by Chris Marshall:
Now here’s a good movie! At the most basic level it is just
a light-hearted romantic comedy, but everything is executed so competently, and
the performances by Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert so convincing, that it
feels like a masterpiece. Which, of course, it is; it’s one of only three
movies to win the “Big Five” Oscars: best picture, best actor, best actress,
best director, and best screenplay (the others are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs).
Gable earned his reputation as one of the greatest stars in
the history of Hollywood by coming across as effortlessly charming and
likeable, and it’s a testament both to his charisma and acting ability how
easily I fell for him in this film. But Colbert’s performance should not be overlooked.
She plays the daughter of a rich banker, and she is able to portray her
spoiled, petulant side to perfection.
While boating with her father, Colbert jumps overboard after
he objects to her marriage to another rich magnate (named King, of course). She
eludes capture, makes it to shore in Miami, buys a bus ticket to New York, and
meets Clark Gable, who happens to be on the same bus. They argue over a seat,
and soon enough, due to a series of misadventures, he is leading her on a
journey back to New York, except they don’t have that bus helping them out
anymore.
There’s nothing new on display here. No novel cinematic
techniques, no unique storyline. It’s a genre film done well, and there is a
lot to be said for that. Anybody looking for an instruction manual for how to
make a romantic comedy or a road trip movie needs to look no farther. I value
originality in filmmaking, but movies like this play a critical role in cinema
as well. They’re visual comfort food; not too much thought is involved, but you
will feel satisfied once it’s over.
 |
| Gable and Colbert hitchhiking. |
So many of the early Best Picture winners were so
preoccupied with telling an epic story that they forgot to tell a good story. Cimarron spanned 40 years, Cavalcade
30. It Happened One Night had the
sense to show restraint, and it resulted in more character development in a
span of a few nights (not actually one night, as the title suggests) than the
others did in decades.
Gable would go on to star in two
of the next five Best Picture winners, but I honestly don’t think I could ever
get tired of seeing him. Colbert also starred in two of 1934’s other nominees (Cleopatra and Imitation of Life), the only performer to hold that distinction
until John C. Reilly equaled it 68 years later, and she’s not so bad to look at
herself. They were allowed to play
characters that were deeply flawed but not unlikeable. They manage to be at the
same time too clever by half and yet not quite as clever as they think they
are. It’s a pleasure to watch.
I feel like I’ve been gushing, but
it’s just such a relief to watch one of these that I really like. On one hand,
I hope there are a lot more like it, but on the other, I feel like the negative
posts are more entertaining to read; they’re certainly more fun to write. I’m
pretty sure there will be a little of both coming up. Mutiny on the Bounty is next, and that will be fine. The
following year? My much-dreaded The Great Ziegfeld, the three-hour-plus musical behemoth. Pray for me.
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