Cary Grant: A Class Apart (2004)
**** (out of 4)
Terrific, well-detailed documentary taking a look at the life and career of Cary Grant. The film talks about the early dark spot in his life that would haunt him and that's when his mother walked out on him as a child. We hear how Grant began acting, striking out in Hollywood at first and then the amazing career that would follow. Throughout the documentary we get interviews with the likes of Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Landau, Barbara Grant (his final wife), Roderick Mann (friend), Betsy Drake (his 3rd wife), Eva Marie Saint, Elvis Mitchell, Mel Shavelson and Ernest Lehman. We also get archival interviews with Ralph Bellamy, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, George Kennedy and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. Fans of Grant are really going to enjoy this documentary because just about every aspect of his life is covered. We get to hear and see why he became such a huge movie star but the documentary doesn't shy away from his personal life, which contained a few demons that would haunt the actor. There's discussion of his failed marriages, his affair with Sophia Loren and the controversial friendship with Randolph Scott. The documentary really does give you a great idea of what Grant was like, his beliefs and what really made him tick. One really comes away from the film feeling as if you understand Grant and especially when it came time for him to walk away from acting because he felt he was too old to be a leading man. He was still popular as an older leading man and hearing his thoughts on why it was best to walk away was certainly interesting. With great film clips, wonderful interviews and even a few comments from Grant, this is a wonderful documentary that covers just about every aspect of his life.