A modest musicologist arrives in San Francisco with nothing but a suitcase full of rocks and a dream of funding his research. A whirlwind named Judy Maxwell crashes into his life and with her, three identical plaid suitcases, each holding a different secret. What’s Up, Doc? (1972) doesn’t simply pay homage to classic screwball comedies. It lets their spirit loose on the steep hills of San Francisco. Streisand delivers chaos with a wink, O’Neal tries (and fails) to keep his dignity intact, and the city becomes a playground of falling glass, flying luggage, and collapsing pretenses. It's an hour and a half of poised razor-sharp chaos, unfolding like a cartoon and enchanting like a romantic faux pas. Influenced by Hawks and Capra, but unmistakably informed by the informality of New Hollywood, „What's Up, Doc?“ was one of the best-loved movies of the 1970s. Like a love letter to the past of cinema, it remains comfortably fresh.

Loan of the film print with kind support of HfG Karlsruhe.