Powerful

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Best movie ever!

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

After patiently sitting through 1941's "Ball Of Fire" - I found that I could not believe that the likes of that total zero-charisma actor, Gary Cooper, was actually considered to be one of that era's top, male, Hollywood stars.In my opinion - This drab, stuffy doofus (with his unconvincing performance) almost single-handedly brought this potentially promising (but decidedly contrived) Rom/Com (that involved a gangster's ho with a heart of gold) down a few, good notches by his dreary presence.In fact - Upon watching "Ball Of Fire" - I've now made up my mind to avoid ever viewing another picture with the likes of this totally irksome lunkhead, Cooper, in it, ever-ever again.... Hey! I ain't kidding here.Put plain and simple - Gary Cooper was utterly awful. He had absolutely no appealing screen-presence, whatsoever - (Unless, of course, you happen to like watching a clueless jughead who barely appears to be able to remember his lines).I'll bet you that this pathetic-excuse-for-a-leading-man actually required cue-cards in order to get himself through his roles.... (Sheesh!)

BALL OF FIRE is one unassailable and enjoyable to watch comedy. Director Hawks surprised me with his moderation. Honestly I was expecting an explosion of "something", but I think that in this case made a real impact as well. Perhaps overly potentiation (sexual) attraction between opposite character (in this case professor and entertainer) and sudden marriage at first sight. Cute is a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Older professors are dwarfs, the youngest of them is prince, singer or entertainer is a princess and evil witch is ruthless gangster.Gary Cooper as Professor Bertram Potts was re-coiled and very intelligent. Some kind of genius. Maybe socially inept, but very gentle and honest character. Range humor is what adorns Cooper through this genre. Barbara Stanwyck as Katherine "Sugarpuss" O'Shea She found herself in a similar role as The Lady Eve. Again, a strong female character who is tough and feminine at the same time. She again plays on sexuality. Just to mention a scene in which her foot after she pulled the sock, ended in Cooper's arms.Ball of Fire is light and entertaining comedy. Maybe it does not belong to classics, but is certainly enjoyable to watch.

This is a movie about 40's slang. Gary Cooper is an English professor, one of group of eight professors charged with compiling an encyclopedia and has come to realize that his compilation of contemporary slang is incomplete. From their cloistered abode he decides to go out among the proletariat and see how they talk. He recruits several candidates to meet in his study, and his recruitment efforts stop at Barbara Stanwyck, a nightclub singer named Sugarpuss O'Shea."Ball Of Fire", though somewhat dated, is great fun and part of it is recognizing all the old-fashioned slang expressions included in the script - a sparkling masterpiece written by the team of Chas. Brackett and Billy Wilder, who together wrote a slew of them. There are many comic characters in the cast, among them Richard Hadyn, S.Z. Sakall, Leonid Kinsky and Allen Jenkins.As you might expect, Barbara Stanwyck is the dynamic force that makes the picture go. It revolves around her, and also around Gary Cooper, but, as has been noted, he was limited and not as accomplished an actor as she was. But the contrast between her sassy, world-wise floozy and Cooper's nerdy bookworm is what makes this picture one of the best and it is a bridge between 30's screwball comedy and the more premeditated, cerebral brand of 40's comedy , exemplified by Preston Sturges's films.

I had heard so much about Ball of Fire, with people saying how wonderful it was. After finally seeing it, I really have nothing other than to echo these sentiments. The film looks wonderful, the costumes and settings look lovely and the cinematography doesn't look at all dated. The music is jaunty with an endearing touch of romanticism, the story is an updated version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and a scintillating one it is too, Wilder's direction is spot-on and the screenplay is witty and hysterically funny. I loved the performances too, Gary Cooper is gawky and very lovable and Barbara Stanwyk is alluring with a genuine sense of comic timing. Henry Travers, Richard Haydn and Dana Andrews are wonderful in support. Oh and fans of Stanwyk will get a treat from her performance of Drum Boogie with percussion king Gene Krupa. Overall, a great movie if there ever was one. 10/10 Bethany Cox