Found Arguments: High Society vs. Philadelphia Story

I was reading a blog the other day about the film High Society (1956), starring Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. There was a discussion going on about how that film compares to the original, Philadelphia Story (1940), starring Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn, and which one is considered to be better. Having seen both of them and not really formed a position up to this point, it was intriguing to read the opinions posted on the forum. Here are some quick notes about each one:

1. Philadelphia Story:
- Better chemistry between the main characters
- More laughs
- Hepburn played a better “Tracy Lord”
2. High Society
- Better song arrangements
- Better musical talent i.e. Frank and Bing
As you can see, most of the folks preferred Philadelphia story over the remake, High Society. I think it’s pretty clear that the stereotype “remakes are never better than the original” holds true to this comparison. It seems the chemistry between the characters was one of the main differences that we saw between the two films. Personally, however, I prefer High Society over Philadelphia Story, despite the more popular opinion. I saw High Society first and fell in love with the characters and songs. Then after I watched the original, I determined that even though I love the actors, it just did not have the same feel as High Society. Plus, I suppose my bias also has to do with the fact that I have been an admirer or Grace Kelly since a very young age and have seen all of the films she had appeared in before she quit acting.