User Reviews

This is a delightful film. Jimmy Stewart's Elwood is a timeless character. When we live in a world which is constantly looking forward or backwards, Elwood P Dowd is a character who reminds us how perfect our lives would be if could live in the now, enjoying the singular moment. It is Dowd's ideology as much as his "imaginary" friend that makes "Harvey" so captivating.

Of course, Elwood Dowd could be far less perfect than we imagine. The back story seems to imply he undertook some sort of personality shift seven years back (he says he took life seriously for thirty five years, he is now forty two as I recall). From the events he describes on his first encounter with "Harvey", his recalled dialogue infers this event was after his character transformation. Considering how his big sister, Veta seems to feel their mother should have warned her about Harvey when she moved in, it seems unlikely it was his mother's death that caused any sort of dramatic character alteration.

So Dowd's character - for some reason - shifted from normal to unique. His life now is simplistic yet to himself, very busy. He spends a lot of times hanging around in bars meeting people. To him, that's a vocation, and with life itself being such a rich tapestry of character and history, who is one to argue? His approach to each day is structured on much repetition. His dialogue and mannerisms are very uniform and repetitive. His approach to all people remains equal. Elwood does initially give the audience the impression of someone who has had suffered breakdown, as someone who probably isn't quite normal. But as the film reminds us, when "normal" is actually quite nasty and stressful, would those "normal" people see being so very nice as a mental deficiency? The film doesn't dwell on the question as to whether or not Dowd suffers from mental illness. It could be character just was hit by some amazing epiphany seven years earlier. Unlike more contemporary offerings, it's not interested in what makes us who we are; it is more interested in what we are at present.

While it's clear that Elwood was never always as simple and gracious as he is now. The film doesn't concern itself with any catalyst for this change; in fact, it seems to deliberately avoid talking about it. The beauty in "Harvey" is that Elwood is as much a fantasy character as the mischievous "imaginary" Pooka Harvey himself and in my opinion, just as fascinating.

The timeless character of Elwood is solidified by the play/films disinterest in creating a resolution for his identity, even if all the unhappy people attempt the contrary. I prefer to see the change in Elwood as being an epiphany rather than a breakdown. It just seems to suit his almost fairy tale perfection. He doesn't see the bad in others. All behaviour has its reasons and all actions can be dealt with positively. Even when confronted with selfish concerns, he sees the lighter side. While the film doesn't leave any doubt to whether Harvey exists or not, it does leave the audience to make up it's mind on Elwood. That to me is the beauty of this film. The actual fairy tale character is definitive, but Elwood isn't. Is he a drunk? Again, personally, I don't feel he is. He never shows any behaviour indicative to a drunk. He goes and has a drink when he meets people as part of a ritualistic pattern, but the alcohol never pertains importance to him beyond that. Again, if we take Elwood's almost fantasy built persona - something we would all want to aspire to - to be able to socially drink very regularly without dependence seems quite fitting. That's my opinion, but really it's up to you to decide.

So I think, deep down, we would all want to be Elwood Dowd. Not so much for the Pooka invisible friend, but simply because his existence shows us how life ought to be taken. This is of course, an impossibility given the responsibility of today's lifestyle. Life is too complicated for an existence firmly entrenched in the present and while we have to accept that we can't be like Elwood, it would be nice to think we can try.

For me Mary Chase's "Harvey" presents a dream existence made manifest, and that is very much thanks to Stewart's beautifully performed Elwood Dowd.

Elwood P. Dowd is a gentle, good-natured kind of fellow, whose best friend is a six-foot rabbit called Harvey whom nobody else can see. When his socially-aspiring sister Veta tries to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium, she is locked up by mistake, the mischievous Harvey drives the head shrink batty, and general confusion ensues.

This is a classic and much-beloved comedy favourite, with a fantastic premise and featuring one of several masterful performances by Stewart in his Ordinary Joe good guy persona. He manages to make Elwood warm and affable despite his somewhat infuriating character, and his easygoing faith in kindness and pleasant good nature is as appealing a philosophy as anyone ever offered, regardless of how screwy he is. His accomplishment glues the film together but he is ably supported by a good cast, who rattle through the machine-gun dialogue faster than seems possible. I really like the theme of this movie - that it's better to be pleasant and mad as a march hare than be cold-hearted and irredeemably sane - as typified by the line, "Well, I wrestled with reality for thirty-five years doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.". Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase. And remember, if you can't see the pooka, it's because you're taking life too seriously.

