It happened one Night(1934) is another all time classic American movie. It is the movie thats referred to as the one that started the screwball comedy trend thats more popular today as rom coms. In India, Dil hai ki maanta nahi was a frame by frame remake of this movie. Although I must say that the Hindi version also had the perfect casting of Aamir Khan, Pooja Bhatt and Anupam Kher as the crazy father. The movie had Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in a battle of the sexes thats really funny and romantic at the same time.
Clark Gable is a small time news reporter(recently fired) who meets up with Claudette Colbert who is on the run from her father and on her way to meet her newly married husband. She meets Gable on the bus and he convinces her that he would not reveal her whereabouts to her father if she would give him the details of her journey towards her love. As expected the two fall in love during the course of the journey.
I found it so incredible that someone had written such a fabulous script for this story. All the scenes are relevant and look fresh and appealing even half a century later. Most notable and funny are the Hitchhiking scene,the scene at the barn with the freakout of the century, the walls of Jericho scene and the amazing wedding finale.
The film released more than 70 years ago but its not aged one bit. The screenplay sparkles with wit and humor as the two central characters take playful jabs at each other. Clark gable plays the alpha man in this who also displays a strong protective side towards Colbert hiding it under his mock anger and disdainful faces. Colbert also plays her part beautifully as the rich heiress who struggles to lead a commoners life over a span of a few days.
It Happened one night is one of the few movies that have won the Big 5 at the Oscars. It won best Actor, best Actress, best Director, Best film and best screenplay. The director of this marvellous film was Frank Capra.
It is said that both Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were unhappy with the script and thought that they had acted in the worst movie ever. Of course they were proved soundly wrong by the audience which lapped up the movie and made it one of the biggest hits for MGM.
I feel that Clark Gable acted his personal best in this movie and his flair for comedy elevates the story to a new level altogether. This film proved to be the inspiration for several movies and if you havnt watched it yet, you must do so immediately. Its a complete family entertainer and a classic not to be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment