Movie

Ball of Fire

1941 · 111 min

A charming, fast-talking screwball comedy that contrasts stuffy academia with lively street smarts, full of witty banter and warm romance.

Directed by: Howard Hawks
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Crime
Starring: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka

Tagline: “I LOVE HIM because he doesn't know how to kiss—THE JERK!”
Overview: A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.

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Directed by: Howard Hawks
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Crime
Starring: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
romanticstrength 2 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: love
identity
found family
class
crime
Places: big city
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	0
Humour	8
Realism	6
Romance	7
Tension	3
Darkness	2
Complexity	4
Emotional weight	4

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: comedy, romance, crime
Directed by: Howard Hawks
Written by: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks
Starring: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Leonid Kinskey, Richard Haydn
Music: Alfred Newman
Cinematography: Gregg Toland
Runtime: 111 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

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Ball of Fire

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