Monday, April 30, 2012

The Oscar Project #7: It Happened One Night (1934)



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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