Christopher Strong

I knew what I was getting into when I watched Dorothy Arzner’s Christopher Strong, because I had read a fairly detailed plot description in a book about Arzner’s career, but nonetheless it’s a puzzling movie to watch. What attracted Arzner to this story? Arzner was a freelancer when she made it, so she had some choice in the matter: it was not simply foisted on her by the studio. Maybe she liked the idea of directing a film about a female aviator (Lady Cynthia Darrington, played by Katherine Hepburn) so much that it overcame any reservations she might have had about the story?

( It’s impossible to discuss this film without spoilers )

As I said, I’d read all about this movie before, so I knew what I was getting into. But knowing didn’t quite prepare me for actually experiencing it.