Self‐Reflection and Character Association with the film “Bringing Up Baby”

The 1938 Howard Hawks film, Bringing up Baby is a study in human relationships and the interaction between people. Oliver Lyttelton wrote this comment in his blog on the fundamental aspects of the film:

"Bringing Up Baby" (1938) Boy meets girl. Girl stalks boy in order to get him to look after her leopard. Girl falls in love with boy who's about to get married. Girl's dog steals dinosaur bone. Leopard runs away. Boy and girl sent to prison. Boy ends up in a dress. Boy falls in love with girl. Not exactly a Garry Marshall movie, as far as romantic comedies go, but so much the better. Howard Hawks' 1938 film neatly followed the template established by "It Happened One Night" in setting up a boy and a girl ‐‐ in this case soon‐to‐be‐wed paleontologist David (Cary Grant) and prototypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl heiress Susan (Katharine Hepburn) ‐‐ to bicker and flirt across a series of adventures before falling in love at the end. But the formula was never quite as perfect as it was here, in part because Hawks retained what's so often absent in romantic comedies today. Simply, "Bringing Up Baby" is one of the funniest films ever made, riding the outstanding chemistry between Grant and Hepburn, each arguably giving the performance of their careers, through a series of uproarious set pieces. But as funny as the film is, Grant and Hepburn's courtship feels genuinely hard won, and you don't question the way that Grant's defenses gradually come down. It's also unusually subversive, especially for the era ‐‐ Grant is increasingly feminized, even to the point of ending up in a dress ("Because I just went gay all of a sudden!"), while Hepburn was always one of the more masculine starlets, and it's her that's doing the pursuing.

Print out the Comprehensive Storyform from the Dramatica Website and highlight specific examples of character development, engagement and conflict that are of personal interest to you (or) scenes that you may relate to on a personal level.

http://dramatica.com/analysis/bringing‐up‐baby

Ask yourself this fundamental question….”Are you a “David” or a “Susan” type? The two personality types may be gleaned from the content of the “Storyform”, so you must read it carefully. Use specific examples from the “Storyform” analysis and draw comparisons between the examples cited in the film and your own current life experiences.

Create a 500 to 1000 word reflection on this comparison. Use full sentences and adhere to all the conventions of essay writing.