Kitty is a riff on the Pygmalion story, but it's so brilliantly done, with such a cracklingly witty script, that I fell for it and fell hard. Paulette Goddard is fabulous in this, and Ray Milland is, of course, delightful. The supporting cast is excellent too, especially Constance Collier and Cecil Kellaway. There are some absolutely hilarious moments in this script, and the gowns and the hair and makeup are superb. Kitty was nominated for production design, but this was two years before the costume design category was created. This is a sumptuously made movie and it's gorgeously designed - Mitchell Leisen was, in fact, a designer before he was a director. But the direction is also brilliant. Leisen has this relaxed, casual way in his films that seems to defy the morality of the day with a beautiful ease. Kitty is really a spectacular - and spectacularly underrated – film, but I'm certainly glad we are all beginning to reassess Leisen's wonderful career.
I watched this as part of a series of Leisen films on the Criterion Channel. I've only seen a few, but I'm a new admirer.
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