Bringing Up Baby
Making lists is an activity moviegoers are fond of. Every year, the same ritual: compilation of the ten best films, with comparative analyses, debates, heated discussions. But what about the ultimate list of the most outstanding films in the history of cinema? That is to say, those films that must be seen, those that have forever transformed the art of cinema, but also our way of seeing a culture, of understanding the world as well as our own lives? This program aims to tackle this challenge with nearly eighty films, produced between 1916 and 1960, while waiting for your lists!
To win the love of a shy zoology professor, a rich heiress employs the most outlandish means.
Howard Hawks
Born into a family of industrialists, Howard Hawks made his debut in Hollywood as a prop boy following a chance meeting with Victor Fleming during a car race. After a stint as a US Air Force instructor during World War I, he returned to cinema as soon as he could. Working first as a screenwriter, he transitioned to directing in the mid-1920s. He successfully navigated the shift from silent films to talkies, notably with detective movies and aviation stories that drew on his own experience. From the 1930s to the 1960s, Hawks mastered classic Hollywood genres to deliver some of their most iconic masterpieces. Among his most popular films are Scarface (1932), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and Rio Bravo (1959). His frequent portrayals of strong, tough-talking female characters came to define what is known as the "Hawksian woman".
