Review of It Happened One Night (1958) by Arshi R — 07 Mar 2010

Grade: B+.

It Happened One night is the first film to win the big five at the Academy Awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screeplay), and it may be a tad dated, but that is not entirely the fault of the filmmakers; moreso its the fault of the rise of the tyranical Hollywood Censorship Board, who made it difficult to show, overtly, any kind of promiscuity or non-marital relationships with anything more than indirect inuendos. Consequently, and perhaps luckily for us, this era in film history involved some of the neatest examples of writers and filmmakers using their ingenuity in fresh and unexpected ways to present "risque" material in their films.

The film is famous for its tumultuous production, which involved Gable and Colbert, actors borrowed by Columbia Pictures from the much larger MGM. Gable was being punished for disagreeing with Louis B. Mayer, and was sent to Columbia, along with Colbert, to do the picture. Cable and director Frank Capra ended up getting along famously, however its known that Colbert was frusterated with her involvment in the picture; both actors eventually came to recognize the film as one of the higlights of both their careers, and they both took home oscars for it.

The film involves a rich bankers daughter named Ellie (Colbert), an irritable and spoiled girl who runs away from home and plans to travel up the coast by bus to New York in order to meet her fiance, whom her father disagrees of. On the way, as her ineptitude and naivity are revealed, a recently fired newspaper man named Peter (Gable) watches over her, guiding her toward her destination and slowly getting her trust. His plan is initially to get a story about the runaway girl and sell it to his paper (her father has a search and reward out for her), but pretty soon he, and Ellie, become confused about their true feelings and thats's where much of the fun arises.

Peter, in my estimation, spends much of the film in plain denial of his true feelings, downplaying just how much he cares for Ellie, talking rough and playing it straight. This is just a mask for how he really feels. Ellie does a bit of a female version of this, acting like she resents Peter and doesn't need him, when in reality she'd be lost and helpless without him.

The film isn't hilarious, but does have some moments that are really funny. Some of the funniest parts involve a fellow bus rider named Shapely (Roscoe Karns), as an opportunist in over his head and way too easily fooled. Watching this film I could imagine how original some of the dialogue and scenarios must have felt in 1934. I recognized jokes i've heard in contemporary times, and that made me admire the script even more.

In a screwball comedy like this, we all know the kind of road we're traveling down, and rougly where it will all lead, and this film doesn't suprise us in this area. Its the ride that counts, not necessarily the destination.

Today, the film is remembered for, well being unlike the films of today. Today when writers want to say something, they say it, or they show it. In this film, things are shown to us, but they take on more of a light symbolism, like the story is nudging us and saying "you know what I mean".