It Happened One Night Review

Number 132 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic, screwball comedy, It Happened One Night.

Ellen Andrews (Claudette Colbert) is a pampered, spoilt, selfish socialite who tries to elope with pilot King Westley.  However, Ellen's father, Alexander Andrews, knows that Westley is only interested in his daughter, because of Alexander's immense wealth.  When Alexander retrieves Ellen from Florida and wishes to have the marriage annulled, Ellen runs away to join her husband in New York.  On the way there, she meets out-of-work reporter Peter Warner (Clark Gable.) Warner agrees to help her, in exchange to the exclusive rights to her story.  If she doesn't agree, then Warner will give her up to her father.  Knowing she has little choice, she allows Warner to help her get to New York, but as the two get to know each other better, they begin falling in love.

It is fair to say that It Happened One Night was a bit of a sleeper hit.  Nobody expected it do well from Columbia Pictures who made little effort to market it, to lead actors Gable and Colbert, with the latter denouncing it as "the worst picture in the world." Despite this it received critical acclaim and it was the first film to win the Oscar grand slam: the best picture, actor, actress, screenplay and director.  And I thought it was well-deserving of this win.

This was a thoroughly charming romantic-comedy with great performances from Gable and Colbert, who was so certain she wouldn't win the Oscar, she refused to attend the ceremony.  Both characters begin as unlikable with Andrews being a spoilt brad and Warner being a selfish and jaded cynic.  However, as the two begin loving one another, they transform into kinder and more sensitive individuals.  For example, when another bus passenger approaches Warner about working together to return Andrews to her father and then split the $10,000 reward, Warner puts on a tough guy act.  He pretends he's working for the mafia and has taken Andrews hostage in hopes of a $1,000,000 ransom sum.

The act is convincing enough to send the bus passenger running for his life.  Andrews also has her more sensitive moments: on the same bus, a mother collapses from hunger.  With her son in distress, Andrews doesn't think twice about giving him money. 

The film also has its comedic moments.  When Andrews and Warner are spending the night in a hotel, they pose as husband and wife to avoid suspicion.  When the police come sniffing around, Warner and Andrews continue to play their parts by having a huge, shouting row.  This is enough to make the police so uncomfortable that they leave.  This scene was so brilliantly overacted that it was hilarious to watch.

Overall, this was a great little film.  It was thoroughly watchable and had some great performances in it.  After all, it was the first film to win the five big Oscars, a feat that wouldn't be repeated until One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest and The Silence of the Lambs.