HARVEY is a delightfully whimsical comic fantasy about one man's relationship with a six foot high invisible rabbit named Harvey and its effect on the people in his life. I particularly enjoyed the way that the film inevitably tackles the hefty subject of mental illness in a way that's light hearted and funny, unlike the usual gloomy preachings surrounding the subject matter.

This film has a great script with a strong emphasis on characters both good and bad. One of the reasons that it's so well regarded is the presence of James Stewart in a completely winsome and likable turn as the protagonist. His role can't have been an easy one to act but he runs away with it and may well play the most likable part of his whole career. The supporting actors are fine too and there are some very funny performances here. Add in some great twists and turns in the narrative and you have a film which readily reaches the status of a classic.

Most people love this movie, my girlfriend included. It's considered a classic. But I saw this for the first time recently, and this film just did not work for me at all. At all. I found the characters unlikable, I found the story and how it played out to be totally ridiculous, I did not find anything even remotely funny or cute. Worst of all, it just seemed to go on and on and on and never go anywhere. When it wrapped up, I heard the music that indicated to me the film was ending, and I laughed harder than I did for any part of the movie because after all that going on and on and going nowhere, it ended with the result of: STILL having gone nowhere!

This film's considered by some historians to be a turning point for Jimmy Stewart with a bravura performance. I never wanted Jimmy Stewart off my television screen so badly. I wanted him locked up within ten minutes, throw away the key, BAM! Movie over. Instead, we have to suffer through inept doctors, screaming family members, Jesse White somehow sold to us as a romantic lead and a whole LOT of drawn-out scenes with Jimmy telling stories of an imaginary rabbit to people who can't decide from one minute to the next if this guy should be locked up in a nuthouse or deified as the Greatest Man Alive.

Just dreadful. I'm sorry, but I don't see how this was a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, much less a movie classic.

There are too many aspects of Harvey to analyse. This is a typical example of a film being incredibly deceptive. On the outside the film is a light hearted comedy but when looking at it closely it is very clearly a serious social commentary of it's time, and indeed of the present time (for the same prejudices still exist today). Harvey is a "pooka" ( a mischievous spirit) that manifests itself as a six foot white rabbit. Only Elwood P. Dowd can see Harvey and it is from this that the underlying dark story of an alcoholic's friendship with an invisible spirit blends itself in to comic fantasy. The comic side to the film opens up the subject of prejudice and peoples fear of what is different from themselves. Elwood P Dowd is seen as insane by his sister, niece and the public and yet he is not a killer, he is not an angry or violent man. What he is, however, is a happy, cheerful and exremely pleasant gentleman who takes great pleasure in trying to make other people happy with the aid of a six foot white rabbit. The film's success, in my mind, is entirely on the shoulders of James Stewart who's portrayal of the eccentric Elwwod P Dowd is exceptionally moving and fulfilling. He is surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast and one of the best scripts in movie history. If this does not sound appealing to you, I urge you to watch Dowd's comments regarding Harvey outside the bar. This speech never fails to bring a lump in my throat. Not because it is sad but because it is such an innocent speech (delivered superbly by Stewart). To me, Harvey has a hidden message to the audience, "Elwood P. Dowd does not see life as it is, but life as it should be!! Shoudn't we all see life like this?"

A truly significant film, this is. Normally I would just vote for it on the IMDB vote thingy there, but I felt the need to comment on this film because I feel that many people just don't get it. There are minor spoilers ahead, just to warn you. Elwood may be an alcoholic, but that really is just there as a cover. Elwood believes that Harvey is real because Harvey IS real. Everyone else in the plot is just too absorbed in their daily work and self-awareness to notice. Elwood has finally let go of all of his major gripes and pretentions about life, and has simply allowed himself to be pleasant. A few of the other characters learn how to be pleasant, too. Dr. Chumley, Mr. Meagles. Sure, they all seem to be insane, or at least a little off, but isn't this how we always see people who are different from us? Be pleasant. This is a lesson that everyone needs to take to heart. Slow down, enjoy yourself. You just may see that rabbit near the phone pole yourself.

