“THAT’S THE GLORY OF LOVE”

By Raymond Benson

“You’ve got to live a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little—that’s the story of, that’s the glory of love.”

The popular opening song by Billy Hill and sung by Jacqueline Fontaine, “The Glory of Love,” sets the tone for this classic, delightful motion picture that addressed a social issue at the time that we take for granted today—interracial marriage. Hey, in 1967, this was a hot topic. The Supreme Court had decided the Loving vs. Virginia case, which prohibited states from criminalizing interracial marriage, only six months prior to the film’s release (and that legal battle is dramatized in the film Loving, currently in cinemas). Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was indeed timely, certainly controversial in more conservative areas of the country, and a powerful statement about tolerance and the rights of American citizens.

The comedy/drama was a hit and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director (Kramer), Actor (Spencer Tracy), Actress (Katharine Hepburn), Supporting Actor (Cecil Kellaway), and Supporting Actress (Beah Richards). It won only two—Hepburn took home the prize, and William Rose was honored for his intelligent and warm Original Screenplay.

Stanley Kramer produced many “important” pictures before taking up the directing chores himself in the late 50s, and he often tackled difficult social issues—racial issues in The Defiant Ones (1958), nuclear war in On the Beach (1959), the teaching of evolution in schools in Inherit the Wind (1960), and the Holocaust in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). He seems to have been just the man for the job, as this new 50th Anniversary Blu-ray release emphasizes—there are three separate supplements on the disk about Kramer himself, plus an appearance by his widow Karen in an introduction to the film, as well as his presence in two more featurettes about the making of the picture.

For anyone who’s never seen this wonderful movie, it concerns an upper class liberal couple (Tracy and Hepburn) whose daughter (Katharine Houghton, who happens to be Hepburn’s real-life niece) has surprised them with her engagement to a black doctor (Sidney Poitier). Suddenly, the parents’ liberal attitudes are challenged and they’re not so sure this is a good idea. Complicating the matter, the daughter has invited her fiancé’s parents (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards) to join them for dinner to “meet the in-laws.” A cordial white priest (Kellaway) and a feisty black housekeeper (Isabel Sanford) add to the crisis of musical chairs. It’s a talky film that takes place mostly indoors in the family’s home—it would have made a terrific stage play—but Kramer’s deft hand at directing keeps everything fresh. This is a film about the writing and the acting, and everyone is terrific.

The only mild criticism I would have—and it echoes that of many critics at the time—is that Poitier’s character is too perfect. Apparently Kramer and the screenwriter did that on purpose so there would be no way anyone, that is, anyone white, could object to him. After all, Kramer had no idea what kind of backlash the film would receive upon release.

Tracy was extremely ill during the filming; in fact, he couldn’t be insured. Hepburn and Kramer had to guarantee their salaries as collateral to get the film made. Tracy died about two weeks after the production wrapped. It’s one of his greatest performances. His final speech at the end of the movie to the rest of the cast concerning his “decision” about the marriage is sure to well up any viewer’s eyes. Poitier is very good as well—1967 was his year, as the actor had also appeared in To Sir, With Love and In the Heat of the Night along with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Hepburn steals the film, though, if that is possible opposite Tracy and Poitier. Her eyes maintain that fine line between almost-crying and bawling throughout the picture. It’s a magnificent performance.

The Sony Blu-ray (to be released February 7) looks splendid in its 1080p High Definition glory with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It comes in a deluxe digibook with plenty of photos and an essay by Gil Robertson. The problem with the disk itself is that there are no new supplements—they’re all ported over from the 40th Anniversary DVD... but if you’ve never seen them, they’re all quite well done. You have a choice of four different introductions to the film—the previously mentioned one with Karen Kramer, and others each by Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, and Tom Brokaw. Along with the featurettes about the film and Stanley Kramer, you get a gallery of photos and the theatrical trailer.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a milestone from the late 1960s—a relic of a turbulent time in America’s history, but also an often funny—and gently principled—entertainment. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON