santa Paula CA,and the actor did a surprisingly good job as Dowd. It’s a family memory that my parents saw Stewart in the role on Broadway in the late 1940’s. Thank goodness his performance was filmed so we could enjoy it years later.
Having said that, it’s wonderful to hear that the remake (ugh) is cancelled.
Harvey isn't on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 American movies of all time, and perhaps doesn't deserve to be, but it does some very good parts.
Here you go. It’s ‘smart or pleasant’. I love Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzOIhLJ1C-Y&NR=1
I stand corrected.
Harvey was only 6’ tall according to Mr. Dowd.
Still one of my favorite Movies.
Actually I was agreeing with you.
Harvey is amusing and Stewart is as always pleasant, but it's not really a classic. More of a quirky film and obscure cultural reference.
I've noticed that the writing in older films was often very sly and witty. Modern day movie makers treat their audience as if they were writing for young children. Just as they leave nothing to the imagination with gratuitous sex, violence and nudity, they leave nothing for the mind to catch and delight in. It's all so rude and crude.
I’m thinking Tim Allen. Although the subtle work of Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura would put him high on the list.
A few thoughts about Harvey:
First, I’m not sure Harvey could be made today, even with an appropriate actor. Aside from the fact that, as others have pointed out, there’s no way they’d make it as the simple stage play it was, the movie was set in a time when there was an expectation of sanity and conformity. Back then, a person claiming to have an invisible 6’ 8 1/2” rabbit for a friend might send people running from the house. Today, they’d shrug.
The character Veta was almost as interesting as Elwood. Both of them saw the rabbit. Veta believed in Harvey, but wanted him to go away. When I talk to people about the movie, many miss that point. IIRC, Stewart said Harvey was 6’ 8 1/2”, as he was 6’ 4” and had to look up to him. Harvey was a pooka, which is a character from Irish folklore. A pooka was a shape shifter who appeared to people.
What about Christopher Walken? I think he could do it. It has that weird persona already down.
“Joe Pesci.”
“Do I amuse you?” Yeah, that’d work. Everybody else would see the rabbit even if they didn’t really see the rabbit.
Don’t forget the painting.
Pesci shouldn’t have retired.
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