the lady eve
High Contrast Cinema bring another screwball classic to the big screen with The Lady Eve, starring Hollywood legends Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Released in 1941, the film was written and directed by Preston Sturges and follows Stanwyck’s savvy con artist as she sets her sights on Fonda’s timid heir to a vast fortune, the two crossing paths aboard an ocean liner sailing across the Atlantic.
What unfolds is one of Sturges’ finest comedies: a tangle of deception, romance and social satire, driven by Stanwyck’s razor‑sharp wit and Fonda’s endearing awkwardness. Often hailed as one of the prime examples of the screwball form, The Lady Eve is a sparkling showcase of Sturges’ genius for blending sophistication with slapstick, its charm and comic precision as irresistible now as it was on its first release
Barbara Stanwyck
Henry Fonda
Preston Sturges
Barbara Stanwyck
Born Ruby Catherine Stevens on July 16, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, Stanwyck had a troubled childhood before embarking on a career as a chorus girl at the age of sixteen. After becoming a Broadway star, she made her way to Hollywood in the late 1920s, where her remarkable versatility as an actress shone through.
Throughout her illustrious career, Stanwyck delivered outstanding performances in a diverse range of film genres, from melodramas to comedies to westerns, leaving an indelible mark with roles in acclaimed films such as Stella Dallas (1937), Meet John Doe (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944).
Her talent earned her four Academy Award nominations, and in 1982, she was honored with an Academy Award for her exceptional contributions to screen acting. Barbara Stanwyck's legacy includes 85 movies and numerous TV appearances, cementing her status as one of the most iconic figures in Hollywood history. She passed away on January 20, 1990.
Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda (1905-1982), born in Grand Island, Nebraska, was renowned for his compelling portrayals of strong, principled characters.
Fonda's early years were marked by his involvement in theatre, where he honed his craft and developed a reputation for authenticity. His breakthrough came with the Broadway production of The Farmer Takes a Wife (1934), which led to his Hollywood debut in an adaptation of the play in 1935.
He quickly established himself as a leading man in Hollywood and his long collaboration with director John Ford resulted in classics like The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and My Darling Clementine (1946).
Fonda's career spanned five decades, marked by critically acclaimed performances in 12 Angry Men (1957), Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) and On Golden Pond (1981), winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in what would be his final screen performance. His calm demeanour and everyman appeal made him a beloved figure in American cinema.
Off-screen, Fonda was known for his reserved, introspective nature. As the patriarch of the Fonda acting dynasty, his legacy endured through his children, Jane and Peter Fonda, and granddaughter Bridget, who all achieved significant success in their own right.
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges (1898–1959) was a groundbreaking American playwright, screenwriter, and director whose sharp wit and rapid‑fire dialogue helped define Hollywood comedy in the 1940s. Born Edmund Preston Biden in Chicago, he spent much of his childhood in Europe, exposed to art and eccentric personalities through his adventurous mother.
After World War I, Sturges drifted through inventions and business ventures—famously creating a 'kissproof' lipstick—before turning to playwriting. His Broadway success with Strictly Dishonorable led him to Hollywood, where he became one of the industry’s highest‑paid screenwriters.
Frustrated by lack of creative control, he sold The Great McGinty (1940) to Paramount for just $10 on the condition that he direct it. The gamble paid off: the film earned him the first Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and launched his run as Hollywood’s first major writer‑director.
Across The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan’s Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), and Hail the Conquering Hero, (1944) Sturges blended satire, slapstick, and social critique with unmatched verbal brilliance. Though his career dimmed in the late 1940s, his influence on American comedy remains profound.