(WARNING: There are spoilers)

CONTINUED FROM PART 1...

Romantic comedies don't come much better than The Lady Eve. The sharp and hilarious script has several delicious double entendres, which screenwriters had to resort to in the era of the Hays Code when their characters were talking about sex. Because of this, the movie has a wit and sophistication that would have been lost if they just came out and said it. Of course, there's no sex shown in the film, though it is implied after the scene in which Charles proposes to Jean (the screen fades to black, shows a shot of the water crashing on the side of the ship, and then fades to black again to the next morning). Also, Charles is a snake enthusiast, and he is shown reading a book called Are Snakes Necessary?, a riff on a 1929 book called Is Sex Necessary? by James Thurber and E.B. White.

It's perfectly clear that Charles is virginal and inexperienced in romance, but I also believe that Jean is too, despite her flirtatious and seemingly knowing behavior. When Charles invites her into his cabin to see his pet snake (the Freudian symbol of the phallus), she quickly screams and runs away to her cabin. Charles runs after her, and she asks him to check under her bed and under the covers for the creature. This symbolism is further reinforced by the fact that Jean has a nightmare about the snake (Freud often explored sexual symbols in dreams). Biblical symbolism from the Garden of Eden story is obviously used too (the snake, the apple that Jean drops on Charles' head, and the name Eve). However, besides the fact that Adam and Eve is "mankind's first romance," this symbolism doesn't really have any deeper meanings as far as I can tell.

Another thing that's so great about this film is that the dramatic scenes are executed just as well as the comedic scenes. When Charles finds out that Jean is a con artist the morning after he proposes to her, the look of suppressed hurt and betrayal on his face is devastating. Even worse is the following scene, in which Jean talks to Charles at the bar. Earlier that morning, she decided to tell him who she really was once they got off the ship. At the bar, in order to prepare him for the shocking information that she will reveal later, she tells him something about women: "The best ones aren't as good as you probably think they are, and the bad ones aren't as bad." But of course, she is too late. Charles tells her that he knows about her. She tries to explain that she was going to tell him once the trip ended, but he doesn't believe her. He then takes petty revenge by lying to her, saying that he actually knew after the first night they met. Feeling used, Jean leaves sobbing. Barbara Stanwyck is painfully vulnerable in this scene and it's heartbreaking to watch.

Some time later, Jean concocts a genius (albeit implausible) plan to woo Charles by posing as the wealthy and respectable Lady Eve Sidwich. What is her motivation for doing this exactly? It's probably emotional revenge and/or to fleece some money off of Charles, but it could also be to teach him the lesson she told him earlier at the ship's bar about the nature of women. Charles decides to marry "Eve." It's obvious to me that he's only doing it off the rebound from his romance with Jean. They take a train to their honeymoon. En route, she confesses to him all of the men she's been with before him. Aghast at her sleaziness, Charles leaves her immediately.

Jean is looking out the train's window at Charles with a sad look on her face. Even though her plan has succeeded, the victory is clearly a hollow one. Despite everything, she still has loving feelings for Charles deep down inside. A short time later, during the divorce negotiations, Jean declines any cash settlement from Charles. All she wants is to see him one last time, but he doesn't even want to speak to "Eve" anymore. Jean (as herself) "accidentally" runs into him on another cruise ship. Recognizing Jean, Charles immediately embraces her and says what a fool he was for letting her go. Seeing them together and in love again on a cruise ship is an ecstatic moment for me, recalling the magical scenes of them on the ship before. What a wonderful movie; The Lady Eve is positively one of the best romantic comedies.