It is a romantic of a different kind for a girl named Elie Andrews, a recklessly peddled heir to Queen Westley. After a while, Elly marries a young man named Frank Capra, prompting her billionaire father to get her out of his life. Coincidentally, Eli is with the cynical reporter Peter Warren, who is trying to help her reunite with her new husband in return for a controversial story for those around them. During that long journey, the reporter finds himself falling in the face of that young girl, where things change completely.
Instead of attempting a journalistic study of bus-travel, regularly punctuated by comic touches, Director Frank Capra and Robert Riskin who adapted Samuel Hopkins Adams' story, fused the two.
It Happened One Night is as lively, witty and romantic as ever. Buoyed up by dual performances from two of the era's greats, Capra's film maintains its status as a classic.
The direction is excellent. Frank Capra never lets his picture lag for a moment. It is never very exciting, but it moves along snappily and it is full of amusing situations.
Frank Capra's It Happened One Night was a film that defied expectations to such an outrageous extent that the cinema has never fully recovered from its impact or influence.
Capra's sense of humour is a little like that of Preston Sturges, though less caustic; and the film shows its stars at their best, Colbert as one of Hollywood's fresher comediennes, Gable as dumb-but-loveable hunk.
Classic Film and Television
November 30, 2015
One of the best comedies of its era, with a rich inventiveness of character and situation.
One of those stories that without a particularly strong plot manages to come through in a big way, due to the acting, dialog, situations and direction.
Viewed even today with all of its plot elements recycled ad nauseam by Hollywood (for rom-coms, road trip comedies, odd couple/buddy films, etc.), the film still holds up because we believe Gable and Colbert and can identify with them both right away.
It's probably more historically important than it is a masterpiece (the last 20 minutes take the missed conections and misunderstandings an inch too far), but it's still very easy to fall in love with.
