Believe you me, this is one hell of a picture. and im not talking about the photo above but the movie. it is witty and smart and brought something new to the table. something not violent or cruel. this is definatl not film-noir. real ligitimate humor. it is devilishly funny. something that if you saw in the 30's you would almost be ashamed to crack up in the theater. something the old folks would have scorned at for it's frankness. something the younger ones would have gotten rosy-cheeked over and turned quickly to their friends in laughter. to people my age, there is nothing funny at all; like "Some Like It Hot" from 1959-no laughs just stares and that is one of the few films that really make me crack up. but they just don't get it. i would have loved to been alive when films like these came out. the real good ones. the characters are so comical but realistic. they are not lackadaisacal but truly real characters who would behave that way in real life. that was why it was so shocking. the films at that point were supposed to be an escape (as they are now) but not a realistic reflection on what happens in life. yes it was hilarious but i thing some looked passed that for it's time. the comedy is so new and this is what todays writers of comedy should look back to. some do, but others need to. there is animocity between the characters that makes it so funny. the awkwardness between the two main characters and battle of the sexes made the film uncomfortable for some. and what the people must have said. thank GOD the MPAA was not around then because we may have never seen the film. even now it would be something the MPAA would idiotically and moronically give an 'R-rating: for strong, crude, explicit sexual humor and dialogue including innuedo, strong references with immplied graphic violence and sex and unsimulated drinking and smoking' (godhelpus).
Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) is a rich and spoiled daughter of an aristocrat married the famous, hot-shot aviator that her father opposes heavily. the marriage is not consummated so she jumps off the yacht and swims back to shore. she buys a ticket for New York to get back to her husband and hops on the bus. thus beginning the search for Miss Andrews. on her way, she meets the good-looking Peter Warne (Clark Gable). he is a reporter who is currently out of work who recognizes her from a newspaper photo. thus begins the fun. they embark on many adventures and eventually, yes, fall in love. theytravel across rural country and go from hotels with 'wall of Jericho', hitchhike, beatings and and fights. But then, Ellie wonders, did Peter abandon me for the money? yes, the question will be answered after the break. i love the film. it is just adorably funny. it is one of the few good chick flicks next to "Roman Holiday" of 1953. yes i did predict the ending correctly but for that time I wouldn't have. it is because most films are like this today. but this was where it all began. this film was the first to win all 5 main catagories in the Academy Awards. rightfully so of course. Frank Capr is obviously one of the greatest writers/directors of all time and im glad he won the Oscar for this one. it is a fun one.
The performances are excellent as well. Colbert really shocked me with what she was doing in many of the scenes. she was so composed and all right with it that many women at that time wouldn't have done. the screenplay was one of the greatest of all time. the dialougue was gold. it made the film feel of a grander scale thanit actually was. it's just a love story but there is so much adventure which keeps us hooked. the awkward feeling in the hotel scene are iconic. it is what we would call today LOL. everything is. i bought the film without having seen it first just because i knew i would love it, and i did. it's just one of those pictures that can be seen over and over again. there is really not much more to say.
| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Won | Oscar | Best Actor in a Leading Role Clark Gable In 1996, Steven Spielberg anonymously purchased Clark Gable's Oscar to protect it from further commercial exploitation, gave it back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, commenting that he could think of "no better sanctuary for Gable's only Oscar than the Motion Picture Academy". |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert was so convinced that she would lose the Oscar to write-in nominee Bette Davis that she didn't attended the ceremony orignally. She was summoned from a train station to pick up her Academy Award. | |||
| Best Director Frank Capra | |||
| Best Picture (Columbia). | |||
| Best Writing, Adaptation Robert Riskin | |||
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