Frank Borsage, Forgotten Director

Although Frank Borsage is a less well known director than some of his contemporaries, such as Alfred Hitchcock or George Cukor, he was exceptionally successful in the era spanning the end of the Silents and beginning of the Talkies.

The very first Oscar for Directing was won by Borsage in 1927 for his 'Seventh Heaven' starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, and he soon won a second Oscar for Direction for 'Bad Girl' in 1931.

Borsage developed his own unique, gushing and lovingly romantic style and his films often show young love triumphant over life's hardships. So in 'Seventh Heaven', for example, love triumphs over the problems of war, and in 'Lucky Star' in 1929 it triumphs over disability. The heightened romanticism of his work is intensified by his clever use of graceful, barely discernible, soft focus camerawork.

Frank Borsage biography and filmography.

Little Women (1933), A Katharine Hepburn Masterclass

Most of us are familiar with the novel "Little Women" by Louis May Allcott. It is a moving and entertaining account of the March family- the mother and four daughters-and their lives whilst the father is away on Civil War service. The story is timeless and heartwarming and recounts events in the life of each sister, with the emphasis on Jo, played by Katharine Hepburn, as they grow, and develop relationships with one another, friends and lovers.
 The 1933 adaptation was already the third time the novel had been depicted on screen after two Silent movies and it was to be filmed again in 1949 and 1994 but this version, the first Sound version is generally regarded as the definitive one.
Overall the movie is faithful to the novel and presents Katharine Hepburn with a splendid opportunity to shine, an opportunity of which she takes full advantage with a brilliant and unforgettable performance, full of verve, invention and vitality.
It is a movie not to be missed.
Read more of 'Little Women'
Read more of Katharine Hepburn
Read more of George Cukor