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It Happened One Night

United States

1934

105 Min
Black and White
1.37:1
English
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
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DIR Frank Capra

PROD Frank Capra

SCR Samuel Hopkins Adams, Robert Riskin

DP Joseph Walker

CAST Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns

ED Gene Havlick

Venice (In Competition)

Synopsis

Ellie Andrews has just tied the knot with society aviator King Westley when she is whisked away to her father’s yacht and out of King’s clutches. Ellie jumps ship and eventually winds up on a bus headed back to her husband. Reluctantly she must accept the help of out-of- work reporter Peter Warne. Actually, Warne doesn’t give her any choice: either she sticks with him until he gets her back to her husband, or he’ll blow the whistle on Ellie to her father. Either way, Peter gets what (he thinks!) he wants…a really juicy newspaper story. –IMDb

Director

Original

Frank Capra

The most honored and well-liked director of his generation, Sicilian-born Frank Capra graduated from the California Institute of Technology as a Chemical Engineering major. Down on his luck after service during World War I, he bluffed his way into the movie business and learned films from the bottom up, from the film lab to the prop department to the editing department. He settled in as a gagman during the 1920s, and soon became a director specializing in comedy. After a stint with Mack Sennett, Capra moved to Columbia Pictures, where he came into his own as a filmmaker.

Displaying a good feel for drama as well as comedy, and a common touch with which ordinary viewers could resonate, Capra quickly became the star among the tiny studio’s stable of directors. His pictures, starting with American Madness in 1932, displayed themes that audiences regarded as important and uplifting during the worst days of the Great Depression, and Capra, despite the relatively modest budgets with… read more

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Marcelo Pereira

2Jan12

When the film was reaching the end, I actually thought: oh well, lame and way too predictable. But that final shot just blew me away with cuteness. Clark Gable is disarmingly sweet and Claudette Colbert acts with such conviction and personality. They certainly are my favourite couple on Screwball history.

Catarina Gomes and chanandre like this

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Gonçalo Mata

30Nov11

Claudette Colbert described this has beeing the worst picture she had ever made, and couldn't she be more wrong. A wonderful and delicious comedy, that entices us from the very begining. A movie that became a model for most any romantic comedy made afterwards. Wonderful.

chanandre likes this

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AKFilmFan

24Nov11

This 5-time Oscar winning film that gave birth to screwball is hilarious and wonderful. With a small budget, a story from a magazine, two leads who hated each other, and a wonderful director magic was made. And as an added bonus, undershirt sales went down 35% after the film because Gable didn't wear one in the film!

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Bushra Toppa

12Nov11

i definitely see why this won over cleopatra. if only the oscars could have sense like that now. what a delightful, charming, witty movie. i really believed that they were crazy for each other. i go crazy myself when in black and white movies, the actresses' eyes sparkle when they cry and i held onto my heart when colbert's own eyes sparkled. gable had a gleam in his eyes too that matched the film's starry quality.

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It Happened One Night

By asuraf on March 21, 2010
This Frank Capra, Robert Riskin comedy really struck a chord with the viewing public in the heart of the Depression, blending a nominal opposites attract road comedy with deeper issues of human connection…

Untitled

By J. Ridicul​ous on June 8, 2009

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert light up the screen in this seminal screwball. Colbert is a socialite on the run from a wedding, and Gable is the tough reporter sticking to her to get the story…  read review

Untitled

By Beneezy on May 28, 2009

(Thursday, May 28, 2009 8:23pm)

The smartest, funniest, and loveliest romantic comedy film of all time in my opinion is Frank Capra’s “It happened one night.” People might not agree with me…  read review

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