Tracy & Hepburn: The Signature Collection (Pat and Mike / Adam's Rib / Woman of the Year / The Spencer Tracy Legacy)

It goes without saying that Katharine Hepburn is probably the greatest actress that graced the screen. At least, in my opinion she is.Spencer Tracy was also a brilliant actor. Without doubt one of the best in history also.Any fan of one or the other, is most likely a fan of them both, as their 9 terrific films together provide is with one of the greatest Hollywood duos of all time, and truly an affair to remember.This collection, containing three of their finest films, is a very good buy.First off, Woman Of The Year, their first film together. Director George Stevens (who had directed Hepburn earlier in Alice Adams), does a masterful job, as do writers Ring Lardner, Jr. and Michael Kanin (from whom Hepburn got the script and went to Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, and demanded Tracy as her leading man, and Stevens as her director. She had tried and failed to get Tracy once for The Philadelphia Story, having always been a fan, but succeeded in her second attempt...lucky us). The finished film is a perfect balance: beautiful dramatic edge, in parts- highly amusing, and also one of the most moving romances I've seen. It never gets sappy. Its real. And totally unique. The tale of a sports writer, Sam Craig (Tracy) and political columnist, Tess Harding (Hepburn) at the same paper who in their respective columns rag on each other, but soon meet and become rather smitten. They marry, but married life doesn't really bring quite the happiness they thought it would, as certain party's don't put marriage before career...Adam's Rib. The duos sixth film together, another great film. Similarly to Woman of The Year, this film has perfect blend of drama, comedy and romance. Tracy and Hepburn play married lawyers. Adam Bonner (Tracy), the district attorney is assigned the case of prosecuting a woman, Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) who tried to shoot her husband when she found out he was having an affair. The issues involved with the case is something his wife, Amanda (Hepburn) feels very strongly about, and she chases the case herself, defending Attinger in court. As the trial gains momentum, the Bonner's bring the court tension home, and the husband and wife antics into court, as the battle for equal rights between men and women rages.Truly a fine piece of work, George Cukor (one of the great Hollywood directors with many a classic to his name, that is often sadly over looked) has a divine knack for making first class romantic comedies, see for example, earlier work with Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story. Added to the craft of Cukor, a fine script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, this film ends up a true classic.Pat & Mike, one of Hepburn & Tracy's most popular films, it makes fine use of Hepburn's talents in other areas: sport. Tennis: she held her own. Golf: played a good game.Tracy plays Mike Conovan, a smooth talking sports promoter, who believes Pat Pemberton (Hepburn) has huge potential as an all 'round athlete. Signing her, he takes her to pro golf and tennis tournaments, and Pemberton fares well, until her condescending, patronizing fiancé is present. Mike has to try and rid Pat of the nervousness of her fiancé's presence in order to succeed in play, but that becomes hard when some shady racketeers -who own a portion of Pat's contract- bargain with Mike to have her "throw" a tournament, to insure a gambling payout. The romance never outshone the comedy in this one, and the direction of Cukor again brings some very well done scenes on a tennis court, and all around fun filled Hepburn/Tracy pairing.Also included in the collection is a documentary by Hepburn on Tracy - the Spencer Tracy Legacy, which pays tribute to Tracy's many great performances, and features interviews with many who worked with and knew him.A must for fans of Tracy, Hepburn, or both, the films are classics, and documentary an insightful bonus.It would be nice to have signature collections for Tracy and Hepburn separately, as well as a Volume Two of them as a duo.

I like how entertaining these moves were. I received USA Regional set of DVD and not European Region. All DVD work well. Order was received within 1 week of placing order. Everything went well with this order. These movie's were made in the 1940's and 1950s but my family truly enjoyed them.

Fun collection. Arrived in very good condition.

An excellent collection and if it weren't for the insert holder being broken it would be the perfect package.If you can't, like me, get or afford TCM, this makes these classics viewable any time you need to see them...and in this pandemic it's nice to have even more reason to stay inside and watch a GOOD movie.I watch them while I exercise on my stationary bike, and it's WAY better than CNN.