The role of Elwood P. Dowd was played by Frank Fay on Broadway and in London - and to universal acclaim. Fay (who had alcohol problems of his own) could bring that aspect to the role (Stewart brushes it when he goes to Mr. Cracker's bar), but Fay also showed (from some of the descriptions I have read) a muscularity of mind that Stewart does not quite show. Fay's Elwood has wondered about the phenomenon of his invisible/invincible friend, and while he accepts it he truly is in awe of the phenomenon. But Stewart has grown to just enjoy his friend's remarkable powers. He accepts them, and never tries to fathom them.

As the play continues we see how the harmless Elwood and Harvey distress so many people. His sister Veta and niece Myrtle Mae blame them for isolating them from their social register friends. Judge Gaffney sympathizes with Veta, and her determination to put Elwood into an asylum. Dr. Sanderson and Nurse Kelly see Elwood as a potential patient, as does the dismissive Dr. Chumley. And Wilson has the most experienced (and realistic) view of insanity of anyone - he doesn't trust the inmates (more of that later).

The thing that is amazing in HARVEY is that everyone ends up accepting the Pooka - and in the case of Dr. Chumley actively seeking to take Elwood's place. It's because of their disillusionment with the society that they try to placate. Myrtle Mae and Wilson both think Elwood is a nut, but they find they like each other. They both are on different levels of the social scale, but both are lonely, and they click (much to the dismay of Veta, who was briefly manhandled by Wilson as an asylum guard). Gaffney is supportive of Veta's actions towards Elwood (although he always liked Elwood) because he is in love with Veta. But he gets fed up because of Veta's own unwillingness to remain consistent about what to do with Elwood. Sanderson and Kelly get their wires crossed, and Sanderson actually thinks Veta is the mentally ill person (and it is sometimes feasible to believe it). It leads to Chumley briefly firing his assistant, and in the temporary disaster Kelly and Sanderson revealing their deeper feelings about each other. Soon they are just as willing to listen to Elwood's philosophy of life as they are in locating him for giving him the medication that may cure him - but turn him (in the words of the taxi driver) into just another stinker like the rest of us.

Chumley is more interesting. He later admits that Harvey is so remarkable that everything that science has discovered is child's play compared to him. He does end up wanting to replace Elwood in Harvey's affections, but it is only for a temporary loan so that he can have an emotional release in some motel in Akron, Ohio with a simple, sympathetic woman and some beer. It's as though the society that has honored him actually chokes Chumley - his dream is a general rejection of respectability for two weeks only, as it is impossible to imagine he can get away with much more. As he is married it is very probable that the two weeks would be about all his need for release and freedom can guarantee him.

The people who do accept Elwood and Harvey are not people with responsibility or position. Mr. Cracker and his customers (except one wise guy at the start of the film) see nothing odd at Elwood having an invisible friend. The taxi driver likes people like Elwood - they appreciate the trip to the asylum, and his driving. Mr. Schimmelplusser (Clem Bevans) is usually ignored by the Chumley's of the world who employ him, but he is very proud of the electronic fence and likes Elwood's notice of it. Elwood and Harvey have the support of the little people. As Elwood explains it, he could have been successful or pleasant, and he chose to be pleasant. Most people do want to be pleasant.

HARVEY is one of the world's best fantasy plays, and it's success far transcended what was expected in the late 1940s when Mary Chase wrote it. Tragically, the reality of mental illness does not always allow for Elwood's "pleasant" disposition. Wilson actually has the most realistic moment in the play when he explains to Sanderson and Kelly that he has seen the insane close up - that frequently they are all sweetness until they know that they are not being observed, and then they do really life threatening damage to you. He actually happens to be correct.

Although his reactions throughout the play are meant as comic blunderings or such (witness the marvelous moment when he reads the dictionary definition of "Pooka"), he does show one moment that (to me) makes his roughness understandable and even heroic: when Dr. Chumley has disappeared after going off with Elwood, Wilson suddenly shows deep concern for the poor doctor, imagining him lying insensible in a pool of blood. It doesn't happen, but in reality it could happen very easily in the real world. The entire cast, especially Stewart and Josephine Hutchinson (Best Supporting Oscar) were wonderful, but at that moment Jesse White was superb.

