Pookah

I was in need of a pick me up this week; despite my recuperation generally going well - I certainly have more good days than bad days - I must admit I was feeling pretty low mid-week. Wednesday was one of those days when just planning something as normal as taking a shower or even making a sandwich took a massive amount of planning in my (fuzzy) head.

However, help was at hand. A DVD copy of a classic James Stewart picture from 1950 had recently dropped on the doormat: Harvey is the tale of gentle soul Elwood P. Dowd and his (imaginary?) 6'-3½" rabbit. Elwood regularly takes Harvey to his local bar, Charlie's, and introduces him to all and sundry. His sister however is not so keen on her brother's 'pookah' and is trying to get Elwood committed into the local sanitarium. To say hilarity ensues would be far too glib. The script is way too tight to be construed as a mere farce - Harvey was originally a stage play and indeed Stewart came over to London's West End to reeprise the role of Dowd in both the 1970 and 1975 sell out runs. 

The film pulls you in from the get go - yes, It's got comedy, yes, it's got pathos but it's also sprinkled with magic dust. (Stewart was often quoted saying it was one of his favourite roles.) 100 minutes later my spirits were well and truly lifted - with my personal wellbeing meter shooting up from a lowly 6/10 to a solid 8; it was then time to dive in the shower and rustle up some nosebag out of the fridge. This film should be made available on the NHS.

Harvey - Trailer (1950)