A film that reached milestones and narrowly avoided repression for moral reasons.
There will always be an audience for romantic comedies, and it’s a shame that cinema has decided to set aside one of its best genres and be relegated mainly to streaming. Hits like Everyone But You show that there is life for it.
This art should even be promoted by more talented and inventive proposals and filmmakers. Palm Springs could have earned great recognition from the industry thanks to its intelligent proposal and remarkable representation. But we’re a long way from the point where a film like this could have it all, as was the case with It Happened One Night.
Two strangers sharing a trip
One of the best romantic films in history has one foot in madness and the other in the comforting and moving style of Frank Capra, who makes the most of two superlative actors like Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. This year marks 90 years since its debut, maintaining a magic that can be recovered in streaming through Looke.
It’s one of the most remembered kisses in cinema, but filming it was a huge sacrifice for the actress
In it, young Ellie Andrews (Colbert) tries by all means to avoid her arranged marriage to a man she considers despicable, evidently interested in her father’s fortune. She escapes from a yacht where she was confined and attempts to travel by bus to New York. There she meets Peter Warne (Gable), a heartthrob and reporter who feels he might have a great story to sell.
It Happened One Night was one of the last romantic studio films before the establishment of the Hays Code, which would have censored part of its story and some elements such as showing Clark Gable and his imposing physique. It is not one of the most transgressive films in terms of explicit content, but it certainly has details that would be difficult to accept immediately afterwards.
It Happened One Night: An influential and historic film
Film is an indisputable source of influence across different media. From Looney Tunes (with Bugs Bunny taking details from Gable’s character) to Indian cinema, which has repeatedly adapted elements of his story. In this way, a typical 1934 charm remains relevant, but equally captivating and fascinating thanks to Capra’s tone and the talent of his actors.
It was a commercial success, but above all it was an Oscar phenomenon. It won the five main categories, which include the two main actors, screenplay, director and film (undoubtedly, it would be among the best to win best film of all time), being one of the few works to have achieved this feat (A Stranger in the World). Nest and The Silence of the Lambs were next). Now, 90 years later, it’s still a wonderful production that should be an example for studios to follow.
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