Movie Review: It Happened One Night (1934)
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The Basics
Title: It Happened One Night
Release year: 1934
Director: Frank Capra
Writer: Robert Riskin
Stars: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, and Walter Connolly
Rating: Unrated
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Movie Synopsis
Miami. Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews has defied her father and married King Westley, a celebrity pilot who her father suspects is a fortune hunter. Weary of his pleas to annul her marriage and eager to reunite with King, she runs away from her father and boards an overnight bus to New York. Also on that bus is Peter Warne, a down-on-his-luck newspaperman who has just been fired. To get his job back, he needs the scoop of a lifetime, and when he spots Ellie on the bus that he has just boarded, he knows that he has found precisely that. Ellie’s elopement and subsequent flight from home have been media sensations, and her current whereabouts are unknown – except to Peter. He offers her a deal: in exchange for an exclusive tell-all, he will help her reach New York and evade the many detectives hired by her father to track her down. If she refuses, his next call will be to her father. Ellie begrudgingly accepts, and what ensues is a road trip for the ages replete with misadventures, high jinks, and romance.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: Don’t be put off by its age or black-and-white coloring – this film is a master class in romantic comedy.
It Happened One Night is timeless. It might be nearing its centennial, but it is every bit as entertaining now as when it premiered back in 1934. Its jokes still evoke laughter. Clark Gable still charms, and his on-screen romance with Claudette Colbert still dazzles. The film’s appeal has not waned with time; it has remained constant.
The movie’s staying power can largely be attributed to its writing. Robert Riskin transformed Samuel Hopkins Adams’ “Night Bus,” a rather verbose short story, into a clever and captivating screenplay. Quippy dialogue, dynamic characters, well-timed jokes, sizzling (by 1930s standards) romance, and a perfect pace: the script has all the earmarks of an entrancing tale.
Of course, without proper casting, even the best scripts can fall flat. Fortunately, that is not a concern for It Happened One Night. Gable and Colbert were made for their respective roles. The former’s natural charm and charisma serve him well as the debonair reporter Peter Warne, and Colbert shines as the comically stuck-up heiress Ellie Andrews. Moreover, both actors imbue their characters with dimensionality through subtle displays of depth and emotion. In one particularly poignant scene, a single tear can be seen trailing down Colbert’s face while her back is turned to Gable. It is Andrews’ first true display of emotion – and only the audience bears witness to it.
Both Gable and Colbert also excel at bringing Warren and Andrews’ fictional romance to life. Through witty banter, palpable tension, and undeniable chemistry, they sell their characters’ loathe-to-love story. Their connection feels genuine, and as the viewer, you can’t help but root for them.
Enhancing their romance is its backdrop: an epic road trip from Miami to New York City. The long, northward journey forces the pair to be in close quarters for several days, which stokes the flames of their attraction. With the many high jinks and misadventures it spawns, the road trip also ensures that the film is not only a romance but also a comedy. From an overly loquacious seatmate and a rude bus driver to shared cabins and “Walls of Jericho,” the movie is peppered with laugh-inducing moments. It is all but impossible to watch this film and not crack a smile.
The not so good
I can’t think of anything.
Overall
It Happened One Night deserves each of the many accolades that it has received. It is an enthralling film that continues to resonate with audiences nearly a century after its release. On a more personal note, it is also one of my favorite movies, and regardless of how I feel when I start it, I am always smiling when I finish it.
Have you watched It Happened One Night? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below!