Before you purchase this four-DVD set you need to make at least two decisions. One: Do you want to see every movie in which Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn starred? If so, this won't do: you have only three. Two: Do you want pristine video and audio? If so, this set will disappoint you. The video is cluttered with dust, specks, scratches, and the old two-circle flashes that signaled reel changes every ten minutes. Don't misunderstand: the video is not awful, but it hasn't been remastered with polish.If you can clear those hurdles, what this set does offer—at a reasonable price if you search for it—are perhaps the three finest MGM movies that teamed Tracy and Hepburn: "Woman of the Year" (1942; directed by George Stevens from a script by Ring Lardner, Jr., and Michael Kanin), "Adam's Rib" (1949; directed by George Kukor; script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin), and "Pat and Mike" (1952; directed by Cukor; scripted by Gordon and Kanin). The fourth DVD in this set is a fifty-minute tribute to Tracy's career, narrated by Hepburn. What the latter lacks in picture quality is compensated by her honest sentiment.All three pictures were popular and critical hits, deservedly so. "Woman of the Year" carries as much drama as it does humor. "Adam's Rib" is flat-out comedy with a breakthrough performance by Judy Holliday, a decade before "Born Yesterday." "Pat and Mike" varies the combination of "Woman of the Year": two protagonists from different worlds, transposed from the earlier film's newspaper setting to that of sports, peppered with Damon Runyonesque characters played by a fine cast of supporting players. The playing field is level in "Adam's Rib": the stars play married lawyers who meet each other on the field of courtroom battle, one for the prosecution and the other for the defense.The chemistry between Hepburn and Tracy bubbles off the screen. One of the biggest stars of his era, Tracy, always the underplayer, cheerfully allowed himself to be upstaged by Hepburn in a series of extraordinarily feminist performances before the adjective was coined, or at least popular. These are enduring movie classics, with scripts and performances that repay repeated viewings for their joie de vivre.

If you are a Tracy/Hepburn Fan this collection is a must have, it has Pat and Mike in it (their first film together) as well as "Women of the Year and Adam's rib. It also includes a tribune to Tracy which was good. It doesn't have the last film they made "Guess who's coming to dinner" for which Hepburn won best actress, was nominated for ten awards and the sad fact that Tracy died ten days after finishing the film. His health at the time was so poor they could only do morning filming as Tracy couldn't do more. They are, as always, great together her niece was in it and adding Poitier was great and do wish it was in there. Other then that it is a great collection to have as they are ageless and fresh

a true couple -- some of their better pictures left out

My best friend is a HUGE Katherine Hepburn fan, so this is perfect for her for Christmas. Boxed set arrived in perfect condition, shipping and delivery was quick. I would definitely purchase from this seller in the future.

On devrait être prévenus qu'il n'y a pas de sous-titres en français, seulement en anglais.

I ordered Spencer Tracy & Kathryn Hepburn three Amazon Australia so it would have a code 4 so i could show my friends but it came from the USA waste of time

Il cofanetto presenta 4 dei più celebri film interpretati dalla coppia Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn, 4 dvd in due amaray (edizione Warner Bros, Regione 2):- La costola di Adamo (Adam's Rib) capolavoro di George Cukor, presenta audio inglese, francese e italiano, con sottotitoli in inglese francese italiano tedesco arabo e rumeno;- Lui e Lei (Pat & Mike) ha audio e sottotitoli solo in inglese;- La donna dell'anno (Woman of the Year), altro capolavoro della commedia brillante diretto da George Stevens, ha audio in inglese francese e italiano, con altrettanti sottotitoli;- Prigioniera di un segreto (Keeper of the flame), con audio e sottotitoli solo in inglese.Molto bella ed elegante la confezione, sono contento dell'acquisto.

