It Happened One Night

1. Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class, we were introduced to a new genre. The genre is called, screwball comedy. Screwball comedy was very popular during the Great Depression. It started in the 1930s and continued to thrive until the early 1940s. It Happened One Night was the first film to be recognized for screwball comedy in 1934. In screw ball comedies, the female protagonist dominates the male protagonist. Ellen "Ellie" Andrews tries to declare her independence and dominance over Peter Warne. Peter's masculinity is challenged throughout the film on whether or not he's a real man. That is another characteristic of screw ball comedy. Screw ball comedy also has an escapists theme and the plots involve marriage. It Happened One Night is the epitome of a crew ball comedy.


2. Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.

The article, The art in film history: Frank Capra’s grand slam at the Oscar’s by Katie McGuire talks about how It Happened One Night is a movie worth watching. She starts the article off by telling the basic plot of a rich girl, running away from home because her expectations at home are too high and she just wants to do what makes her happy. Her father, of course, tries to control every decision that she makes. She meets someone on the way that in the beginning, she hates, but falls in love with at the end. This plot was first done by director, Frank Capra. "Director Frank Capra introduced this plot to the world in his 1934 "It Happened One Night” — the first film to win Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress in Oscar history."

McGuire then goes into the fact that this film was the first screw ball comedy and that although it was written in the 1930s, the humor is still relevant today. That is why it is such a great film. She then talks about how much the film cost to make, which was an estimated amount of $325,000 in the 1930s. McGuire likes this film because of the actor who plays Peter Warne, Clark Gable. Clark Gable's career started with this film and continued strong. Capra had to beg Gable to do the film and up the actress who plays Ellie, Claudette Colbert's salary. The two actors stripped on film, which in that time period was frowned upon. In conclusion she includes a fun fact that It Happened One Night is known to be Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin's favorite movie which makes the film internationally successful.

http://volanteonline.com/2014/10/art-film-history-frank-capras-grand-slam-oscars/

3. Apply the article to the film screened in class.

I did not think about the fact that since this film came out in 1934, Ellie and Peter stripping on camera was a really big deal. Also, at the end, Frank Capra included a sexual innuendo when Ellie and Peter get married. They knock down the "walls of Jericho." Frank Capra was a great director because he came up with a plot that no one else had done. His plot is still being used, to this day. That is why the film won Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress.

4. Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

Overall, I think It Happened One Night needs to be recognized more. Frank Capra was a genius for the plot and the fact that it is continuously done over and over and over again is remarkable. Most people do not know where the plot came from and I think they'd be very intrigued to find out. For the 1930s, this film was a huge deal. Not only was it the first screw ball comedy, it also had two characters strip down more than what was appropriate for that time period. On top of that, he spent about $325,000 on it. Capra put his heart and soul into this film and I feel as though it should be recognized more.