I first saw Harvey being a child and I didn't like it. Now I've seen it again...and I don't like it either. As when I was a child the main reason is I do not find Elwood character nor Harvey really nice: maybe it is because of the menacing look of the rabbit appearing in the picture Elwood (James Stewart) hangs on the wall but Harvey has always seemed to me a manipulative and selfish creature more than a good friend trying to make Elwood life happier. And Elwood doesn't appear to me a happy character but a very sad one who, at one point of his life and due to some facts we are not allowed to know, decides (in the film it is firmly stated that it was a voluntary decision) to quit reality to live in an alternative world of his own, although he is not happy in it, only less sad. Maybe the play describes characters in a different way and show us a kind and full of bondage Elwood who only wants to live in a better, more human world with people helping each other and taking interest in other people. This is a nice and beautiful idea and I'd love the film would have shown it! but what this film shows is not this at all: Elwood new world is a world where apparently everybody is kind and friendly, a world where apparently peoples' best feelings emerge to reveal better personalities. But that's what this new world is about: apparency. The supposed kind and friendly people are not really so, as Elwood himself reveals when speaking to Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake). He says he meet lots of people in the bar, friendly people but that they do not show again. And the supposed people best feelings are not seen in Elwood himself towards his own family either: whilst he is more than charming to people he meets at the bar or in the mental institution, he does not have the same consideration towards his poor sister, who lives in the edge of a nervous breakdown due to his way of doing, not only by Elwood's rabbit hallucination but also having to stand with unknown people Elwood constantly invites to their home or making impossible for her to have a social life. Furthermore, allegedly absent-minded Elwood is not really so, as although he is apparently "always doing what sister Veta (Josephine Hull) says" he is in fact getting other people do what he (and alter ego Harvey) wants. So what is presented to us here is a man running away from his life who ends up living in a self-made rabbit cage. I don't see it is a happy comedy at all, although it has its funny moments (i.e. when Veta asks her daughter to find out who is the stranger in the bathroom after speaking with Elwood). And by quitting reality in search of a better life and a better mankind understanding he does not mind or realize hurting his own family in the process. In the end he does not seem to reach that happy status he is searching for at all, but a less painful state of mind. In fact author instruct us to just believe in Harvey's great beneficials instead of letting us to know it by first-hand by sparing us all the dialogue scene between Elwood, Harvey and Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway) at the bar. Maybe Mrs. Chase didn't know how to make such chat work, but this takes off a lot of credibility to Her pretended premise. Furthermore, it is difficult to understand why Dr. Chumley runs away from Harvey once he has discovered rabbit's extraordinary beneficial power: shouldn't he be happy to have Harvey around? Why else he asks Elwood to leave Harvey with him in the end? *Spoiler* And as a final punch, even in the end of the film family is not allowed to get free from Harvey (wouldn't it have been a much better ending and according to the extending bondage the play is supposed to transmitt that Harvey finally would stay with Dr. Chumley and allowed other people to enjoy him? Or, in case Elwood didn't want to leave Harvey, that both of them decided to stay in the mental institution where both Dr. Chumley and Elwood -and maybe other patients- could enjoy Harvey too and where Veta and her daughter could visit them without suffering Harvey? Or that thanks to his new friendship with nurse Kelly (Peggy Dow) and Dr. Sanderson, etc. he feels motivated to go back to reality applying the new way of doing Harvey has taught him to real life instead of surrender?) and a sad vision of the future is presented: Elwood will keep on eluding eality although this does not bring him the desired happiness he searches for and deserves an unhappy panorama to his sister and niece. I must mention apart the superb acting work of Josephine Hull, who deservedly won an Oscar for her role.

This is much-loved classic with a great leading performance by the always excellent James Stewart. Watching 'Harvey' is a magical experience, it transports your imagination and subverts your view of everyday life like no other film. Enchanting.

