My Man Godfrey (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

You know you’re in for something special when you see the opening credits for MMG. The camera pans across a stylized city skyline where the cast and crew names are lit up in neon, and the further right the camera pans the more trash you see at the bottom of the screen until it settles on a still shot of a hobo camp in a dump at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then the still comes to life! This is pretty unique for 1936, and the cinematography throughout the rest of the film stays just as innovative and fresh.The story begins with the hobo Godfrey (William Powell) warming himself by a fire in that dump. He is interrupted by the wealthy Bullock sisters, Irene (Carole Lombard) and Cornelia (Gail Patrick). They are on a scavenger hunt for socialites and they need to collect a “forgotten” man as one of the items on the list. Snotty Cornelia offers Godfrey $5.00 to come back to the event with her. Godfrey takes offense and pushes her into an ash pile. Godfrey can see that her dizzy sister Irene is much more innocent and well meaning and agrees to go back with her, so she can beat her sister Cornelia in the hunt.The event is total chaos with people bringing in goats, vegetable carts, goldfish, etc … but Irene wins the event with Godfrey’s help. She is so thrilled with beating Cornelia that she offers Godfrey a job as the family butler. It seems that they can’t keep one around because the family is so difficult to handle.Godfrey shows up the next morning, clean shaven and dressed in a butler’s uniform. The maid / cook Molly (the fabulous Jean Dixon) shows him the morning routine and doesn’t expect him to last. She just assumes that after he sees how demanding and insane the Bullocks are that he’ll want to leave. Mrs. Bullock (Alice Brady) is a scatterbrained society woman, Mr. Bullock (Eugene Pallette) is a gruff businessman with money woes, Irene is a lovestruck and impulsive teenager, Cornelia is a cold-hearted, demanding, spoiled, smug Y-K-W. You’ll hate her. Trust me.Godfrey isn’t scared off; he sticks around and becomes the best thing that’s ever happened to this family. But Godfrey is such a good butler because he has a secret in his past.This movie is just about perfect in every way. The cast is brilliant, and they all work so well together. The editing is just about as fresh and innovative as the cinematography. The story is wonderful. It’s funny and poignant. And the message at the end still holds true today.This is one of those films that I’d recommend to someone who hasn’t any interest in “old movies.” It just may change a few minds if given a chance.

William Powell is one of my favorite actors. This movie is funny with only a bit of propaganda for the time.Most of the actors in the movie were nominated for awards for this movie on talent not for whatever they are these days. If you want to watch a clean humorous movie [Though Amazon list smoking as drugs] this is one most should see once if not more just for the historical value.

This movie is a favorite of mine and the Criterion version transfer is great as are the special features. William Powell is one of my favorite actors and the film’s social commentary about the disconnect between the haves and the have nots during the Great Depression is one reason I show some of the film to my classes (I’m a history teacher). But I also like watching them go from rolling their eyes for me showing them an old 1930s film to their intense interest in the film and appreciation for a type of comedy that is much rarer and different from what they’re used to today. They always want to see the rest and many look for it on streaming to see how it ends. A film I highly recommend.

This movie is one of the greats!

When I first saw this movie on DVD many years ago it made an impression on me as ranking among the best screwball comedies I had ever seen. This statement against class distinctions addressing the "forgotten man" is still relevant today where too many societies are seeing the greater and greater gaps between the haves and the have nots and the prejudices that come out of this as if the problem lies in the individuals themselves. I recall wondering at the time why this brilliant film wasn't remembered or held in greater esteem as the other "classics" which I felt and still feel are not as good e.g. Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, and especially It Happened One Night which is highly overrated in my view.This Criterion release does great justice to the film as it is a great improvement over the old dvd version that I had with very good picture and sound quality plus good special feature documentaries. Also included is a foldout containing an essay by Farran Smith Nehme.Watching this makes me believe even more the old adage: history never repeats itself but it rhymes as class divisions sadly tend to reappear in various forms over the decades and this depression-era version certainly rhymes today.Very, very highly recommended and deserving of a place in any film buff's video library!

My Man Godfrey is one of those movies we've bought in format after format, from VHS all the way (thanks to Criterion) up to blu-ray. In typical fashion, Criterion has produced a top-notch 4K video conversion paired with a crisp (albeit mono) soundtrack. The addition of a few outtakes (where have these been all these years?) is not only delightful, but the difference in video quality from the main feature shows just how much work Criterion did in getting this ready. Recommended.

If you are into old comedy movies you will love this movie. One of my favorite older movies of any genre. William Powell and Carole Lombard are excellent together. The supporting cast could not be better.

"My Man Godfrey" is an excellent early screwball comedy movie from 1936, with sterling performances by William Powell and Carole Lombard. Versions on DVD have been relatively mediocre at best, and even the streaming versions have been derived from less than high quality film. The Criterion Blu-Ray issued in 2018 when viewed appears to be a brand new movie, with a virtually perfect picture and a good (mono) soundtrack. Even the subtitles have been improved. There are many extras included on the Blu-Ray disc as well. If you are a fan of this movie, or if you like Hollywood's screwball comedies from the 30's and 40's, the Blu-Ray version of "My Man Godfrey" is an absolute must-have, well worth the price differential from the DVD version. Very highly recommended!

With an excellent cast (four were nominated for Academy Awards), especially formerly married but still friends Carole Lombard and William Powell, this is a highly enjoyable, well written film. It starts with a scavenger hunt, and one of the things finding a forgotten man. The younger sister (Carole Lombard) charms a man (William Powell) living in a dump site by the river. Across from the swanky hotel where the scavenger hunt began. The sister invites the man to be the family's butler, his predecessor quit as did many before him, because the family is spoiled and just a bit crazy.The movie successfully avoids the way over the top excess of some screwball comedies (for example, Bringing Up Baby) to remain grounded enough, but still very funny with some thoughts on poverty and employment that resonate today.The Criterion transfer is sharp and beautiful as it often is. I highly recommend this movie.

William Powell was one of Hollywood's nice guys and a very good actor too. This Criterion remaster is superb, and a huge improvement on my old version.Alas we don't and probably cant make films like this now; actors like Powell and his recent ex Carole Lombard, shone together, and shows his class as he put her up for the part.Superb film and a must have in this form

A great movie of a bygone era.

Older movie which was probably great in it's day.

Movie is exellent. Picture is good on blu ray and sound is wery good.