5 and 8 June, 2022
Screening as part of our Cinemasters: Polly Platt season, co-curated with Invisible Women.
This delightful screwball comedy is a brilliant example of the vision and flair that Polly Platt brought to her collaborations with Peter Bogdanovich.
Barbra Streisand sparkles as a ditzy but dazzling college dropout who upends the orderly life of Ryan O’Neal’s uptight musicologist across a chaotic few days in a San Francisco hotel. An affectionate throwback to 1930s Hollywood, What’s Up, Doc? is a whirlwind of quick-fire gags, charming nostalgia and winning set pieces, including a bravura chase sequence.
Platt fought to become the first female member of the Art Directors Guild in order to be credited as a Production Designer on the film, but her true contribution stretched way beyond her job title. Platt was the driving force behind key creative decisions, including choosing the distinctive setting and arguing for a reversal of the central odd couple dynamic, in order to give Streisand the opportunity to shine as a comedic heroine. The result was a box office smash, and one of the best loved USA comedies of all time.