It Happened One Night-1934

Directed by Frank Capra

 

 

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

 It Happened One Night is often considered the definitive screwball comedy. Arriving in the middle of the screwball heyday and epitomizing a genre. The so-called peak of the screwball comedy was arguably between the years of 1934 to 1945. At a time when women began to take a more prominent role in films, screwball comedies were often characterized by a female that governs the relationship with the male central character, whose masculinity is challenged by her authority. Female leads began take on more professional roles, wore equally professional attire, and represented women as part of the working class. Of course all this was in response to the Production codes enforcement in 1934. While the Code did limit artistic freedom it did allow women to be more than just a body or a face; opening up the opportunity for the screwball comedy.

 

Screwball comedies involve a “War of the Sexes” with witty banter, often between characters from two different worlds (differing social classes or world views). The fast-pace repartee, absurd situations, entertaining themes, and plot lines involving courtship and marriage also embody what is a screwball. Often, all these features supplanted sex and were filled with sexual innuendos. Essentially the screwball is a love story with layers of wit and sparring layered on top.  

It Happened One Night plays into all of tell-tale signs of screwball. Ellie (Claudette Colbert) and Peter (Clark Gable) find themselves on a road trip to New York, so Peter the newsman can get his story and Ellie can make it safely to her fiancé. That alone depicts the absurd situation discussed. The film is filled with a series of back and forth conversations between the two that is a constant series of one-upmanship. Although a bit of a “brat” at first, Ellie finds her strength and gives Peter’s character more than he expected.  

 

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content. 

Article- The Oscars Project: It Happened One Night

http://www.culturemagazine.ca/cinema/the_oscars_project_it_happened_one_night_1934.html

-Wiki-film bios for the stars.

The Oscar Project: It Happened One Night details how the film, like so many others to come after, wasn’t set out to be as ground breaking as it had been.

“Unlike previous Best Picture winners, the movie was not a big budget prestige film, and Columbia Pictures was considered a 'Poverty Row' studio at the time.”

-Kevin Johns

Several actors turned down the roles considering the film to be a flop. It was said that Clark Gable was 'on-loan' as punishment for refusing a role opposite Joan Crawford from the studio. Claudette Colbert, better known as a femme fatale, was also reluctant to play the role of the heiress. The stars didn’t realize what they had but the remarkable work of Frank Capra and the quality of life when the film was released thrust the film to greatness.

 

The country was well into the Great Depression and a quarter of the population was without work. Although not directly addressing the issues of the Great Depression, the film’s focus on the working class resonated with audiences. Ellie the Heiress finds happiness in the simple things in life. Dunking her doughnut in coffee, the joy of doing it yourself, and most notably the pleasures of people over material things provide inexpensive delight. The best example I can think of is the bus scene, where all the travelers begin to take part in a sing along. It doesn’t cost money, or require lavish material possessions to find happiness. She eventually finds love in the arms of a newspaper man, not her royal fiancé.

The film has impacted countless imitators since. The last few decades are filled with homages (whether intentional or not) to it’s now archetypal moments. The walls of Jericho, the road trip, the wedding alter run away are now staples of movie making.

The film was also a first in many categories. It was the first comedy to win best picture, the first picture to win all five major academy award categories, and had the first performer (Claudette Colbert) to appear in three Best Picture-nominated films in the same year. It was triumph both critically and influentially.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

The article brought a new found appreciation for the film. First, the actors weren’t aware of just how special the project was. Secondly, they didn’t seem to make the picture easy on their director, who should be applauded for such wonderful work under tumultuous conditions. Capra’s future academy awards and nominations prove he isn’t a mere “one hit wonder”, but a director with vision and control. When speaking of working with the stars Capra has been quoted as saying “Claudette had many little tantrums, motivated by her antipathy toward me," however "she was wonderful in the part."

 

We all have worked a job we hate, wanting to leave, but put our best foot forward regardless of our inner spirits. Gable and Claudette may have been hesitant over the pictures ability to win over audiences but they still managed to put forth wonderfully realistic and endearing performances. I found Claudette to be cute and loveable, and Gable was perfect as the everyman. The film was performed beautifully by director and actor alike, arrived at the right time, and hit all the right notes. It established screw ball comedy and made even bigger stars of it already popular cast.

4)Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

The film was a landmark, and honestly one I have never known about prior to our screening. I was unaware of just how influential the film could have been. Many of today’s Romantic Comedies take from elements It Happened One Night established nearly 70 years ago. It influences can be seen in many of our contemporary films, whether good or bad. A good example would be the road trip scenes filled with constant repartee between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in the early minutes of When Harry Met Sally. The bad can be represented by every god awful Jennifer Lopez attempt at “new age screwball comedy”. Gigli is a great example of how not to make screwball.  

Regardless of how some rom-com’s of today get it right or wrong, the film set a tone what these movies should be. It also provides audiences with a new look at what a female role do. More than just seductress’ or damsels in distress; instead we were introduced to spunky, willfully strong women who did what the male lead couldn’t. Elsie managed to get a car to provide the duo with a ride, after Peter failed miserably at countless attempts. A woman did what a man couldn’t. Today that may be common when we see leads like Erin Brockovich, Ripley, or the Bride from Kill Bill, when it was uncommon.  

 

 

The film also included snappy dialogue that was clever, unlike traditional slapstick that dominated comedy before it. This was no doubt due to the “talkie” moving film forward, pushing Hollywood to seek writers from theatres. Robert Riskin deserved his academy award. The film has been mimicked so often, even influencing classic cartoons. Bugs Bunny carrot-chewing standing position, had originated from a scene in It Happened One Night, where Gable chews a carrot while explaining the finer points of hitchhiking.

 

 It Happened One Night was an innovative success in directing, acting, and writing. It defines screwball, and is considered a time-honored film achievement.

 

Plagiarism Statement:  Attach this statement to the end of each journal assignment. CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Benjamin Novoa  Date: 2/22/2013