This is part of a series of articles reviewing the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films, as unveiled in 2007. Why am I doing this? Because the damned cinemas were closed and I had to review something, and now I can't stop until I finish.
(PG) ★★★★
Director: Frank Capra.
Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas, Alan Hale, Arthur Hoyt, Blanche Friderici, Charles C. Wilson.
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| "That looks really uncomfortable." |
If nothing else, It Happened One Night is responsible for the creation of one of the greatest fictional characters of all time. I am of course referring to Bugs Bunny. His carrot-chomping unflappability is definitely a descendant of Clark Gable's newsman Peter Warne and Roscoe Karns' annoying bus traveler Oscar Shapeley. Shapeley's liberal use of the nickname 'Doc', and Peter pretending to be a goon named 'Bugs' seal the deal. Plus the carrot thing.
But It Happened One Night is more than just a Warner Bros Cartoons footnote. It's the quintessential pre-Code rom-com, laying out the template for a formula that exists to this day. Aspects haven't aged well (Peter suggesting what Colbert's Ellie "needs is a guy that'd take a sock at her once a day, whether it's coming to her or not" is one such moment), but it's aged far better than The Philadelphia Story.
One thing that hasn't dated is its chemistry. The sizzling undercurrent between Gable and Colbert still crackles with electricity almost 90 years on, all the more remarkable because neither star wanted to be in the film. But Frank Capra knew how to get the most out of both of them, and the film's ability to hint at the sexual electricity humming between Peter and Ellie is dynamite. Colbert showing a hint of thigh to score a lift doesn't sound like much, but it speaks volumes of the time, their relationship, and how a little can say a lot. Gable and Colbert give wonderful performances that stand the test of time.
The plot also remains timeless. As esteemed critic Barry Norman put it, "it's no more than a slender tale about a runaway heiress (Colbert) and an out-of-work journalist (Gable) who meet on a bus and fall in love". But Colbert's Ellie, who is desperate to escape her overbearing father and return to her husband, and Gable's Peter, who knows Ellie's plight is the story of the year, are fascinating characters, and it makes their potentially humdrum road trip actually hum. As Norman wrote "these are the kind of attractive, humourous people we would like to be, or anyway would like to know". Some things never change.
The film's status as a superior comedy has been in place since it swept the Oscars, becoming the first film to win the Big Five (film, director, actress, actor, and screenplay). Its significance also lies with the notion that, according to Allan Hunter's Wordsworth Book Of Movie Classic, the film "helped initiate the genre of screwball comedy and transformed Columbia from a poverty-row studio to a major Hollywood concern", as well as allowing "Clark Gable's good-natured masculinity (to shine) through for really the first time on screen".
Although it still feels vibrant, some disagree. Even 50 years ago, critics were already lamenting the film was outdated and slow. Author William Bayer wrote in his book The Great Movies back in 1973: "Show The General to a morose college student today and watch him laugh. Show him It Happened One Night and he'll tell you he can't 'relate to it'." Similarly, Leslie Halliwell's The Filmgoer's Companion stated in 1977 that although "it's lively good humour and piquant dialogue endeared it to all comers... it seems on the slow side" to contemporary audiences.
This is partially true. Yes, The General works for all, and is one of the greatest films of all time. The relatability of It Happened One Night is kind of a moot point - it's like Norman said, "we would like to be, or anyway would like to know" these people, not relate to their situations. People still love It Happened One Night for the same reason they like James Bond films - they wish they knew or were one of the key characters, not because they relate to their issues. They love the idea of the sexual tension as Ellie and Peter undress either side of a blanket that divides their room, but they don't want to actually trek from Florida to New York on 50 cents a day.
As for the pacing, it's still 80% on the money. Capra wasn't much for the fanciness of directing (though there's one delicious shot that follows Ellie through a muddy campground) but he knew how to keep a story moving and ensure its plot points punched at the right time, with full credit also to Robert Riskin for his script, which adapts Samuel Hopkins Adams' short story Night Bus. The first three minutes set up a huge amount about Ellie, while it only takes a drunken phone chat between Peter and his editor for us to get a handle on Peter. That's quality writing, even nine decades later.
Certain story elements have aged poorly, such as the sexual politics - Gable's Peter is particularly domineering of Ellie, a woman he hardly knows. But these politics are at least played for effective laughs when the lead couple pretend to be married and descend into a slanging match in order to throw some detectives off their trail. Less successful is Ellie's transition from strong-headed lass willing to leap from her father's yacht and risk it all to being someone who breaks down over a fella she's known for four days. It's hard to swallow, and obviously representative of its time but it does go somewhat towards Bayer's comments about unrelatability.
But it's actually quite remarkable how good It Happened One Night is, considering its age. Its template is sturdy, and from meet-cute to altar-ditch it's fast-talking good fun in a classic battle-of-the-sexes and/or classes kinda way. The antagonism of the protagonists as they battle against their instincts is timeless, as is their predicament. And if you have to point to a rom-com to be the grandmother of them all, this isn't a bad one to point to, even as it approaches its 90th birthday.
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