His Girl Friday story
His Girl Friday is a 1940 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper editor named Walter Burns who is about to lose his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson, newly engaged to another man. Burns suggests they cover one more story together, getting themselves entangled in the case of murderer Earl Williams as Burns desperately tries to win back his wife. The screenplay was adapted from the play The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. This was the second time the play had been adapted for the screen, the first occasion being the 1931 film also called The Front Page.
12 total · 4 choice · 4 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| choosing between lovers | choice | Hildy between Walter and Bruce |
| honest character vs. deceitful character | choice | Bruce by contrast to Walter |
| love triangle | choice | Walter, Hildy, and Bruce |
| love vs. career | choice | Hildy chose marriage and left her career, Walter had lost a marriage because he choose his job |
| capital punishment | major | An innocent man about to be executed for murder. |
| engaged couple | major | Hildy and Bruce |
| facing one's own execution | major | Earl Williams was about to be hanged |
| journalism | major | The story centered on a bunch of journalists and their work. Hildy was a passionate journalist trying to tear herself away from the profession but being pulled back. |
| divorce | minor | Walter described how he and Hildy came to divorce |
| electioneering in society | minor | There was talk about how an upcoming election might be manipulated. |