It Happened One Night: One of Hollywood’s Most Loved Films
Directed by Frank Capra
“Yes! But don’t hold that against me, I’m a little screwy myself!”
Peter Warne
It Happened One Night can be described as the blueprint for all succeeding romantic comedies that followed. Directed by Frank Capra who brought other beloved stories to the cinematic scene like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ or ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’, this project of his was and is still deemed as wildly successful. Written by Robert Riskin the film follows the life of runaway heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) that marries King Westley (Jameson Thomas) much to the chagrin of her wealthy Father Alexander Andrews (Walter Connolly). During her planned escape, Ellie happens to run into a rough-around-the-edges reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) who eventually discovers who she is and gives her an ultimatum. He would help her get back to her new husband if she would give him an exclusive story and if she refused, he would send her right back to her father.
The film is an eventful ride of ups and downs, portraying elements of screwball comedy – which dominated the early 30s in Hollywood cinema – as beautiful moments flourish between Peter and Ellie. The dialogue was fresh and fast paced but there were instances where romance did not seem fully believable because of Peter’s snarky attitude toward Ellie. There should have been a bit more warmth upon the realization of his feelings. Despite this, Clark Gable portrayed him as charming as ever and Claudette Colbert played wonderfully off of him as Ellie.
Despite the raving reviews, I do believe this is a good film but simply not one of the greatest due to minor gripes. The runtime did begin to feel a bit bloated toward the middle. There are a few choppy cuts, simple shots, and consistency issues in the film – so it loses a grade in visual aesthetics. It was not shot as beautifully as it could have been. It’s high rating may have been based upon the joy it brought to the lives of the American people during the Great Depression, and it has since remained immortalized in cinematic history as one of the greatest films ever made. To simply put, It Happened One Night is a good watch because of a good script, a good plot, and the social history surrounding the film.
The Island Cinephile 