Besides watching a three films by a great pair of bookends although they were together, always together on film if not in real life, they were very different as people, in their personalities and attitudes, even values and approach to art. That makes them a great duo for a film, in no way in any film due they ever create any harmony on screen at least not in these films especially Pat and Mike/Afam's Rib, that was always part of the duo even though they made many films, Spencer depended on these films to raise his image as a box office star, alone his films never fared that well, except the 60's film It's a mad mad mad mad world(1963)..a long enjoyable film where he was quite ill, during production, but it was a film he wanted to make..after turning down so many offers for good films, this Kubrick production where the actor playing a detective on a search..runs into every comic in hollywood..a film that everyone wanted to be in..it was the in thing..Jerry lewis was not invited showed up..theres never been a film like it...quite popular and charmingly irreverent, a push in a different direction perhaps why he choose to appear in it with farcical entertainers..I mention this film since it was a big box office smash..like the hepburn tracy films and its curious to reflect back, whether the popularity of this pairing was why he so often returned to the formula. FORMULA?..many of the films are quite good...the 30's to the early 50's was a time period when actors, for the main part, werent as good as they are now, Alan Ladd, Clark Gable, when they came to hollywood were not known as acting talents, many others, shared their need to learn to hone their craft..many of the females were better as actresses, but today..except for Tracy..in general to call these film workers actors is quite different from modern actors I dont know whether you want to say people are better actors today..the rough edges of personality are chiselled away..they try to take away the image..more into the role..Tom Cruise has a spontaneity and fun in acting..he enjoys beigon the screen has fun, very often as spencer tracy all this is chisselled away in role..the character personality and image is gone..the role shines through..thats spencer tracy..Katherine Hepburn and spencer and their images are played with especially in Adam's Rib one of the great comedies of its era..here the popular image of the two actors are played with feminist..and male lawyer who transcends genders..an image of the real Spencer..in the popular press..one that irked the real katherine..sometimes its curious to watch her in this role the feelings are to close to home, in the scenes, compare it later to the documentary on spence's legacy,whee she reflects back, on the greatness of his acting, who knew him more than she does if in this film from a distance, never from an intimate sympathetic vein, always wanting to change him, the screenwriter's have fun, here you get to watch Judy Holliday, the film almost has a biographic nature to it. Pat and Mike another popular drama in a comedic vein, where Spencer plays a gangster, with light touches, a transition from the gangsters usually portrayed at Warner's you can sense the change in this studio, and the actor who plays the part. Is it more true to form to what a mob man usually is than the grimacing, expletive prone degenerate we too often see, the professional criminal, joking, having fun, irritating, playing people off each other in a more sublime, effective way? A change in the gangster role as he has a piece of the action on Kate?..the scene where Katherine rescues spencer from an onslaught of attackers..never comes off well and the audience behind seems campy..we dont know what the actor made of this scene? Woman of the year..a romance pure and simple..and here they are more in harmony bridge their gaps..like teeth pushed together..forced and at times not so comfortable..the documentary is a bonus...here one star gets to comment on another..after the others demise? There is a wistfullness in her remembrance, his stature as a star the PURENESS, trying to be more of an entertainer, with simplicity and ease, effortless, his acting never seems forced, put over in a strenuous way, in a word easy to take..there is a part in the bonus when he is taking to frank sinatra..he has condescending way about him in the conversation, as in having fun, just step on the x..say your lines as in a conversation as talk..about acting, talkin gabout himself..or the other actor in this case frank..frank has learned by this time..he too is honin ghis craft..and agreed to allow spencer to put his name on top in the film a reason he did not film the Desperate Hours, supposedly, but Sinatra finds conversation..trying to ease into a conversation..the EASE..i congratulate frank sinatra for seeing the gap..the X seeing the ease..and success of other actors..the old curmudgeon is having fun..on the bonus you will hear kate talk of her atheism..kate sees an approach to purity in his art..role playing someone always playing a role..acting a part..losin ghimself in some masque..as in the middle ages..but where was the real spencer wandering around at night never wanting to sleep..alone..maybe she read the biography the TRAGIC IDOL..good book..which languishes on his insomnia..his quirk religious personality..he appears a modern actor in many ways..smooth, polished , professional..as opposed to the males in the 30's and 40's..more personally driven,..at a time when acting was..thats another topic..kates view on spence tossing and turning, pulling covers, whining and complaining, criticising why she couldnt measure up..MEASURE FOR MEASURE..thats her view..they are both gone..its good that we equally value the two of them in this fine colllection of films...

I guess if you're young you've never heard of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. So buy this box set and give them a go. But there are certain conditions. You'll have to do without your usual dose of American sentimental sludge. You'll need to be reasonably intelligent. You'll have to get used to a film moving at a sensible pace. There will be no explosions and arms blown off. You'll need to familiarise yourself with Americans who can act.These were movies made when Hollywood turned out some great movies among the dross, rather than unwatchable movies among the awful. Don't get me wrong. The Americans have made some fantastic films for children. It's just unfortunate that they were intended for adults. 'No, no, no!' you cry. 'What about FORREST GUMP?' Well, there are exceptions to every rule.The key to Tracey/Hepburn movies is the amazing chemistry between them and the perfection of their on screen relationship. It's born of course of intimate friendship and great love - which oddly rarely transfers itself to screen but in their case produced something quite extraordinary. Total understanding of each other's characters and how they relate, brilliant quickfire reactions, fabulous little comic techniques, superb moments of truth, completely believable effortless performances and great comedy - you can never spot them 'acting'. And all this in the days when many actors were either stiff as pokers or rattled their lines off like toddlers on jellytots.PAT AND MIKE is my favourite. Hepburn is stunning in it. And in some ways it's a film like no other. But Tracey and Hepburn were never poor in any film - and they got lumbered with some stinkers. The films they made together were movie gems. And you have a bunch of them here for silly money. It was a sublime acting partnership, a friendship made in heaven.