Sometimes known as the father of screwball comedy and one of the most enjoyable and charming romantic comedies ever put on film, Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night still delights eighty years after first transporting audiences with its quirky, identifiable characters and wispy, ever-engaging narrative. The film still holds up beautifully after all these years, and its achievement of being the first film to ever win the top five Academy Awards still makes sense today even considering it was up against The Gay Divorcee and The Thin Man (both of which went into Oscar night as the frontrunners) as well as The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra (which also starred one of Night’s leading players), and Imitation of Life (again, Miss Colbert) which had all been tremendous hits.
Studio: Criterion
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English PCM 1.0 (Mono)
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 1 Hr. 45 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 11/18/2014
MSRP: $39.95
The Production Rating: 5/5
Robert Riskin’s screenplay brilliantly makes both of the movie’s protagonists rather unlikable in the beginning (she’s entitled and he’s a brash know-it-all), allowing the viewer to gradually succumb to their individual charms as they encounter one conflict after another and deal with them with intelligence, humor, and lots of pluck. Though both stars won Oscars for their sparkling performances, the film really gives Clark Gable the showcase to display the innocent charm and boyish charisma buried under his more virulent and sometimes humorless performances back at his home studio MGM. For example, during the film, he gives proper instructions on everything from undressing to correct doughnut dunking, piggybacking, and (most famously) hitchhiking. Her first encounters with real world situations couldn’t have a more engaging and cheerful guide (even if she does have a few tricks of her own to show off). Joseph Walker's shimmering, effervescent cinematography makes this one of the most engaging of all the road movies presenting commonplace geographical areas like a creek or a barn, all of which fairly glisten with appeal under his watchful cinematic eye. As is the case in so many of his movies, director Frank Capra keeps his eye on the common man including a lengthy interlude on the bus as the passengers all bond while singing “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” and introducing the traveling couple to a motley crew of individuals, some accommodating, some calculating, some downright devious, but all memorable. But the movie is filled with memorable moments including the construction and destruction of “the walls of Jericho,” a witty and sophisticated way to present romantic comedy without even one kiss or any scenes of carnal sexuality.
The two stars really have a spark between them which allows a beautifully modulated and completely believable growing attachment between the duo which pulls the audience right along with their shenanigans from beginning to end. Walter Connolly offers some fine comic bluster as the millionaire demanding immediate action with his every whim, and Charles Wilson almost matches him as the put-upon newspaper editor having to deal with the erratic Warne. Along the way, rascals like Roscoe Karns’ Shapeley and especially Alan Hale’s Danker add some fun and surprises for the couple. Jameson Thomas is all smarmy unctuousness as King Westley, and, yes, that’s young Ward Bond as a bus driver who gets one-upped by the lippy Gable early in the movie.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4/5
Special Features Rating: 5/5
Screwball Comedy? (38:36, HD): film critics Molly Haskell and Phillip Lopate discuss not only the film’s claims as a progenitor of screwball comedy but also its other many merits in a lively give-and-take filmed in 2014.
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (12:03, HD): Frank Capra’s first directing job, a 1921 silent drama featuring a cross section of inhabitants and a tragic tale of rejected love and murder.
Frank Capra’s American Dream (1:36:02, HD): Ken Bowser’s 1997 documentary on the life and career of Frank Capra featuring clips from his films and anecdotes shared by family, cast members, and film historians about his work. It’s narrated by Ron Howard.
The AFI Tribute to Frank Capra (59:11, HD): Frank Capra’s lifetime achievement award special presented in 1982 and featuring host James Stewart and comments from, among others, Bette Davis and Claudette Colbert.
Theatrical Trailer (1:24, HD)
Enclosed Pamphlet: contains cast and crew lists, information on the audio and video transfer, and film critic Farran Smith Nehme’s illuminating essay on the movie.
Timeline: can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc and the title of the chapter you’re now in. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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