Keeper of the Flame is the answer to the trivia question, what film contained the only screen death for either Katherine Hepburn or Spencer Tracy in their joint projects.

This was their second teaming and after the comedy of Woman of the Year, they tried a change of pace with a melodrama. Pearl Harbor was still fresh in everyone's minds and so was the discredited isolationist movement.

It's chief spokesperson was Charles Lindbergh on whom the character of Hepburn's husband Robert Forrest was based. Lindbergh's too close association with Germany tarred him for the rest of his life.

Here Robert Forrest is killed right at the beginning of the film as he drives over a bridge that's ready to collapse. The death of Forrest brings out the grief of a nation and reporters flock to his Manderley like estate.

One of those reporters is Spencer Tracy who by some chicanery gains entrance to the place and meets the widow Forrest and her husband's chief aide Richard Whorf. The place reeks of sinister and Tracy's curiosity is aroused. He also meets Margaret Wycherly who is Hepburn's mother-in-law. She's one batty old dame. A far cry from Gary Cooper's mother a year before who Wycherly played in Sergeant York.

Hepburn seeks to preserve her late husband's reputation at the risk of her own in sending Tracy out on a red herring. He discovers the truth and how he does it and the result therein is the crux of the film.

Tracy and Hepburn are at their professional best working for the first time with George Cukor who later guided them through Adam's Rib and Pat and Mike. Richard Whorf is very good as the malevolent aide.

After over 60 years the film still packs a powerful dramatic punch.

Consider both Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy great actors and their pairing, which started with their first film 1942's 'Woman of the Year' up to Tracy's death in 1967, was one of the cinematic greats. When it comes to talking about the most legendary cinematic pairings, Tracy and Hepburn would for me be up there towards the top. Both gave many performances deservedly highly regarded, whether together or individually, and bad performances to me were not many.

'Keeper of the Flame' was their second film, of nine (their last being 1967's 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'),together, as said their first was 'Woman of the Year'. It was also their first film with George Cukor, who later directed them in 'Adam's Rib' and 'Pat and Mike'. 'Keeper of the Flame' as some have noted is a very different Tracy-Hepburn film, this is not the light sophisticated romantic/screwball comedies that most of their other collaborations were. Instead it has touches of Gothic, mystery and politics (et. al) with a quite dark edge, and it makes for their darkest, most serious and most ambitious film. It is not as well known as some of their others and is not considered one of their best. Can understand why, being someone who does consider it a lesser film of theirs (their weakest perhaps) and the weakest film they did with Cukor, the best being my personal favourite of their films 'Adam's Rib'.

It doesn't completely work. The final third gets very melodramatic, to a slightly too heavy-going degree, and the ending with the final monologue did veer on the patronising and long-winded.

Some of the pace could have been tightened, some of it is on the ponderous side, and the central relationship could have done with more spark. Tracy and Hepburn do work well together certainly, it just doesn't sparkle as much or is fully utilised as much as their other films and it doesn't have the excuse of it still settling or yet to find its feet when it gelled so well in 'Woman of the Year'.

With saying all of this, it sounds like 'Keeper of the Flame' was a bad film. To some it is, but to me it isn't. There is a lot to like and on the most part it's quite decent if uneven. None of the faults the film has are with Hepburn and Tracy, in fact they are the two main reasons to see it. Tracy brings intensity and subtlety to his role while once again the ever radiant Hepburn attacks the showier role with abandon (all the while being more subdued than she is in some of her other films, not a knock against her in any way but merely a brief comparison). With the sole exception of grating Darryl Hickman, the supporting cast are also good, Margaret Wycherly and Richard Whorf faring most memorably.

Cukor generally directs with control and tautness and the whole of 'Keeper of the Flame' looks great, from the ravishingly atmospheric photography to the effectively claustrophobic production design. Bonislau Kaper's ominous and stirring score is another big strength, and although the script is imperfect (with the same issues of some of the pace) it does provoke thought. Much of the story, with a scintillating opening scene setting so much promise, is suspenseful and sometimes moving, the themes also remarkably relevant now regardless of how people feel about the execution. The characters are also interesting with a good deal of meat to them.

On the whole, uneven but decent. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of the less famous films starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn and after having seen it again recently, I can see why. While their performances are excellent (particularly Tracy's),the movie itself is a bit hard to believe and comes on a bit too strong. I'm sure this is a result of the time in which it was made, as the film had a very strong injection of patriotism and Americanism thanks to our being brought into WWII. In many ways, the film was like a variation on MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, except that Smith dies and in the end you find out he's a Fascist!! The film begins with the death of a famous American patriot and all around great guy. However, despite a tremendous outpouring of sympathy, his widow refuses to see or talk to anyone...that is, until reporter Spencer Tracy appears. Then, slowly the story of this great man begins to unfold, though over time Tracy can sense that it's all a put on--there IS some secret that they are trying to hide from him. In the end, the secret is revealed and Hepburn inexplicably dies--and I really didn't understand why she so quickly died and Tracy seemed just fine even though he was in the same burning building! The film does have a few plot holes (like the one mentioned above) and at time it lays it on a bit thick, but still, based on the charisma of the stars, it's still well worth seeing. Just don't expect magic.