Stewart is perfect as the mild-mannered Elwood P Dowd who maybe drinks a bit too much. A harmless, lanky fellow, he means no harm on anyone- he is just happy to be with his best buddy Harvey. The only problem is, no one else can see Harvey, who Dowd swears has the unforgettable appearance of a giant 6-foot rabbit. Elwood's middle-aged sister Veta (Josephine Hull, she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this)is fed up with his antics and decides to have him shipped off to a sanatorium. After all, he is a constant source of embarrassment to her and Elwood's unattached niece Myrtle. But when Veta goes to Chumley's Rest in order to commit Elwood, she instead finds herself locked up! This is a truly beautiful film. Stewart's ordinary charm make him perfect for the role of Dowd, a true ordinary man who, along with his buddy Harvey, brings magic and belief into the life others. One wishes that they too could have a friend like Harvey.

The black-and-white cinematography is used to great effect here, with shadows and lighting tricks contributing to the mood. It is a great acting performance by Stewart, who manages to communicate his indelible warmth and enthusiasm to the audience whilst conversing with an imaginary figure. I love Cecil Kellaway's performance as Dr Chumley, and the little-known Peggy Dow is absolutely beautiful as kind nurse Miss Kelly.

Lovely film.

9/10.

There is no point in trying to explain humour: you laugh or you don't. I didn't laugh at Harvey but if you did then nothing I have to say is of any relevance.

Harvey is basically a farce, so I know I shouldn't be taking it too seriously. But I find I do take it seriously and it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

The premise is dubious where it is not actually odious. It is proposing that it is better to live with childish delusions than to become a responsible adult. Fine, if you are cushioned by a large independent income, like Elwood, but what if you aren't? Even more deplorable is the revelation that forms the climax of the movie: the mentally ill are better and happier than sane people. This is not only rubbish; it is offensive to anyone with the slightest acquaintance with mental illness

Then again, how happy is Elwood supposed to be? He is genial and harmless and he grins a lot, but he cannot relate to people and has no real friends. Most people avoid him like the plague and even he acknowledges that most of his casual barroom acquaintances don't come back a second time.

He may be living a completely care-free life, but what a life! He is just frittering away his time, drinking in bars. The implication is that he is a happy alcoholic, but this is a blatant cheat, since we never see him really drunk.

The part is atrociously written and poorly played. Whatever was intended to be the case, Elwood is clearly a ponderous bore. It is no wonder that sober people can't stand him. Stewart tries to redeem the character with his own natural likability, but his stuttering performance only intensifies the problem. And don't believe those people who claim that Stewart almost convinces them that they can see Harvey for themselves. Stewart's mime is both minimal and unconvincing.

The other characters are similarly misconceived. His sister is a shrieking hysteric; his niece is a desperate man-eater who throws herself at the first thing in pants that shows any interest in her; Dr Sanderson is an arrogant blustering bully, etc. etc. They are all supposed to become better people through their encounters with Elwood, but these transformations are declared rather than dramatised. For example, Dr Clumpson's improbable 'volt face' occurs off-screen, in a scene that is inexplicably missing from the movie, probably because even Mary Chase could not find a way to make it work.

Whatever faint wisp of plot the movie contains is entirely driven by a series of farcical misconceptions that arise because nobody is able to speak coherently and nobody listens to what anybody else is saying. As a result, people continually leap to unjustified conclusions, over-react and then launch into scarcely-motivated hyper-activity. Most disturbingly, they are constantly being rounded up and bundled in and out of the asylum with scant excuse and no due process.

As the movie jumps from one random improbability to another it is hardly worth mentioning that Harvey is seldom even supposed to be present.

The movie suggests that there is actually a serious question peeking out from behind the façade of frantic farce: 'who is mad and who is sane?' However, it can only make this bogus question seem even faintly pertinent by having everyone act at least as crazily as Elwood. The final intimation that Harvey may actually be real (at least metaphorically) is simply the last straw. The pretence that this movie has an underlying seriousness is just monumental self-deception, fully on a par with Elwood's own delusion.

The play apparently won a Pulitzer Prize. This would have left me boggling in disbelief, had I not once read the posthumous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel: 'A Confederacy of Dunces'. Its rickety structure and elephantine 'humour' is wholly consistent with this laughter-free travesty.

Like another IMDb reviewer, I could undertake a scene-by-scene analysis of why I think this picture is such a monumental failure, but why bother? It would only give me high blood pressure.