Harvey (1950)
Genre:
Family / Fantasy / Comedy (more)
Tagline: The Wonderful Pulitzer Prize Play... becomes one of the Great Motion Pictures of our Time!
Plot Outline: Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a mild-mannered, pleasant man, who just happens (he says) to have an invisible friend resembling a 6-foot rabbit. (more) (view trailer)
User Comments:
A true classic which will last forever
(more)
User Rating:
 
8.1/10 (9,692 votes)
top 250: #163
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) / Finland:S / Sweden:15 / UK:U / USA:Approved (certificate #14694) / Germany:12
Trivia:
Josephine Hull first performed her role in the Broadway version of Harvey.
(more)
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the daytime scenes at Chumley's Rest shadows are seen of the actors and props that clearly go against the dominant natural light.
(more)
Quotes:
Elwood P. Dowd:
I'd just helped Ed Hickey into a taxi. Ed had been mixing his drinks, and I felt he needed conveying. I started to walk down the street when I heard a voice saying: 'Good evening, Mr. Dowd'. I turned, and there was this big white rabbit leaning against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that! Because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name.
(more)
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
(more)
|
|
User Comments:
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful:-
A true classic which will last forever, 18 October 2000
Author:
Kevin Birch ([email protected]) from Nottingham, England
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?"
Check for other user comments. - I have seen this movie and would like to comment on it
Message Boards Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Harvey (1950)
Recommendations If you like this title, we also recommend... Harvey (1972) (TV) Show more recommendations
Add a recommendation
Email this page to a friend 
Update Information
|
company.�
Advertise on IMDb.�
License our content.
